Paul opens Romans chapter 2 with a strong and sobering warning—not against judging, but against hypocritical judgment. He does not forbid believers from discerning right and wrong, or from calling out sin, but he makes it clear: we must not judge others while practicing the same sins ourselves.
Consider the example of someone struggling with alcohol abuse. That person is not in the best position to counsel or confront another who is caught in the same addiction—at least not while still trapped in it themselves. Paul’s point is that we must be walking in obedience in the very areas we would call others to repentance. If we’re going to correct or confront a brother or sister in Christ, we must first examine our own lives and be sure we are walking uprightly in that same area. This is a strong warning to teachers, church leaders, and pastors especially. Paul says as much in verses 19–22, that we who teach and admonish and call out sin must be above reproach ourselves in all areas lest we be hypocritical.
This is not a call to silence—it’s a call to righteousness. As believers, we are called to restore one another, to speak truth in love, and to encourage holiness. Righteous judgment has a place in the life of the church. But Paul is warning: if you judge someone for their sin while you yourself are doing the same thing, you bring condemnation on yourself. That is not loving correction—it is hypocrisy.
In verse 2, Paul says, “We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.” And then in verse 3, he asks, “Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?” God sees through the double standard. He judges truthfully, impartially, and righteously.
Then, in verse 6, Paul turns our attention to a foundational truth: everyone will be judged according to their works. No one escapes judgment—neither the unbeliever nor the believer. The difference lies in what kind of judgment each receives.
Paul writes, “He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, He will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth… there will be wrath and fury” (Romans 2:6–8).
Paul addresses the law, clarifying that it is not the hearers of the law who will be justified, but the doers. This ties directly to James’ teaching: “Faith without works is dead.” Paul is not contradicting the doctrine of justification by faith. He is emphasizing that true saving faith is never alone—it is always accompanied by obedience. Our works are the fruit, the evidence, of a genuine faith.
He also speaks of a universal law of right and wrong that all humanity is aware of. Even those without the written law show that the work of the law is written on their hearts (v. 14).
Paul says something here he says in other letters: “to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (v. 9). This means that the Jewish people were the first to receive God’s revelation and the promise of the Messiah. Yet, in verse 11, he declares, “God shows no partiality.” This does not contradict God’s choosing of Israel or His sovereign election. It means that He judges all by the same standard, weighs the hearts of all equally, and in election calls people from every tribe, tongue, ethnicity, and nation.
At the end of chapter 2, Paul discusses circumcision, which in the Old Covenant was a physical sign of being part of God’s people. But now, under the New Covenant, Paul makes it clear that what matters is not external rituals, but internal transformation.
“For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter” (Romans 2:28–29).
In other words, God is not impressed by outward appearances or religious ceremony. What He sees—and what He judges—is the heart. True obedience flows from a heart that has been changed by the Spirit, not merely from compliance with rules or tradition.
Romans 2 reminds us that God’s judgment is righteous, impartial, and penetrating. Outward religiosity cannot hide hypocrisy. Salvation is by grace through faith, but true faith will be evident in obedience. God is after the heart, and those who belong to Him will bear the fruit of genuine transformation.