What does it mean one’s praise is from God?

Explanation:

Paul says that a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart by the Spirit. He then notes that his praise is from God, not men. We can detect what Paul means because of his use of the term praise.⁵ In particular we ought to notice that the Greek term ἔπαινος (praise) reflects a Jewish wordplay on the Hebrew term for Jew (יהודי). This term stems from the name Judah (יהודה), which seems to be associated with the passive form of the verb ידה (to be praised).⁶ Likely, Paul has this connection in mind because he wants to remind the Jews that their praise from God has to do with their circumcision of the heart. That is, God praises the secret inward life, not external works. So to be a true Jew is to be praised by God for what is inside, not what is outside.

Counterargument:

The problem is that Paul’s audience includes both Gentiles and Jews in Rome. So it is not plausible to think that he would use a subtle wordplay with the Hebrew terms for Jew and to be praised because his Gentile audience would not recognize this literary device. Given that his audience would not recognize this literary device, it is doubtful that Paul would use it to suggest that a true Jew is one who received praise from God for his inner life.

Response to counterargument:

There is a good chance that Romans 2:29b was a Jewish aphorism. That is, the notion that for the true Jew, praise comes from God and not from men was likely a phrase that was known and circulated by the Jews of Paul’s day. Relatedly, there is a good chance that the Gentile Christians in Rome were familiar with this Jewish aphorism, so Paul’s including it at the end of Romans 2:29b would connect with both his Jewish and Gentile audience. ⁷

Explanation:

When we consider the immediate context of Romans 2:29b, we can detect that Paul is saying the true Jew is one whose praise comes from God, not men, in the sense that the true Jew is concerned with his inner life, not adherence to external rules. In Romans 2:28–29a, Paul explains that a Jew is not merely one outwardly, and circumcision is not about outward appearance.⁸ Rather, a Jew is one with a circumcised heart, by the Spirit. In other words, Paul is saying that the inner life of the person is what matters, not external regulations. Paul then qualifies what he means by this when he says their praise is not from men, but God. In other words, only God knows the inner heart, so the true Jew is one who ought to care what God knows on the inside, not when men observe from the outside.⁹

Counterargument:

According to this argument, Paul explains that God is the one who knows the inner spirit of a person. And then he says that the Jew is the one who receives praise from God, which means that the Jew is the one who is praised for what is on the inside. In fact, Paul is likely explaining that the Jew is the one who seeks God’s praise, rather than the praise from men.¹⁰ In other words, Paul is not describing how things from God’s perspective but from man's. That is, he is not describing the fact that God judges a person’s heart, but that persons ought to seek praise from God, not from men. 

Response to counterargument:

The notion that the true Jew seeks praise from God is not at odds with this counterargument. This counterargument contends that Paul is saying the true Jew is one who seeks praise from God, and uses this to argue against the view that Paul is explaining the criteria of what it is to be a true Jew. That is, a true Jew is one who is judged by God, not men. Now, that the true Jew is one who is praised by God and not men is not at odds with the fact that the true Jew seeks favour from God and not men. For, according to the context, Paul’s point here is that God praises the Jew for what’s inside. Of course, this is consistent with the notion that the Jew seeks God’s favour, only it adds an important layer of insight. For Paul is not only saying that the Jew is one who seeks God’s favour, but he is saying that if God praises the Jew for what’s inside, the Jew who seeks God’s favour will prioritize what is inside.

It is hard to see what the weakness of this view might be. That the true Jew received his praise from God and not men clearly indicates that the true Jew is the one who is judged according to what is in the heart.

Explanation:

When Paul says that the true Jew receives praise from God, not men, he means that the true Jew is rewarded with praise from God, or even eternal life, on the last day. We can deduce this is Paul’s meaning because the theme of Romans 2:1–29 has been judgment.¹³ Paul has explained that God will give each according to what they have done (Romans 2:6), whether that be glory and immortality (Romans 2:7), or wrath and fury (Romans 2:8). Now Paul says that the true Jew is one inwardly, whose praise is from God, not men. In other words, the true Jew seeks for the reward of God on the last day, not the transitory praise of men.

Counterargument:

While it is true that judgment has been somewhat of a theme in Romans 2:1–29, we have to consider Romans 2:29b in the immediate context. We notice that Paul is describing the true Jew. The true Jew is one whose circumcision is inward, of the heart, by the Spirit (Romans 2:29). Of course, the true Jew is not only a true Jew on Judgment Day, but is one with a circumcised heart all his life. In other words, the true Jew is a true Jew in the sense that his Jewishness is determined by his inner life, not what is important to other men. Of course, this God-pleasing inner life takes place over the course of a life, and not simply on the Day of Judgment.

Explanation:

Paul says that one’s ἔπαινος (praise) is not from men but from God. Elsewhere when Paul refers to one’s ἔπαινος from God, he has in mind one’s end-time reward from God.¹⁴ For example, in 1 Corinthians 4:5 he writes that when the Lord comes, he will reveal the secrets of the heart. At that time each will receive the ἔπαινος from God. Clearly, the context indicates that at the last day each will receive a reward, or commendation, from God. Likewise, in 1 Peter 1:7, Peter explains that suffering leads to refinement, so that our faith may lead to ἔπαινος and glory when Christ returns.

Given that ἔπαινος is used to denote an end-time reward elsewhere, likely Paul has this same thought in mind. ¹⁵ 

Counterargument:

There are two problems with this argument. First, though ἔπαινος is used elsewhere to refer to an end-time reward does not imply that it is used this same way in every case. Rather, the term generally means approval or praise, and we ought to consider the context in which the term is found to identify its meaning.¹⁶ That Paul or another author uses it one way in one place does not guarantee that he uses it the same way in another.

Second, in the context of Romans 2:29b, Paul says that their praise is not from men, but from God. Now, it’s not clear how this view can explain what Paul means by the notion that their praise is not from men. For this view has it that by praise Paul means eschatological reward. So what does Paul men when he says their eschatological reward is not from men but from God?

The weakness of this view is that it is not clear that ἔπαινος (praise) is used to denote end-time reward. To be praised by God has to do with living up to God’s standards, or God being pleased with a person. This is not the same as God rewarding someone.