ROMANS 2:5-16 A Paper Presented to Dr. Curt Horn North Greenville University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for CHST 2390 by Konrad D. Schimmel December 3, 2009
INTRODUCTION Paul s letter to the Roman church contains many great theological truths that apply both to believers then and now. Rom 2:5-16 contains such an important theological truth that applies to believers of both the past and present. The purpose of this paper is to complete a verse-by-verse exposition of Rom 2:5-16 and apply its message to modern Christians and churches. This exposition will be carried out in several steps. First, the historical-cultural background of Romans will be examined to raise awareness of the circumstances surrounding the writing of Romans and the relationship that Paul had with the church at Rome. Second, the literary context will examine the structure of Romans as a whole and how Rom 2:5-16 fits into the immediate context of chapters one through three. Third, a verseby-verse exegesis will reveal the meaning of the text to the Roman church. Lastly, an application section will state the theological principle of Rom 2:5-16 and give specific applications of this principle for the modern believers and Churches. 1
2 Historical-Cultural Context Paul wrote Romans in A.D. 57. 1 No scholarly debate exist concerning the Pauline authorship of Romans. Paul addresses his letter to all the believers in Rome (Rom 1:7). He wrote Romans at the end of his third missionary journey while he spent the winter in Corinth (Acts 20:2-3). Paul, while in Corinth, prepared to deliver to the church at Jerusalem the offering he had been collecting during his third missionary journey and then heading to Rome (Rom 15:25-28). Also, Paul prepares to enter his next phase of missions to Spain and beyond, which he tells the Roman church about (Rom 15:17-28). 2 Paul spent three months in Corinth which would have given him the time he needed to write such an extensive letter as Romans. 3 Paul s relationship to the Roman church is unique because Paul was not the founder of the church of Rome. Christianity came to Rome through Romans that were saved on the day of 1 Moo J. Douglas, Romans, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 3:3. 2 Ibid., 3:5. 3 J.D.G. Dunn, Romans, Letter To The, Dictionary of Paul and His Letters 238.
3 Pentecost in Acts 2. 4 Thus Paul does not write to the Romans as a founding father like he did in other epistles. Romans acts as more of Paul s first formal communication to the Roman Church as he seeks to gain the Church s support for his missions work to unreached people like those in Spain (Rom 15:20-24), to spread the Gospel even further among the Gentiles in Rome (Rom 1:13), to encourage and clarify the gospel to the believers in Rome (Rom 1:8-12; 15:15), and to address the tension between the Jew and Gentile believers in Rome. Paul did know many Christians in Rome, as evidenced by his personal address to many of them in chapter 16. These relationships would have made him aware of any problems in the church of Rome, and would allow him to know what he needed to tell the church at Rome. 5 The church at Rome experienced a very significant event in A.D. 49 when Emperor Claudius exiled all Jews from Rome. The reason for this expulsion came from Jews arguing about Christ. 6 4 Acts 2:10 says that visitors from Rome were present on the day of Pentecost. All Bible references hereafter will be from the ESV. 5 Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough, Encountering The New Testament: A Historical and Theological Survey, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005), 276. 6 R.B. Edwards, Rome, Dictionary of New Testament Background, (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2000), 1014.
4 The Jews were allowed back into Rome in A.D. 54, when Claudius died. When the Jewish Christians returned to Rome, they were the minorities in the church and the sudden influx of Jewish believers created tension between the Gentile and Jewish believers. Paul writes Romans to help reconcile the tension between the Gentile and Jewish believers. Literary Context The Structure of Romans Romans literary form fits that of an epistle, but the exact genre of the letter does not fit into a neat category. Scholars throughout the ages have tried classify Romans into a genre, but the unique nature of the letter is the only defining factor. The letter of Romans does hold similarities to the diatribe style of argument that Stoic philosophers used. 7 The use of rhetorical questions and dialogue directed toward an imaginary person that participates in the dialogue defines the diatribe style. 8 Recent scholarship also suggests that diatribes specific purpose was to 7 Moo, Romans, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary 8. 8 J.D.G. Dunn, Romans, Letter To The. Dictionary of Paul and His Letters. (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1993), 241.
