Romans 2:12 – Righteous and reliable

For whoever sinned without law, without law also shall perish, and whoever sinned in law, through law will be judged.

The “for” with which this verse begins, refers back to the previous sentence: there is no respect of persons with GOD. That means that the Greek who was “without law” will not be judged by law either. Different from the Jew, who, after all, grew up in the sphere of the law. The Jew will not inherit the eons to come because he is a Jew, any more than the Greek will not miss this because he is not a Jew.

So it is not stated in this verse that all without law, will also perish without law. That is not the point of this section. Paul had just argued that everyone (no matter who) who “seek honor and incorruption” (: 7) or “every worker of good” (: 10), receives “glory and honor and peace.” “To perish,” that is, to perish and not receive the “eonian life” (: 7), strikes those who “do not glorify and give thanks to God as GOD” (: 21). That means “to sin without law” here.

GOD’S judgment is without regard to persons. Every person will be judged by the light he had. GOD’S standards are righteous and completely reliable!

Delen: