Romans: Written on the Heart

Romans 2:12-16

The apostle Paul did not write the letter to the Romans using bullet points. This is not an executive summary. Paul is a lawyer making a case. He emphasizes specific needs and raises questions. He starts with the “why?”. 

Paul will have much to share about God’s unconditional love that never abandons believers. We will discover our identity in Jesus. Paul will skillfully teach us about God’s sovereign work. He will get very practical about how to honor God during life's challenges. But right now, in the first chapters of Romans, Paul is building the case for Christ. Paul is deconstructing and ultimately undermining the philosophy of the moralists who believe that a relationship with God is earned by doing good deeds and being a good person.

Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, decisively presents his argument. The English preacher, C. H. Spurgeon, often called the “Prince of Preachers,” said, “I think Paul was the greatest human teacher who ever lived, and the Epistle to the Romans is his greatest work.”[1]

In Romans 2:1-11, Paul clearly states that God does not show favoritism. It makes no difference whether we are Jew or Gentile; we are without excuse (Rom. 2:1-2). We might think we are better than the “real sinners” because of our morality. However, unless we repent of our pride and turn to receive God’s grace through Christ, there will be no escape from future punishment (Rom. 2:3-4). God’s wrath is stored up for those who ultimately and forever deny God’s loving kindness, which should lead all of us to repentance (Rom. 2:5-11). 

Many believed that Jews had an advantage in knowing God. God’s chosen people received the law, celebrated festivals given by God, and took part in weekly worship. They listened to stories about God’s protection and deliverance. Clearly, if they rejected God, they had no excuse. But what about the Gentiles, many of whom came from generations of idol worship? Indeed, if a moral pagan was striving to live well, would God give them a free pass? 

Let’s see what Paul says. 

With or Without the Law (Romans 2:12-13)

Romans 2:12-13
For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.  For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 

In this passage, Paul explains what he meant when he said, “God shows no partiality” (Rom. 2:11). The Jews who had the law “will be judged by the law.” Let’s think about that statement.

The law, summarized in the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17), was the perfect standard. It was a bar no human could clear. While those who loved God tried their best to obey the commands, they always fell short. Paul explains in Galatians 3:24 that the law is like a tutor, constantly reminding us that we fall short of the standard every time. The purpose of the law was to lead us to Christ, the only One who could provide us with a right standing before God. 

Consider it this way: Jesus, God in the flesh (fully God, fully man), is the only one who kept the law perfectly. The rest of us continually break the law and sin against God. Since the wages of our sin is death (Rom. 6:23), we deserve to die. But Jesus never broke the law; therefore, he didn’t deserve death. Yet, he voluntarily went to the cross to die in our place—the guiltless for the guilty. Jesus took the punishment for our sin on himself and paid the penalty in full so we could be declared “Not guilty” based on our trust in Jesus, our sin-bearer. That’s the power of the gospel—the “news of victory!”

This reasoning makes sense to someone familiar with the law. But what about someone who has never had access to the law, or even the summary of the law in the Ten Commandments? Check this out.

The Law of the Heart (Romans 2:14-16)

Romans 2:14-16
For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. 

How can God hold those without the written law accountable? Because the law is written on our hearts!

Before the law was written on stone tablets, then on parchment, on paper, and now in our Bibles—it was written on the hearts of all men and women because we are created in the image of God. This innate sense of right and wrong, written on our hearts, is governed by our conscience. 

So how do we understand humanity’s “conscience” in biblical perspective?

The word translated as conscience is the Greek term syneidesis. It refers to an inner sense of right and wrong given to us by God because we are all created in his image. Since the fall in Genesis 3, all of humanity’s conscience has been affected by sin and can become distorted. Even when our conscience is correct, we may ignore it and pursue what opposes God. 

Paul says that hardened sinners have a “seared” conscience (1 Tim. 4:2) and live without regard to God’s standards of right and wrong. Here, in Romans 2:14-15, Paul says that the unbeliever’s conscience sometimes accuses them and at other times excuses them.

One day, Paul says, God will judge the “secrets of men” based on whether they have trusted in Jesus as their Savior. When we trust in Jesus, we are declared “not guilty,” and our conscience is spiritually awakened and purified (Heb. 9:14; Titus 1:15).^[2]

The writer to the Hebrews says it this way:

Hebrews 9:14
…How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. 

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on Romans 2:12-16. Focus on being made in the image of God and having his law written on your heart.

Talking to God: What “dead works” are you still holding onto—things you do out of guilt, pride, or habit—rather than from a heart purified by Christ to serve the living God?

Zoom Calls: We’re excited to invite you to a special Zoom call on Monday, October 6, 2025 at 7:00 PM as we come together to reflect on what we’ve learned in our study of John and take a midpoint review of the book of Romans. There will be more details coming closer to that date. 

And please mark your calendars for our next two Zoom gatherings as well:
Romans Wrap-Up – Monday, November 3, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Revelation Wrap-Up – Monday, January 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM
We look forward to continuing to grow together in God’s Word!

Have questions?  Please send your questions to our team. We're happy to help as we study God's Word together. Submit your question below, and we'll respond soon. Let us know if you want to learn more about a relationship with Jesus or if you seek spiritual guidance.