Romans 2: “The Judgment of God Is According to Truth”
1. “Therefore You Have No Excuse”
“Therefore you have no excuse, O man, whoever you are, when you judge another; for in passing judgment upon him you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things.” (Rom 2:1)
The Apostle turns from the pagan world to the self-righteous.
Those who condemn others while committing the same sins stand equally guilty.
Judgment without repentance is hypocrisy.
St John Chrysostom writes:
“Paul does not let even the moralist escape; he shuts every mouth, that all may seek mercy.”
(Homilies on Romans V.1)
The Fathers see in this verse a warning to all believers: outward piety without inner conversion mocks God.
St Augustine:
“We condemn in others what we excuse in ourselves; but God sees the same sin beneath different masks.”
(Sermon 19)
2. “God’s Judgment Is According to Truth”
“We know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who do such things.” (v. 2)
God’s judgment is not like man’s — not partial, impulsive, or ignorant.
It is “according to truth”: perfect, just, and mercifully exact.
St Bede the Venerable:
“He judges not by appearance but by essence; His justice is not deceived by disguise nor hindered by pleading.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.30)
This divine impartiality is both terrifying and consoling — no injustice escapes, yet no virtue is forgotten.
3. “Do You Suppose… That You Will Escape?”
“Do you suppose, O man, that you will escape the judgment of God?” (v. 3)
Self-deception is the most subtle sin.
Religious privilege can become a shield for pride rather than a means of repentance.
St Ambrose notes:
“He warns the Jew who trusts in circumcision and the Christian who trusts in baptism without obedience; both presume upon grace without gratitude.”
(On Repentance II.4)
4. “Do You Not Know That God’s Kindness Is to Lead You to Repentance?”
“Do you not know that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (v. 4)
Divine patience is not approval but mercy in waiting.
Every delay of punishment is a call to conversion.
St Augustine writes tenderly:
“The mercy of God pursues the sinner as the sun the sleeper; if he awakes not, he cannot blame the light.”
(Exposition of Psalm 94)
Presumption hardens the heart by mistaking mercy for licence.
5. “You Are Storing up Wrath”
“By your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath.” (v. 5)
Wrath is accumulated like treasure, but a treasure of misery.
Persistent sin deposits guilt that only repentance can withdraw.
St John Chrysostom:
“As virtue lays up crowns, so sin lays up wrath; what you keep, you must one day spend.”
(Homilies on Romans VI)
6. “He Will Render to Each According to His Works”
“To those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, He will give eternal life.” (v. 7)
Judgment will be universal, impartial, and based on deeds.
Grace transforms, but grace does not nullify responsibility.
The Fathers stress that Paul is not preaching salvation by works but judgment by fruits.
St Augustine explains:
“Good works do not precede grace but follow it; yet without them, grace is dead.”
(On Grace and Free Will 20)
God crowns His own gifts — rewarding what He has first inspired.
7. “Tribulation and Distress for Every Human Being Who Does Evil”
“For God shows no partiality.” (vv. 9–11)
Here the universal equality of judgment is proclaimed: Jew and Gentile alike stand before one tribunal.
Privileges of birth, race, or ritual do not save.
St Bede:
“He who made all judges all; His mercy invites all, His justice tests all.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.30)
This verse grounds Catholic teaching on the universality of salvation: none excluded by nature, none saved without grace.
8. “All Who Have Sinned Without the Law Will Also Perish Without the Law”
“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.” (v. 12)
Ignorance does not excuse sin, though it may lessen guilt.
The Gentile is judged by natural law, the Jew by revealed law; both fail without grace.
St Ambrose:
“Law without faith is burden; faith without charity is shadow; both must be joined in Christ.”
(On the Faith II.17)
9. “The Doers of the Law Will Be Justified”
“It is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law.” (v. 13)
Hearing truth without living it brings condemnation.
The Fathers apply this verse directly to Christians who listen to the Gospel but live contrary to it.
St Augustine warns:
“The sound of the Word profits nothing unless the heart obeys it.”
(Sermon 179)
The “doers” are those whose obedience springs from love, not fear.
10. “The Law Written on Their Hearts”
“When Gentiles who do not have the law do by nature what the law requires… they show that the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness.” (vv. 14–15)
Here Paul reveals the reality of natural law — the moral law inscribed by God in every human soul.
Even those without Scripture possess conscience, which accuses or excuses them.
St Bede the Venerable:
“The law written on stone was for Israel; the law written on hearts is for all. Conscience is the echo of the divine voice within.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.30)
This passage forms the foundation for Catholic teaching on conscience (cf. CCC 1776–1794).
