Verse by Verse

1 What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision?

² Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God.

The opening question is saying “What is the advantage of being a Jew if Jews are lumped with heathens in guilt?” It’s a follow-up to Paul’s conclusions in chapter 2.

The Jews were entrusted with the reception, inscription, and transmission of God’s Word. Other advantages are mentioned in Romans 9:4-5 — Who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

Oracles = utterances = the Law and other revelation in the Old Testament and the right to worship God that went along with it.

²⁵ For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

²⁶ Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision?

²⁷ And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law?

²⁸ For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh;

²⁹ but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

Circumcision was the seal of God’s covenant.

Circumcision didn’t justify, but it did profit if a person kept the law (in the sense of endeavoring to keep it, not perfection). But since nobody does perfectly keep the law, so circumcision doesn’t help save.

To be a Jew, one had to be (1) born of Abraham through Isaac and (2) spiritually in good standing with God (circumcision of the heart).

Righteousness of the law (v.26) — an effort to obey one’s conscience

Inwardly (v.29) = literally “in secret” — not obeying the Law for show

Don’t be circumcised (in an attempt to obey the Law) unless you plan to follow the entire Law. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law (Galatians 5:3).

But instead … We are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3).

In the spirit, not in the letter (v.29) — The NKJV capitalizes “Spirit,” making it a reference to the Holy Spirit. But Old Testament believers weren’t indwelled with the Spirit—He only came upon certain people for certain lengths of time to perform certain tasks. I think it’s possible that “spirit,” here, refers to the motivation of the person obeying the law—whether they do it by faith, or as a checklist. Although that still leaves a question about what Jesus was talking about to Nicodemus in John 3:3-6 (My notes on that passage are not particularly helpful) :

³ Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

⁴ Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

²⁴ For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written.

The Jews’ lifestyle made Gentiles speak out against God. “As it was written” is a reference to …

Isaiah 52:5 — Now therefore, what have I here,” says the Lord, “That My people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them make them wail,” says the Lord, “And My name is blasphemed continually every day.

Ezekiel 36:16-20 — Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity. Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds. When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name—when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and yet they have gone out of His land.’

¹⁷ Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God,

¹⁸ and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law,

¹⁹ and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,

²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law.

²¹ You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?

²² You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?

²³ You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?

Jew (v.17)  = Israelite in Palestine after the Babylonian captivity. “Hebrew” is the racial name. “Israel” is the national name. “Jew” is the religious name.

Approve (v.18)  — vain compliance based on an idea of the Law’s excellence.

Confident (v.19) = self-complacent.

Blind (v.19) = in darkness, foolish, babes. Gentiles without the Law.

rob temples (v.22)  — commercialism

The Jews knew the law, but did they keep it? They saw it as evidence of God’s favor but not a a guide for conduct or conscience.

¹⁶ in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

Secrets of men — the results of decisions based on conscience; inner motives

Jesus Christ — Incarnate Man and, therefore, as Judge on God’s right hand.

The judgment of God will be done by Jesus Christ according to the gospel given to Paul (my gospel).

¹⁴ for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves,

¹⁵ who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)

The Gentiles, without the law, still have consciences that make them feel guilt, but they make excuses to justify themselves.

Nature (v.1)  = natural impulse (in contrast to obedience to God’s decrees).

The law isn’t written in the Gentiles’ hearts, but the work of the law is, namely condemnation.

Conscience (v.2)  = knowledge of right and wrong. Conscience is to Gentiles what Law is to Jews, a guide for individual conduct and for relations with others.

Thoughts (v.2) = reasoning

Accusing and excusing both indicate guilt.

There is no justification in this passage, only condemnation.

¹³ (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified;

just = (justified) a legal term denoting freedom from all grounds of condemnation. Pronounced righteous.

This verse is a logical statement to build Paul’s argument, not a statement of what man can do.

¹² For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law

Law, the first time it is used here is, specifically, the revealed law, not just a principle — everyone will be judged on the basis of what has been revealed to them.

The second law is external law, not conscience.

The final law refers to the Law of Sinai, the Old Testament law.

Perish = loss of well-being, not loss of being. There is no word in Scripture that speaks of total annihilation.

Sin brings forth death — period — apart from the law.

Those without law will be judged, just not on the basis of the law.

Those with the law will be judged on the basis of the law.

¹⁰ but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

¹¹ For there is no partiality with God.

Peace = acceptance with God and the happiness that results

works = a simple effort as opposed to the perseverance of evil in verse 9.

no partiality = without regard for circumstances of birth.

⁸ but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath,

⁹ tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;

self-seeking= those who create rivalry or factions, those who resist the will and way of God.

Obey = habitual course of conduct, yielding to and cooperating with unrighteousness, by impulse

Wrath = the feeling of God’s anger.

Indignation = the manifestation of the feeling.

Tribulation = suffering

Anguish = shut up without the possibility of escape, distress.

So, wrath is God’s attitude toward sin, indignation is His expression of that wrath. Tribulation is the result of His expression and anguish is the realization of what is taking place.

Soul = person

Because the gospel was to the Jew first, so are the consequences of unrighteousness. With greater privilege comes greater responsibility.

First = especially

What Paul is doing in these verses is establishing that God rewards the good. Soon he will show that there are no good to reward.