Romans Study Lesson 4 – Romans 2:12-3:20

The Heart of the Gospel:
Justification by Faith

Romans 1:18-4:25 

Romans 1:18-3:20 – The Universal Reign of Sin – Part 2

2. Jews Are Accountable to God for Sin (2:1–3:8)
   1. The Jews and the Judgment of God (2:1-16)

1. 1. 5. Judgment and the Law (2:12-16)
         1. Covenant or boundary markers are not enough!
         2. The distinction of those with and without the law is the same as between Jew and Gentile.
         3. Justify – to declare righteous
         4. v. 14-15 refer to “Gentiles who do some part of the law but who are not saved”
         5. God will even judge those without the Word by the keeping of their own (flawed) consciences
            1. Matt. 5:20-27
            2. The nature of the 10 Commandments in the New Testament
   2. The Limitations of the Covenant (2:17-29)
      5. Blessing of being a Jew (v. 17-18)
      6. As a result, Jews ought be (v. 19-20)
         1. Guide to the blind
         2. Light for those who are in darkness
         3. An instructor of the foolish
         4. A teacher of the immature
      7. The problem is they don’t keep the law either (v. 21-24)
      8. The Law is not enough (v. 17-24)
      9. Circumcision doesn’t make one a Jew (v. 25-29)
         1. What makes someone a Jew?
            1. Boundary markers?
            2. “No person who is circumcised will go down to Gehenna.” (Later Judaism)
         2. Inner vs. outer distinction
            1. Circumcision of the heart (Deut. 10:16; 30:6 ; Jer. 4:4)
            2. Jesus in the Gospels
      10. God’s Faithfulness and the Judgment of Jews (3:1-8)
          1. v. 1 – What is the advantage of being a Jew?
          2. v. 2 – In every way (see  9:4-5), but especially the Scriptures
          3. v. 3-4 – Is God faithful even if some Jews are unfaithful? Yes!
          4. v. 5-8 – The relationship between our sin, God’s glory, and God’s righteousness.
   3. The Guilt of All Humanity (3:9–20)
      5. v. 10 – An introduction for the accusation
      6. v. 11-12  – Repeating the accusation
      7. v. 13-14 – Sins of speech
      8. v. 15-17– Sins of violence
      9. Quotations from the Psalms and Isaiah
      10. v. 19 – The law in the broadest sense including the Law written upon the heart. (2:12-16) 
      11. v. 20 – The conclusion

Problems to be Addressed

1. Contradiction between 2:13 and 3:20  — There is an assumed step that is left out: “No one can do the law.”
2. The meaning of justification
   1. OT: “Justification” thus takes the form of a legal recognition of an already existing righteousness.” – Westerholm
   2. NT usage by Paul:
      1. Legal
         1. How it differed from the Jewish:
            1. The verdict must be just.
            2. The verdict was only at the Judgment. 
            3. The verdict was limited to the past.
      2. Definition: A declaration by God as Judge that we are righteous; not only that our sins are forgiven, but that we are righteous in Christ.
3. Missions to unreached people
4. Babies, children, and the developmentally challenged
   1. Grace, not innocence
   2. 2 Samuel 12:21–23
   3. Romans 1:18ff