Romans 2:16
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“In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.”
What are the “secrets of men” spoken of by Paul? Before proceeding, read Rom 2:11-16 for context. Notice a parenthesis beginning at Rom 2:13 and ending at Rom 2:15. Now, exclude Rom 2:13-15 and read Rom 2:11-12 and 16, in that order, to begin to understand at least the continuation of the context. Then read Rom 2:13-15! Let’s examine each verse:
Rom 2:11—God judges all people by the same standard.
Rom 2:12—Those who do and those who do not know the law have sinned!
Rom 2:16—Shows when this judgment will occur and what God will judge—the secrets in men’s minds. Secrets are obviously what no other man knows, and remain hidden until someone makes them known, and in this case God does!
Rom 2:13—The crux of the problem was that some thought that by merely knowing the law, they would be saved and were better than others who were ignorant of the law.
Rom 2:14—Some Gentiles were keeping some of the commandments better by “accident” than certain Jews who had known the law their entire lives. The conduct of some Gentiles made them a law in their own right.
Rom 2:15—These verses address the conscience. What Christians do with their consciences demonstrates, in a certain way, whether or not they will obey God’s law in all points. Will they do what they are taught to think is right—apart from what they may know about God’s law? In effect, their conscience either “excuses” or “accuses” them in everything that they say, do or think throughout their lives.
Rom 2:16—These are the “secrets,” hidden in all men’s consciences, that God will judge. A crucial point emerges from what we have learned. No human being will ever be able to stand before God and claim that he would have obeyed Him had he been called, because God will remind such a person of his or her “secrets”—sins perhaps known only to God and the person.
No suggested reading.