ACC ~ Romans 2 v12

WHICH LAW? ORIGEN: When the apostle says that those who are without the law will perish without the law, the question arises as to whether this should be understood only of the law of Moses or whether it should be extended to cover the law of Christ or even some other law under which mortal men may live. Will such a person be judged according to the law under which he has sinned, or will he perish as if he were outside the law because he is outside the law of Moses, even if he lives under some other law? For the apostle Paul himself, when he speaks to those who are outside the law, says that he too is virtually outside the law but adds: “I am not without law, but I am in the law of Christ,” thus showing that although he may not be under the law of Moses he is nevertheless still under law. But whether human laws also belong to this category remains to be seen. COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS.

THE LAW OF NATURE. AMBROSIASTER: How can someone sin without the law, when Paul says that everyone is subject to the law of nature? By “law” he means the law of Moses, to which the Jews are bound although they do not believe. The Gentiles are also under the judgment of the natural law, but only insofar as they have chosen not to attach themselves to it. Thus the Gentile unbelievers are doubly in trouble, because they have neither assented to the law given through Moses, nor have they received the grace of Christ. Therefore it is quite right that they should perish. So just as the person who sins without the law will perish, so also the one who has kept the law without knowing it will be justified. For the keeper of the law maintains his righteousness by nature. For if the law is given not for the righteous but for the unrighteous, whoever does not sin is a friend of the law. For him faith alone is the way by which he is made perfect. For others mere avoidance of evil will not gain them any advantage with God unless they also believe in God, so that they may be righteous on both counts. For the one righteousness is temporal; the other is eternal.

The Gentiles even if they keep the natural law will perish if they do not accept the faith of Christ. For it is a greater thing to confess faith in the one Lord, since God is one, than it is to avoid sinning (for the first of these has to do with God, the second with us). The Jews who live under the law will be accused and judged by the law, insofar as they have not accepted the Christ promised to them in the law. And if you wonder about this, the fate of the Jews will be worse than that of the Gentiles, for it is worse to lose what was promised than not to receive what was not hoped for in the first place. The unbelieving Gentile has not entered the kingdom of God, but the unbelieving Jew has been removed from it. COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES.

THE NEED FOR GRACE. CHRYSOSTOM: Paul says that the Jews have a much greater need of grace than the Gentiles. Because the Jews said that they were justified by the law and therefore did not need grace, Paul shows that they need it even more than the Gentiles, given that they are liable to be punished more severely. HOMILIES ON ROMANS 5.

THE LAW INCREASES PENALTIES. CHRYSOSTOM: Those who lived before the giving of the law will not receive the same sentence as those after the law. Those sinning after the giving of the law will undergo heavier penalties. HOMILIES ON GENESIS 18.2.

PERISHING WITHOUT THE LAW. THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA: So as not to appear to be con-demning them out of hatred Paul has repeated himself here, saying that those who have sinned without the law will perish without the law and that those under the law will be judged by the law. PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH.

MOSAIC LAW AND NATURAL LAW. [PSEUDO-] CONSTANTIUS: This whole section [from verse 6] is addressed to everyone who is bound by natural law, in which the Jews are equally included. But the Jew is given priority over the Greek because in addition to the natural law, he has the law of Moses as well. THE HOLY LETTER OF ST. PAUL TO THE ROMANS.

BELIEVERS WHO SIN UNDER THE LAW. JEROME: The ungodly without the law shall perish forever. But the sinner under the law who comes to faith in God will not perish. The Dialogue AGAINST THE PELAGIANS 1.28.

MEANING OF JUDGMENT. AUGUSTINE: It is generally agreed that judgment is the usual expression for eternal damnation. FAITH AND WORKS 23.43.

DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN JEWS AND GENTILES. AUGUSTINE: The apostle did not mean to say that those who sin in ignorance will suffer worse punishment than those who know the law. It seems that it is worse to perish than to be judged. Rather the apostle here was merely distinguishing between Jews and Gentiles. GRACE AND FREE WILL 3.5.

PERISHING WITH AND WITHOUT THE LAW. PELAGIUS: “Will perish” means the same thing as “will be judged,” for the man who perishes perishes by God’s judgment, and the man who is judged a sinner perishes.Paul puts Jews and Gentiles on the same level when he says that doers rather than hearers of the law are righteous and then adds that the Gentiles will be judged on the day of the Lord. For does anyone doubt that those under the law will perish just as those who lived without the law, unless they have believed in Christ? PELAGIUS’S COMMENTARY ON ROMANS.

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