Romans 2:1-5
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- Last Updated: Friday, 24 February 2017 17:17
- Published: Friday, 24 February 2017 17:17
- Written by Wilma Zalabak
1. Ponder the function of this passage in the outline of the letter, especially in light of what went just before this. Read the passage several times, imagining for whom Paul might be speaking at various places in the reading. Give it some expression.
2. In verse 1, what does “inexcusable” mean? Is it at all related to the unpardonable sin? How does it relate to Romans 1:20?
3. In verse 2, Paul brings in another voice. Compare “according to truth” with “righteous” in verse 5. What does righteous mean?
4. In verse 3, Paul says the listener “does the same” as those despicable, horrifying things he just listed that others do. How could this be true for an upright, law-abiding person?
5. Compare this with the “wrath of God” in Romans 1:18. How do we now “despise the riches of His goodness,” and “treasure up for ourselves wrath” for the day of God’s righteous judgment? How can God’s judgment be really fair and kind?
6. Look for images and echoes from the Old Testament. Look for similarities in Paul’s other letters. Look for echoes of Jesus. What questions arise for you out of the reading of this text? What did you learn that was new to you, or a new way of looking at something? What does this text tell you about God and about yourself? About humans in general?
Wilma’s Notes:
2:1 Deut 17:7 (John 8:7); Matt 7:1-5; Rom 14:4; James 4:12
2:2 Genesis 18:25-26
2:3 Micah 6:8
2:4 Jonah 3:9, 10; Acts 5:31; 2 Timothy 2:25
2:5 Isaiah 13:9, 13; Ezekiel 7:19; 38:19; Zephaniah 1:15, 18; Revelation 6:18