Romans 2

  I remember the first time I read Romans 2 I was so excited because it affirmed what I had been thinking for a long time - that God is at work in the hearts of all people, regardless of what culture or religion they are part of. But when I went to look up the passages in various Romans commentaries I found that they either gave it very cursory treatment or ignored it altogether. I wish people were exposed to this text at least half as much as they are to John 3:16.
One thing I think we should do when reading Paul’s letters where he makes the contrast between Jews and Gentiles is to read it as Believers and Non-Believers. Because that is essentially what it was at that time except for a small handful of Gentile converts. Jews were the ones who believed in Yaweh, the God of the Jews, while Gentiles were essentially everyone else, the people who believed in other gods. We have such a hang-up today with those terms that I think it would be good if we recognize that Paul does not approach it in the same way. He does not assume that all non-believers are bound for hell. He does not insist that all non-believers become believers before they can be accepted. His message is that Jesus has come to establish a new kingdom for Jews and Gentiles alike and God does not show favoritism based on which culture you grew up in. People already know how to gain entrance to the kingdom - those laws are written on their hearts. One must be humble and meek and kind and loving and gracious and forgiving and repentant. Today we act like none of that is important. The only important thing is that you “believe” the doctrine and swear that Jesus is “your lord and savior” even if you don’t know what any of that means. All the rest is just frosting on the cake as far as we’re concerned. Nice if you want to do it, but not really necessary.