Rebuking Jewish Pride: The Case of the law-abiding Gentiles in Romans 2:13—15
10 December 2024
Not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have the law by nature, obey the law, they, although not inheritors of the law, are a law to themselves, showing the work of the law to be written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.
- Romans 3:13—15
Paul’s letter to the Romans outlines the universal need for salvation and the impartiality of God’s judgment. Romans 1–3 addresses the shared accountability of Jews and Gentiles before God. Romans 2:13—15 is therefore situated within Paul’s argument that neither naturally inheriting the Mosaic Law (for Jews) nor falling outside of the jurisdiction of Sinai (for Gentiles) guarantees righteousness; rather, it is sincere obedience to God that matters. In this passage, Paul highlights that the Gentiles, though not under the Mosaic Law like the Jews, may act in accordance with its commandments, showing that its precepts are "written on their hearts." This challenges any presumption of superiority based on the Jews’ possession of the Torah, reinforcing the impartiality of God’s judgment (Romans 2:11).
Paul asserts that Gentiles, though they do not have the Torah ("law") "by nature" can still do what the law requires. The Greek word φύσει (phusei), translated as “by nature” does not function as an adverb describing the nature of moral conduct, but rather describes the state of the one conducting the action. In other words, it refers to the Gentiles by their nature or in terms of their heritage and descent and not in terms of their natural moral dispositions. As the Dutch Reformed New Testament scholar Jacob van Bruggen (1936—) points out in his commentary on the passage:
Gentiles do not have the Torah. Nonetheless, they can do “what the law requires” (Romans 2:14). Many translations render this verse as saying they do this “by nature.” Such a translation would seem to suggest that people do what the law requires because of their good character (their “nature”). However, the Greek word “phusei” stands in contrast to “thesei” and can be more accurately rendered as de facto (in fact, indeed), which stands over against de jure (rightful, legitimate, just). This meaning fits Paul’s context, since he draws a contrast between “not having the law” and yet doing what the law requires. In a juridical sense Gentiles have nothing to do with the law. They simply fall outside the law because they are uncircumcised. But at the same time, they can factually do the law. As such, Paul is not connecting their doing of the law to their “nature” (or character), but rather to their status as people who fall outside the law because of their birth. Paul says that, as uncircumcised people, Gentiles can indeed revere the Creator, the God of Abraham, as the one true God. When they do that, “they are a law (Torah) to themselves.” In other words, even though they do not ethnically belong to the people of the Book, they do follow the God of this Book by faith. And that is why the Torah applies to them also, even if they are not part of the national community in which that Torah is read and heard every Sabbath.
By their conduct these Gentiles from other nations show that what the law demands is “written on their hearts” (Romans 2:15). This means that it is not by their outward national identity, but by their inner impulse they belong to the Creator with their prayer, their alms, and their faith. They themselves are the Torah. No teachers of the law or a Sanhedrin have evaluated them. But by their own conscience they subject themselves to God and take counsel from their own deliberations before God. Their inner love for the God of the law is thus apparent from two things: first, their respectful conduct; and second, their inner choices and self-assessment. Therefore, they have a good conscience before God: “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.”
The Gentiles Paul is referring to in Romans 2:14—16 are therefore God-fearing people from non-Jewish nations. It is not plausible that he merely spoke of Gentiles with a high moral standard, for the apostle writes about living from the Torah, even though the people in question do not formally fall under the jurisdiction of the Mosaic law.1
The “nature” referred to here is therefore not human moral nature or natural revelation in a universal sense, but rather ethnic nature or ethnic identity in a particular sense. In other words, God-fearing Gentile nations, while not under the jurisdiction of Sinai like ethnic Jews are by virtue of their lineage, still act in accordance with the Law, unlike unregenerate Jews.
That we do not have an obedience to a natural law in view here but rather an active obedience to God’s revealed Law by covenanted Gentile families and nations flowing from regenerate hearts is evident from the fact that verse 14—15, initiated with the conjunction “for,” expressly connects this obedience of the Gentiles with the justification before God spoken of in verse 13, where doers of the law are contrasted with those who disobey the law and are damned. What is therefore at issue here is not natural human inclinations nor universal human instincts, but rather the natural descent or ethnicity and heritage of the God-fearing Gentiles which is contrasted with the natural descent or ethnicity and heritage of the Jews. Paul here speaks of God-fearing Gentiles in particular, as opposed to mankind or even Gentiles in general.
In conclusion it can be said that Romans 2:13—15 fundamentally underscores the impartiality of God’s judgment by demonstrating that moral accountability before Him extends to all humanity. The Jews therefore have no reason to boast because of the fact that they by nature fall under the jurisdiction of Sinai. Their ethnic identity does not save them, for God-fearing Gentiles, who, although by nature they have a different ethnic identity and are not the legal heirs of the Sinaic covenant, obey the law from a regenerate heart and is justified before God through faith. It is significant that understanding this passage as referring to specific ethnic natures as opposed to universal human nature, also highlights the continuing significance of ethnic distinctions in the church of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, by referring to ethnic identity as something held “by nature,” the apostle Paul here also presents it as something naturally acquired by descent as opposed to embracing a set of propositions.
1. Van Bruggen, J. 2006. Commentaar op het Nieuwe Testament: Romeinen. Kampen: Kok, p. 52—53. [The quoted passage is my own translation from the original Dutch].