God’s anger toward sinful Jews
1 But you— what is your defense? For in judging others you condemn yourself, because you practice the same things! 2 Now we know that the judgment of God is right against those who do such things, 3 but do you actually think that even though you do the same things, that somehow you will escape God’s righteousness? 4 Ridiculous! You think nothing of his abundant kindness and restraint and patience; do you not understand that God’s kindness is supposed to lead to a change of your mind?
5 So in keeping with your hard heart and unchanged mind, you are storing up God’s rage for yourself toward the day God hands down his judgment. 6 He will repay everyone for what they did: 7 eternal life to those who persist in doing good and look for honor, value, and immortality, 8 but anger and rage to the unjust who are rebellious and hostile to the truth and welcome unrighteousness. 9 There will be oppression and constriction for everyone who practices evil, first to the Judean and then to the Greek; 10 yet there will be honor and value and peace to everyone who does good things, first to the Judean and then to the Greek. 11 God will show no favoritism in this!
12 Whoever sinned without law will die without law, and whoever sinned under law will be judged by law. 13 For it isn’t those who only hear law that are justified before God, but those who also act accordingly. 14 So whenever the other nations who have no law naturally do what law requires, they are acting under their own law. 15 They show by their actions that there is a law written on their hearts; their reasoning and conscience work together to either acquit or condemn them, 16 on the Day when God will judge what is hidden in people according to my good news through Jesus Christ.16
17 Now if you who call yourself a Judean rely on law and brag about belonging to God 18 and knowing his will, then you have been trained to test whether something is according to law. 19 You think of yourself as a guide for the blind and a light in the darkness, 20 a correcter of the reckless and a teacher of babies; you think you have a lock on the knowledge of truth through the law. 21 But if that’s the case, teacher, then teach yourself! You tell others not to steal but do it yourself; 22 you speak out against adultery but commit it yourself; you detest idols but violate the sanctuary; 23 you brag about the law but you sin and dishonor God! 24 It is because of you that “the name of God is being slandered among the other nations,” just as it is written.
25 Now don’t get me wrong; circumcision is of value— as long as you keep practicing the law and never break it, because then your circumcision would be nullified. 26 So if the uncircumcised do what the law requires, shouldn’t they be considered circumcised? 27 Not only that, these uncircumcised people who naturally do what the law requires will be your judges, since you broke the law even though you knew it and were circumcised! 28 In fact, it isn’t the external that makes one a Judean; it isn’t what’s apparent in the flesh via circumcision. 29 A true Judean is one on the inside, who is circumcised in spirit and not the letter of law; their praise will not come from people but from God.
- 16 According to some such as Eusebius, when Paul speaks of
my good news
he means the account of Luke, his companion on many of his travels chronicled in the book of Acts.