SEV Biblia, Chapter 2:16
en el día que juzgar Dios lo encubierto de los hombres, conforme a mi Evangelio, por Jess el Cristo.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Romans 2:16
Verse 16. In the day when God shall judge] And all this shall be farther exemplified and proved in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ; which judgment shall be according to my Gospel-according to what I am now laying down before you, relative to the impartiality of God, and his righteous procedure in judging men, not according to their opinions or prejudices, not according to revelations which they never possessed, but according to the various advantages or disadvantages of their political, religious, or domestic situation in life. Much stress has been laid on the word, fusei, by nature, in ver. 14, as if the apostle designed to intimate that nature, independently of the influence of Divine grace, possessed such principles as were sufficient to guide a man to glory. But certainly the term cannot be so understood here.
I rather think that the sense given to it in Suicer's Thesaurus, vol ii. col.
1475, reipsa, revera, CERTAINLY, TRULY, is its sense here: for when the Gentiles, which have not the law, fusei poih, TRULY, or in effect, DO the things contained in the law, &c. This seems to be its sense in Gal. iv. 8: When ye knew not God, ye did service to them which fusei, CERTAINLY are no gods; i.e. are false gods. Suicer quotes Cyril of Alexandria, (sub Anathematismo iii. in Actis Ephesinis, p. 212,) speaking of the union of the two natures in Christ; he calls this union fusikhn, natural; that is, says he, alhqh, true, or real. He adds, that the word should be thus understood in Eph. ii. 3: We were by nature, fusei, children of wrath; and says, fusei anti tou alhqwv? fusei is here used for alhqwv, TRULY; We were TRULY, INCONTESTABLY, the children of wrath, even as others. That is, like the rest of mankind, we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, and, consequently are exposed to punishment. Some think that this text refers to the natural corruption of man; but, although it is true that man comes into the world corrupt, and that all men, since the fall, are very far gone from original righteousness, yet it is not clear that the text in Eph. ii. 3, speaks of any other thing than the effects of this degeneracy.
I prefer this sense, in the passage in question, to that which says the light of nature, or natural instinct, is here meant; for I know of no light in nature that is not kindled there by the grace of God. But I have no objection to this sense: "When the Gentiles, which have not the law, do, by the influence of God upon their hearts, the things contained in the law, they are a law unto themselves; that light and influence serving instead of a Divine revelation." That the Gentiles did really do the things contained in the law, in reference to what is termed natural justice, and made the wisest distinctions relative to the great principles of the doctrine of civil RIGHTS and WRONGS, every man conversant with their writings will admit. And in reference to this the word fusei may be legitimately understood thus-they incontestably did the things contained in the law, &c.
The passage in ver. 15, Their thoughts-accusing or excusing one another, certainly does not refer to any expostulations or operations of conscience; for this is referred to in the preceding clause. The words accusing, kathgorountwn, and excusing, apologoumenwn, answering or defending one another, metazu allhlwn, among themselves, are all forensic or law terms, and refer to the mode of conducting suits of law in courts of justice, where one is plaintiff, who produces his accusation; another is defendant, who rebuts the charge and defends himself; and then the business is argued before the judges. This process shows that they have a law of their own, and that to this law it belongs to adjust differences-to right those who have suffered wrong, and to punish the guilty.
As to the phrase written in their hearts, it is here opposed to the Jewish laws, which were written on tables of stone. The Jews drew the maxims by which their conduct was regulated from a Divine revelation: the GENTILES theirs from what God, in the course of his providence and gracious influence, had shown them to be right, useful, and necessary. And with them this law was well known and affectionately regarded; for this is one meaning of the phrase, written in the heart. It was from this true light, enlightening the Gentiles, that they had so many wise and wholesome laws; laws which had been among them from time immemorial, and of which they did not know the origin. Thus Sophocles, in the noble speech which he puts in the mouth of Antigone:- ou gar ti nun ge kucqev, all pote zh tauta, koudeiv oiden ex otou fanh? "Not now, nor yesterday, but evermore These laws have lived: nor know we whence they came." Antig. ver. 463-4.