11. “God Judges the Secrets of Men by Christ Jesus”
“On that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.” (v. 16)
Judgment will reveal the hidden motives of the heart.
Christ Himself, the risen Lord, is the Judge — the same who is Saviour.
St Augustine:
“He who now pleads for us will then judge us; therefore let us now judge ourselves that we be not condemned by Him.”
(Sermon 351)
This verse reveals both the seriousness of sin and the security of mercy: the Judge has already borne the sentence.
12. “If You Call Yourself a Jew and Rely on the Law”
“But if you call yourself a Jew and rely upon the law and boast of your relation to God…” (v. 17)
Paul now addresses the religiously privileged — the one who knows the Law yet fails to live it.
He lists their advantages: knowledge, instruction, confidence.
Yet all these gifts become grounds for judgment when abused.
St Ambrose observes:
“The greater the light, the graver the blindness of those who close their eyes.”
(On the Duties of the Clergy II.23)
The principle applies equally to Christians who boast of faith yet neglect conversion.
13. “You Preach Against Stealing, Yet You Steal”
“You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?” (vv. 21–22)
Paul’s examples expose hypocrisy — knowledge without practice, instruction without integrity.
Religious hypocrisy, the Fathers note, is the most destructive scandal.
St Augustine:
“The mouth that teaches truth but lives falsehood turns doctrine into blasphemy.”
(On Christian Doctrine IV.27)
14. “The Name of God Is Blasphemed Among the Gentiles Because of You”
“As it is written, ‘The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’” (v. 24)
Paul quotes Isaiah 52:5 and Ezekiel 36:20: Israel’s sins discredit God’s holiness.
So too, Christian sin scandalises the world.
St Bede laments:
“When believers live like unbelievers, the unbelievers curse what they should bless.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.30)
15. “Circumcision Indeed Is of Value If You Obey the Law”
“Circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.” (v. 25)
Sacramental signs avail only when united with faith and obedience.
For Christians, baptism fulfils circumcision, yet the warning remains: outward sign without inward grace is void.
St Ambrose:
“Circumcision profited Abraham because it was sign of faith; baptism profits the Christian only if it seals obedience.”
(On the Sacraments VI.4)
16. “A Jew Is One Inwardly”
“He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.” (v. 29)
Here lies the heart of the chapter.
The true people of God are not defined by ancestry but by conversion.
The Spirit transforms the heart where the letter could only command.
St Augustine explains:
“Circumcision of the flesh is abolished, circumcision of the heart remains; for the Spirit cuts away pride, not flesh.”
(On the Spirit and the Letter 29)
St Bede adds:
“He is a true Israelite who wrestles with God within, conquering sin by grace.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.30)
17. “His Praise Is Not from Men but from God”
“His praise is not from men but from God.” (v. 29)
The name “Jew” comes from Judah, meaning “praise.”
The true Jew is the one praised by God, not by men — the one who lives for divine approval, not human applause.
St Ambrose:
“To seek men’s praise is to lose God’s; but he who seeks God’s praise wins both God and man.”
(On the Duties of the Clergy II.19)
18. Theological Summary
| Theme | Revelation |
| Impartial judgment | God judges all by truth, not status |
| Divine patience | Mercy invites repentance, not presumption |
| Works and grace | Grace initiates, but works manifest faith |
| Natural law | Conscience reveals God’s will to all |
| Hypocrisy condemned | Knowledge without obedience is blasphemy |
| True circumcision | The Spirit renews the heart |
| Universal accountability | Jew and Gentile alike need Christ |
St Augustine sums up:
“Law convicts, grace converts; both are given that man may neither despair nor presume.”
(On the Spirit and the Letter 33)
19. Moral and Spiritual Application
Judge yourself, not others. Examine conscience daily under God’s truth.
Respond to mercy with repentance. Delay of punishment is opportunity for conversion.
Live the faith you profess. Hypocrisy silences the Gospel.
Listen to conscience. It is the interior law that bears witness to God’s justice.
Seek praise from God alone. The approval of heaven outweighs all human acclaim.
20. Closing Prayer
O God of justice and mercy,
who search the heart and reward the humble,
free us from pride and hypocrisy.
Grant that we may hear Your word and keep it,
judging ourselves in Your light
and seeking the circumcision of the heart by Your Spirit.
Teach us to live by grace and to walk in truth,
that Your name may be glorified among the nations.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 