5 clarify truth to converts and followers. 9 This purpose fits Paul s use of diatribe as he seeks to clarify the truths of the Gospel to the tense church at Rome. Paul s argument and the issues that he seeks to clarify through this diatribe can be seen in an outline of the book. 1. God s Righteousness (1-3) a) God s hatred of Unrighteousness (1) b) God s righteous judgement (2-3) 2. Man s need of faith in order to be righteous (4-7) a) Abraham s example (4) b) Christ makes righteousness possible for sinners (5-6) c) The law s role in salvation (7) 3. The results of salvation (8) 4. Summary of salvation history (9-11) 5. The fruit of a redeemed Life (12-15) 6. Paul s future plans and final greeting (15-16) Paul begins Romans with an introduction where he explains his longing to come and see the believers in Rome. He proclaims the power of the Gospel (Rom 1:16) and clarifies how this powerful Gospel works throughout the rest of the letter. He 9 Moo, Romans, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary 8.
6 begins with the righteousness of God and how this righteousness rightly condemns both the unrighteous Jew and Gentile(1-3) Paul goes on to explain that the unrighteous can be saved and he gives the example of Abraham s saving faith and how Christ s sacrifice overcomes the death that Adam s sin brought to all mankind (4-6). Christ death also overcomes sins use of the law to condemn humanity (7). The salvation that Christ brings to the unrighteous gives new life, makes believers God s children, gives believers hope for the future, and power over condemnation (8). Paul outlines how God began his plan of salvation back in the days of the patriarchs and he now offers salvation to all (9-11). Paul clarifies for his Jewish audience that the fact that God has offered salvation to all does not mean that God has reject Israel (Rom 11:11). He then clarifies how believers should act in their attitude (12), their respect of authority (13), and their actions (14). 10 Paul then moves on to discuss how he plans to spread the Gospel he just eloquently explained to the unreached people of the world, and he wants the Romans support behind him as he moves into this new mission field (15). He ends the letter with warnings against false teaching and divisions. 10 Specifically in respect to eating food offered to idols.
7 The Immediate Context of Romans 2:5-16 When Paul begins his clarification of the Gospel, he starts with the fact that God is righteous (Rom 1:17) and how God has given people over to their sinful desires because they rejected His kindness (Rom 1:24,26,28;2:4). Rom 2:5-16 comes after these verses on man s rejection of God and before Paul deals with Jewish hypocrisy in the second part of chapter 2. Exegesis Paul saw a clear need in the Roman church to clarify the truths of the Gospel to a church that consisted of two very distinct groups that had been separated for years before being reunited. Paul discusses significantly in Rom 2:5-16 about the relationship that Jews and Gentiles have before God. 5) Paul begins with the conjunction but. This conjunction sets God s kindness that should lead people to repentance (Rom 2:4) in contrast with the response of the hard, unrepentant hearts of the unrighteous (Rom 2:5). The unrepentant heart results in God s wrath being built up ( storing up) until the day of judgment. Jews commonly held the idea of God judging people by there works on the day of wrath. 11 Paul and the other 11 see Isa 2:11-12; Amos 5:18; Mal 3:2.
8 apostles also spoke frequently of the day of wrath, that day, or the day of the Lord. 12 The Old Testament also refers to God judging people by their works, and Paul and the Jews in the Church of Rome would have been aware of verses like Psalms 62:12 and Proverbs 24:12, which Paul may have been directly referencing when he speaks of the day of wrath here. 13 6) On this day of judgment God will look at the works that each person has done and give them what they rightly deserve. This verse does not teach works based salvation. Paul clearly teaches in his whole body of work that, For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 14 Paul also mentions grace repeatedly throughout Romans as being the means by which believers are justified. 15 Paul also does not teach that God ignores works. 16 If he ignored what people did, then there would be no need for a day of judgment. 12 see Matt 7:22; 1 Cor 5:5; 1 Thess 5:2; 2 Tim 4:8. 13 Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1993), 417. 14 Ephesians 2:8-9 (English Standard Version). 15 see Rom 1:5, 3:20,24,28, 5:15,17, 6:14-15, 11:5-6. 16 See 1 Cor 5:10.