These are the laws, nomina, which the Spirit of God wrote originally on their hearts; and which, in different forms, they had committed to writing.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 16. In the day when God shall judge , etc..] These words are to be read in connection with ( Romans 2:13), and express the time when both Jews and Gentiles will be judged, called a day, both because of the clearness and evidence of the judgment that will be made, and because a certain time is fixed, though not known, which will surely come; also the matter of the judgment, which will be, the secrets of men : whether good or bad, which are only known to God and themselves, and which may have been done ignorantly by them; for God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil, ( Ecclesiastes 12:14), which is so interpreted by the Jews f18 , when R. Jochanan came to that Scripture, he wept; for God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing; upon which the gloss says, yea, for those things which are hidden from him, which he has committed through ignorance, will he bring him into judgment; everything, even the least thing in a literal sense, but not for such silly trifling things they mention in the same place; doubtless the Holy Ghost means the secrets of men's hearts and actions, and the hidden things of darkness which are contrary to the holy law of God. The person by whom this awful judgment will be carried on is, Jesus Christ ; to whom all judgment is committed, who is ordained Judge of quick and dead, and is every way fit for that office, being God as well as man, and so both omniscient and omnipotent: and this the apostle says will be, according to my Gospel ; his meaning is not that the Gospel will be the, rule of judgment, because he speaking of the judgment of the Gentiles, as well as of the Jews, who never heard of the Gospel; but that what he had said concerning a day of judgment, of Christ's being the Judge, and of God's judging by him the secrets of men, were as true and as certain as the Gospel which he preached was; and was conformable, or agreeable to it, as the Arabic version reads it, and might be learned and proved from it.
This he calls, my Gospel; not because the author or subject of it; but because it was committed to his trust and was preached by him; and in opposition to, and to distinguish it from the Gospel of the false apostles.
Eusebius says f19 , that the Apostle Paul had used to call the Gospel according to Luke his Gospel, and that it is said, that whenever he makes mention of his Gospel, he designs that.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-16 - The Jews thought themselves a holy people, entitled to their privilege by right, while they were unthankful, rebellious, and unrighteous. But all who act thus, of every nation, age, and description, must be reminded that the judgment of God will be according to their rea character. The case is so plain, that we may appeal to the sinner's ow thoughts. In every wilful sin, there is contempt of the goodness of God. And though the branches of man's disobedience are very various all spring from the same root. But in true repentance, there must be hatred of former sinfulness, from a change wrought in the state of the mind, which disposes it to choose the good and to refuse the evil. I shows also a sense of inward wretchedness. Such is the great chang wrought in repentance, it is conversion, and is needed by every huma being. The ruin of sinners is their walking after a hard and impeniten heart. Their sinful doings are expressed by the strong words "treasuring up wrath." In the description of the just man, notice the full demand of the law. It demands that the motives shall be pure, an rejects all actions from earthly ambition or ends. In the descriptio of the unrighteous, contention is held forth as the principle of all evil. The human will is in a state of enmity against God. Eve Gentiles, who had not the written law, had that within, which directe them what to do by the light of nature. Conscience is a witness, an first or last will bear witness. As they nature. Conscience is witness, and first or last will bear witness. As they kept or brok these natural laws and dictates, their consciences either acquitted or condemned them. Nothing speaks more terror to sinners, and more comfor to saints, than that Christ shall be the Judge. Secret services shal be rewarded, secret sins shall be then punished, and brought to light.
Greek Textus Receptus
εν 1722 PREP ημερα 2250 N-DSF οτε 3753 ADV κρινει 2919 5692 V-FAI-3S 2919 5719 V-PAI-3S ο 3588 T-NSM θεος 2316 N-NSM τα 3588 T-APN κρυπτα 2927 A-APN των 3588 T-GPM ανθρωπων 444 N-GPM κατα 2596 PREP το 3588 T-ASN ευαγγελιον 2098 N-ASN μου 3450 P-1GS δια 1223 PREP ιησου 2424 N-GSM χριστου 5547 N-GSM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
16. My gospel. As distinguished from false teaching Paul's assurance of the truth of the Gospel is shown in his confident assertion that it will form the standard of judgment in the great day.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
2:16 {According to my gospel} (kata to euaggelion mou). What Paul preaches (#1Co 15:1) and which is the true gospel
