Thou art inexcusable, O man

The next witness to man’s inexcusable guilt before God is conscience. There were those who did not have the law of God as the nation of Israel had it, ‘written with the finger of God’ on tables of stone, Exod. 31. 18. Nevertheless, they had shown ‘the work of the law written in their hearts’, Rom. 2. 15, by acting at times according to a conscience of what is right. However, they also acted against the conscience God had given them and were thus guilty before Him; their guilt exacerbated by the fact that they condemned others for committing the sins of chapter 1 whilst doing the same thing themselves, 1. 29-32. In contrast, ‘the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things’, 2. 2, and God’s judgement is inescapable.

When God judges He will do so fairly. If a person were to seek for glory, honour, and immortality by unfailingly continuing in well doing he would be rewarded with eternal life by the just Judge, v. 7, for that would be perfect law keeping, but in fact ‘there is none that doeth good, no, not one’, 3. 12. Equally just is the judgement of God that will visit indignation, wrath, tribulation, and anguish on all who, rather than obeying the truth, obey unrighteousness and do evil. What a day it will be when the secrets of the heart are exposed, and all is judged according to absolute righteousness.

Another irrefutable witness is introduced into the courtroom from verse 17 of chapter 2 onwards. The evidence is particularly directed against that nation which had received the law of God at Sinai: a law which set out the righteous standards of God for human behaviour towards God and man. Addressing the Jew, Paul reminds him of the fact that he rested in the law as the foundation for his life, and boasted in God. In fact, the Jews had despised those nations which had no such revelation of God’s will, guiding the blind, instructing the foolish, and teaching the babes, but at the same time continually breaking the very law in which they boasted. That in which they rejoiced actually condemned them. They are, therefore, without excuse, along with the Gentiles, and stand guilty before God, with nothing to say in their defence. These witnesses show the need for a righteousness from God.