Paul s thought that God judges fairly according to what people have done begins a chiastic structure that continues through to the repetition of this point. 17 the first point in this chiasm s argument is that God judges all equally based on what they have done. 7) The second point in Paul s chiasm says God rewards those that seek the things of God with eternal life. Paul expands the first point of the chiasm by giving a specific example of God rendering fairly to those that do good a proper reward. Paul mentions three things that are sought: glory, honor, and immortality. All four are not physical actions of good, like helping, but spiritual. Thus they deserve a spiritual reward like eternal life. The reward matches the works that Paul mentions. 8) Point three in the chiasm says God punishes those that sought their own will ( self-seeking ) above Gods. Since these people did not seek what was right they receive the proper punishment of wrath and furry. 9) Paul immediately repeats this point in the chiasm as the next point in the chiasm. Paul s point again stands that evil 17 See Appendix 1 for the English Standard version of the text set in a mechanical layout format. The parallelism in the chiastic structure can be seen in verses 6-11. 9
10 will be punished harshly on the day of judgment. He also adds that the punishment for the above actions will be given to the Jew first and then to the Gentiles. Paul used this phrase at the beginning of Romans to refer to salvation as being to the Jews and then to the Gentiles (1:16). Paul carries this thought further to apply to the Jews also getting punished first on the day of Judgement. 18 Paul addresses here both key groups in the church of Rome: Jews and Gentiles. 19 10) Point two in the chiasm repeats here. Paul again states that God will reward good. He also repeats the parallel statement that he stated at the end of his last statement. He repeats the Jew first and Gentile next thought, except he now applies it to rewards. God gives the Jews priority in both punishment and rewards. 11) The last point of the chiasm says that God does not show favoritism ( no partiality ) to anyone. Chiastic structures usually emphasize the middle point as the main point of the 18 Douglas J. Moo, Romans, The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), 75. 19 Paul will continue to mention both Jew and Gentile throughout Romans and this passage as he clarifies issues between these two groups.
11 chiasm s argument. 20 In this passage, the outer points (Rom 2:6,11) contain the main point. 21 The middle point (Rom 2:8-9) does not capture the overarching argument of Paul in the first part of Romans. Paul means to emphasize that God judges both evil and good fairly, and not that God punishes evil. Paul does teach that God punishes evil, but Paul also states repeatedly in this passage that God rewards good. For every statement that Paul makes on God punishing evil (Rom 2:8-9), he also states that God rewards good (Rom 2:7,10). This chiastic structure holds both God s punishment of sin and rewarding of good in equal standing. Thus the main point of the chiasm must be the logical conclusion of God both punishing evil and rewarding good: God shows no partiality to either Jew or Gentile. 12) Paul further elaborates on God s impartiality in judgment with the conjunction for at the beginning of the next three sentences which justify the impartiality claim of the chiastic structure that Paul just completed. 20 The simplified version of the chiasm looks like this: A. God judges fairly (6) B. God rewards good (7) C. God punishes evil (8) D. God punishes evil. (9) E. God rewards good (10) F. God show no partiality (11) 21 Moo, Illustrated Bible Background Commentary 3:16.
First, God shows impartiality by judging both the Jews ( sinned under the law ) and Gentiles ( sinned without the law ) based on their sins in respect to what they knew about God s standards. The law in this verse refers to the Mosaic law that the Jews received from God. Jews in Rome would have grown up learning this law and taking pride in the fact that God had given this law to the Jews alone. The Jews looked down on the Gentiles because they had been given the Mosaic Law and the Gentiles had not. 22 Paul references both the Jew s and Gentile s knowledge of the Mosaic law here and says that God judges both. Neither Jew not Gentile escapes judgment, which shows again God s fairness, and it defeats one reason that Jews believed made them superior to Gentiles. 13) The second for sentence shows God s impartiality by saying that only those that keep the law will be justified by it. God can judge those that have the Mosaic law the same as those that do not have the Mosaic law because hearing the law does not equate to obeying the law. God justifies those that keep the Mosaic law and not just know it( the doers of the law will be justified ). Therefore God shows no favoritism because 12 22 Grant R. Osborne, Romans, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2004), 67.
13 he holds the Jews whom he told his law to directly and set apart as his special people to the same standard as the Gentiles. Both groups must obey the law in order to be justified. 23 To the Gentiles obeying the law probably seemed unfair. Since God judges based on people keeping the law, the Jews seem to be at an extreme advantage over the Gentiles because God directly told the Jews what he wanted them to do. So even if the Jews did not always obey the law they at least knew what God expected from them. The Gentiles seem to have no hope of keeping the law unless they accidentally obey the law without knowing they had obeyed it. 14) Paul clarifies this confusion by stating that Gentiles know the law, the general requirements of God, by nature. The Greek word used here for by nature is phusis. 24 In this context Phusis refers to Gentile s being born with a natural understanding of right and wrong. Thus, Gentiles can obey the law because they naturally know the basic requirements of God. The Gentiles may lack knowledge of the formal statement of the law in the form of the Mosaic law, but they do know the basics Romans 3. 23 Paul makes clear that keeping the law is impossible in 24 See Appendix 2 for a full word study of phusis.
