1. Romans 2:12 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What does Paul mean when speaking of all who have sinned without or under the law?

Romans 2:12 (ESV)

12 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.

In short

In speaking of all who have sinned without or under the law, Paul is indicating that

  1. both Jews and Gentiles are equally condemned because of sin; or

  2. there are levels of judgment.

Paul is explaining that God is impartial and so both Jews and Gentiles are equally condemned because of sin. We can detect this is Paul’s point because he opens Romans 2:12 with the conjunction for, which signals that he is giving an explanation of what precedes. And what precedes is that those who judge the wicked are equally condemned because they do the same things (Romans 2:1). Now he is expanding on this point, explaining that God is not impartial, for all who sin without the law will perish and all who sin under the law will likewise be condemned.

Some contend that means that there are levels to hell. That is, the Gentiles will be judged by their conscience while the Jews will be judged by their conscience and the law. Thus, the Jews will receive a stricter penalty for their disobedience.

The problem with this argument is that Paul never says there are levels of hell here. Rather, when we consider the surrounding context, it is easy to see that Paul’s point is not that the Jews will be punished more harshly than the Gentiles, but that God is impartial. Since God is impartial, the Gentiles will be condemned for sin, and the Jews will be condemned for sin.

When Paul says those who sin without the law will perish and those who sin under the law will be judged by the law, he means that God is impartial so that both Gentiles and Jews will be condemned for sin.

Interpretation 1:
Paul is saying that both Jews and Gentiles are equally condemned because of sin.

Summary: Paul says that the Gentiles perish without the law, which means they are condemned for sin even though they do not have the Mosaic law. Likewise, the Jews are condemned because they are judged according to the law, and according to the law they are found guilty.

We can take comfort in the fact that God is truly impartial, which means that he judges each person by the same standard. Of course, since no one can uphold God’s standard, this implies all are condemned, apart from the saving work of Jesus Christ. So when we place our faith in Christ, since God is impartial, salvation is assured.

Advocates:

  • James Dunn

  • Richard Longenecker

  • Douglas Moo

  • Leon Morris

  • Thomas Schreiner

  • Frank Thielman

Minor differences:

Our authors agree that Paul’s main point in Romans 2:12 is to say that both Gentiles and Jews will be judged by God according to their works, not whether or not they have the Mosaic law.

James Dunn explains that while there is a distinction between Gentiles and Jews in the sense that the Jews received the Mosaic law while the Gentiles did not, neither group will be judged based on this distinction. Rather, these will be judged based on whether they sinned, and since both parties sin, sin will be condemned in both cases.1

Leon Morris explains things slightly differently. For Morris, Paul is saying that Gentiles and Jews will be judged based on the light they have. That is, God has given the Gentiles a conscience, while he has given the Jews the Mosaic law. When Gentiles reflect on their behaviour, their consciences sometimes accuse them of wrongdoing. And when the Jews compare their actions to the requirements of the law, they detect that they fall short. Thus, both Gentiles and Jews are equally condemned.2

Arguments

Possible weaknesses

Interpretation 2:
Paul is explaining that there are levels of judgment.

Summary:

Paul says the Gentiles will be judged without the law, and the Jews according to the law. Paul is saying that each will be judged according to the light he has been given, so that those exposed to God’s special revelation will be condemned more harshly than those not.

Advocates:

  • Craig Keener

  • John MacArthur

Minor differences:

 Our authors agree that Paul is saying that while both the Gentiles and the Jews will be judged, the Jews will be judged more harshly.

For Craig Keener, Paul is saying that God will judge the Jews based on the Mosaic law, and the Gentiles based on natural law, and that he will hold those with greater revelation more accountable.9 In other words, since the Jews have greater revelation through the Mosaic law, God will hold them to a higher account.

John MacArthur has a similar idea in mind, but he finds another dimension in Paul’s meaning. For MacArthur, when Paul says that the Gentiles will perish without the law, he is saying that the Gentiles naturally know they are accountable to God, and yet they fail to obey him. Thus, the Gentiles who sin will be destroyed because they no longer fulfill their intended purpose. On the other hand, while the Jews who sin will also perish, their eternal tribulation and distress will exceed that of the Gentiles. That is because the Jews have the advantage of possessing God’s law, so they will be judged according to this greater knowledge.10 Thus, MacArthur seems to believe that Paul asserts there will be various levels of hell.

Arguments