14 of what God requires from people. Since both the Jews and Gentiles know what God expects from them, he can judge both fairly and neither group has an advantage over the other. Paul talks about two kinds of law in concerns to the Gentiles. The first reference to the law in this sentence means the Mosaic law. The law that Paul refers to when he say the Gentiles by nature do what the law requires means they know the expectations of God but not the law of Moses. This makes sense because Paul says in the same sentence that the Gentiles do not have the law. Paul would contradict himself if he was referring to the Mosaic law every time the law was mentioned in this sentence. 15) Paul then states the conclusion of the Gentiles knowing what the law requires: the Gentiles show evidence that they know the requirements of the law ( the law is written on their hearts ). Some believe that Paul refers to Gentile Christians here and throughout Romans 2 because Paul would be contradicting his later teaching on those with saving faith being the only ones that can do works that justify them before God (Rom 3:24) and can have the law written on their heart (Jer 31:33). Three possibilities exist to explain this contradiction: the Gentiles are saved by their works, the Gentiles are not
15 Christians, or the Gentiles are Christians. 25 The Gentiles cannot be saved by works because then Paul would be teaching heresy. The Bible nowhere says that works outside of faith saves, and Paul teaches consistently that faith justifies not works, especially in Romans. 26 Therefore explanation two or three must be correct. The explanation that Paul is referring to unregenerate Gentiles fits the context if taken to be hypothetical. Paul would thus be saying that Gentiles and Jews could be saved if they kept the law. This explanation fits Paul s wording in this section as Moo points out in his commentary that Paul does not mention faith or Christians in this passage. 27 Thus the Jews and Gentiles in Romans 2 are not saved by faith at all but hypothetically justified by keeping the law if they could (Rom 3:23). This explanation fits the overall context of Paul s argument as a whole as well. Paul moves his argument in Romans from his hypothetical musings on what one must do to be judged rightly before God (Romans 2) to laying out his case that no one 25 Adrio Kömig, "Gentiles or Gentile Christians? On the meaning of Romans 2:12-16." Journal of Theology for Southern Africa, no. 15 (June 1976): 53. 26 Rom 3:27-28,30; 5:1; Gal 2:16; 5:6. 27 Moo, Romans, NIV Application Commentary, 81.
16 can keep the law (Rom 3:9-20,23). 28 This explanation resolves the conflict of Paul seemingly contradicting his teaching on salvation by grace. Commentator Thomas Schreiner agrees with this position, and he cites numerous other commentators that uphold this view. 29 The third possibility of the Gentiles being Christians has also been held by many. There however exist numerous problems with this possibility. First, as mentioned earlier, Paul does not mention anywhere in this passage either faith or Christians. Second, the appeal to Paul referencing Jer 31:33 in verse 15 as proof for the Gentile Christian argument does not agree with the meaning of Rom 2:15. Jer 31:33 prophesies the new covenant in which God will write His law on the hearts of those under the new covenant. If Paul happens to be referencing this verse in Rom 2:15, then the Gentile Christian argument stands as a likely explanation to Paul s seeming contradiction. The wording of Jeremiah 31:33 matches the wording of Rom 2:15 which also says that the law is written on the Gentile s heart; however, these verses only match in lettering and not in meaning. Rom 2:15 80-81. 28 Moo, Romans, The NIV Life Application Commentary, 29 Schreiner, Romans, 114.
17 relates back to the natural law that the Gentiles know from birth and not to a law that was written on their heart due to saving faith. 30 Also, Jeremiah clearly states that God s law will be written on the hearts of the new covenant believers. Paul instead speaks of the works of the law being written on the hearts of the Gentiles in Rom 2:15 and not the law itself. 31 Thus, Rom 2:15 lacks proof for the Gentile Christian explanation. 32 Paul also point out that the Gentile s conscience also helped the Gentiles know whether they were following the law ( bears witness ). The conscience here refers to the Greek idea that the conscience is an inner awareness of right and wrong. 33 Paul uses conscience in this sense repeatedly through out his letters. 34 Gentile s thoughts also can be conflicting when they 30 See again the word study in appendix 2 and the explanation of verse 14 on page 13-14. 31 Kömig, "Gentiles or Gentile Christians?, 59. 32 More than three possible explanations for the seeming contradiction in Paul s teaching exist, but only the three most significant have been discussed here. 33 Grant R. Osborne,, Romans, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2004), 69-70. 34 See 1 Cor 10:27; 2 Cor 4:2; 1 Tim 3:9.
18 try to keep the law. Gentiles thought process can either accuse them of their disobedience, or it justifies their wrong doing ( excuse ). 16) Whatever reasoning Gentiles use will not matter, because God knows all their reasons for why they did everything they ever did ( the secrets of man ). God will discern these reasons and will judge accordingly on the day of the Lord. He will not only look at the secrets motives of the Gentiles but also of the Jews. Paul uses the generic term men instead of a more specific word because Paul will be discussing the secret motives of the Jews next and thus uses this to transition from Gentiles to Jews. Paul fittingly ends this section (Rom 2:16) of scripture the same way he began it (Rom 2:5) by mentioning the day of the Lord. The idea of the day of the Lord incapsulates the whole of what Paul has discussed. In Conclusion, Paul discuses God s impartial judgement on the day of the Lord in Rom 2:5-16. Paul specifically relates God s impartial judgement to the two distinct groups of the Roman church: Jew and Gentiles. He shows how neither on will be treated any differently on the day of the Lord. They will both be rewarded for good and punished for evil.
19 Application Paul s teaching in Rom 2:5-16 gives no specific application; however, it does give powerful truth about God. The particular situation to which Paul writes does not exist in churches today. Churches do not have a group of people exiled and then brought back in after years, especially two such distinct groups as the Jews and Gentiles; however, the truth that this passage teaches about God still has profound impact today. Thus, the purpose of this application will be to state the theological principle of Rom 2:5-16 in light of the exegesis and the other teachings of Paul, and to make a relevant application of this principle for the Church today. In Paul s day, this passage taught a church with two very distinct groups within it that they were both sinners and would both be judged on the day of the Lord based on their works. More importantly, Rom 2:5-16 taught them about how God will judge both Jews and Gentiles on that day and through this knowledge showed the Jews in Rome that they were not superior to Gentiles because they knew the standards by which God would judge. Thus, a careful examination of Rom 2:5-16 renders the following theological principle: God is completely impartial in his judgment of sin on the day of judgment.
20 This theological principle greatly effects how believers should view others. Since God shows no favoritism in his judgment on the last day, no one has a reason to think of themselves more highly than others like the Jews did to the Gentiles. No matter what race, age, gender, religion, heritage, or material wealth defines a person, God will judge all these people the same, and he has made his law known to all so that no one has an unfair advantage in knowing what they should do. This principle should result in praise in the believers life because they have been saved from the punishment of God s judgement when they have to give their account on the day of judgement (2 Cor 5:10; Rev 20:12-13). Unbelievers should respond in fear and repentance as they will rightly be judged and punished as sinners should be with eternity in Hell (Rev 20:15).
APPENDIX 1 Mechanical Layout of Romans 2:5-16 (5) But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath -when God s righteous judgment will be revealed. (6) He will render to each one according to his works: (7) to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; (8) but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. (9) There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and 21
22 (10) but (There will be) glory And honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. (11) For God shows no partiality. (12) For All who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. (13) For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. (14) For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, also the Greek,
23 even though 35 they do not have the law. (15) They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, While their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them (16) on that day when, -according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. 35 This is not a formal coordinating conjunction but it is acting like one here.
APPENDIX 2 Word Study of Physis In Romans 2:14, Paul says, For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. The Greek word φυσισ ( nature ) holds significance to the meaning of verse 14 and to chapter two. Φυσισ is a noun that occurs only a few times in the Νew Testament. To gain a better understanding of φυσισ this study will examine φυσισ s use in classical Greek, the LXX, other writings, and the New Testament. In classical Greek, φυσισ could refer to lineage, created things, the power of growth, appearance, and the natural order. This word also held philosophical significance to the Stoics and Aristotle. Aristotle used φυσισ to refer to humans as being naturally political beings. The stoics used φυσισ to refer to the god of nature. The Stoics also saw nature(φυσισ) as the way one should live, and they distinguished nature from the law. Nature, to the Stoics, was good. 36 36 G. Harper, φυσισ, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, 2:657-58. 24
25 In the LXX φυσισ only occurs in the Apocrypha. The Hebrews had no equivalent to φυσισ because they perceived everything as being created by God, not by nature. In the Apocrypha it is used to mean a characteristic, like someone having the characteristic of being good or loving. Φυσισ can also be used to say that the law does what is best for people s nature. Φυσισ also refers to the natural order of creation. 37 Other writers like Philo and Josephus used the word φυσισ in their writings. One of the first Jewish writers to adopt φυσισ was Philo. He altered φυσισ to agree with Jewish thought. To Philo φυσισ meant the work of God, and this work creates things like humanity. In relation to the law, Philo saw the law as being the true word of nature(φυσισ), and nature supports the law. Philo also used φυσισ to speak of the nature of man, creation, and the natural order of something. 38 Josephus used φυσισ in three ways. First, He used φυσισ to mean character, like the Apocrypha did. Also, φυσισ can mean all of creation. Third, Josephus used φυσισ to mean the natural 37 Ibid,. 658-59. 38 Verlyn D. Verbrugge, ed., φυσισ, The NIV Theological Dictionary of New Testament Words, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 200) 1318.
order of the world. Things can be considered part of the natural order or not part of the natural order. Φυσισ, in the New Testament, occurs mostly in Romans 39 and the other letters of Paul. The semantic range is as follows. 1. Φυσισ most commonly means what naturally occurs, like the qualities that people are born with. In Galatians 2:15 Φυσισ refers to Paul and others as being Jews by birth/nature. Similarly, in Romans 11 Paul uses the picture of an olive tree that possesses its natural branches and has grafted branches that are wild by nature. 2. Φυσισ can also mean kind or species. James 3:7 uses Φυσισ in this sense to refer to kinds of animals that can be tamed. 3. Another meaning of Φυσισ is nature of God. In 1 Peter 1:14 Peter uses the Greek θειασ φυσεως to refer to the divine nature of God. The use of Φυσισ in Rom 2:14 agrees with first use of Φυσισ to mean what occurs naturally. Rom 2:14 uses Φυσισ to say that gentiles naturally know the law. This use of Φυσισ makes sense in light of the use of Φυσισ by Philo and the Stoics. To the Stoics and Philo nature was good, and the Stoics believed that 26 39 Occurs seven times as a noun and two more times as an adjective. Harper, φυσισ, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, 2:660.
27 by following nature one would do what is right. Philo used Φυσισ to say that the true words of nature were law. Thus φυσισ means, in verse 14, that the gentiles knew the law naturally because people can know right and wrong through nature. God made everything so it is not preposterous to think that God could make his law known to people by nature. This use of φυσισ also makes the most sense in the context of Rom 2:5-16. The other two New Testament uses of φυσισ, kind and nature of God, do not fit the context. Paul uses φυσισ in his letters to usually refer to what naturally occurs. Therefore, Paul taught the Roman church that Gentiles knew naturally what was right to do, and thus they obeyed parts of the law even though they did not know the Mosaic law.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Brown, Colin, ed. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. 4 vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984. Danker, Frederick William, ed. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. Dunn, J.D.G. Romans, Letter To The. Pages 838-56. Dictionary of Paul and His Letters. ed. Gerald F. Hawthorne and Ralph P. Martin. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1993. Elwell, Walter A., Robert W. Yarbrough. Encountering The New Testament: A Historical and Theological Survey. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005. Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1993. Kömig, Adrio. "Gentiles or Gentile Christians? On the meaning of Romans 2:12-16." Journal of Theology for Southern Africa, no. 15 (June 1976): 53-60. Moo, Douglas J. Romans. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000. Moo, Douglas J. Romans. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary. ed. Clinton E. Arnold. 4 vols. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002. Osborne, Grant R. Romans. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2004. Schreiner, Thomas R. Romans. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998. 28
CONTENTS INTRODUCTION....................... 1 Historical-Cultural Context............... 2 Literary Context................... 4 The Structure of ROMANS................ 4 The Immediate Context of ROMANS 2:5-16........ 7 Exegesis........................ 7 Application....................... 19 APPENDIX 1. Mechanical Layout................. 21 2. Word Study of Physis................ 24 BIBLIOGRAPHY....................... 28 iii