THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
The Gospel In Its Fullness

 
By Dr. David L. Cooper, Th.M., Ph.D., Litt.D.
Biblical Research Monthy

Installment 3
Romans 1:18-2:16

THE LOST GENTILE WORLD

In our study of the Epistle to the Romans we have come to 1:18, which begins a discussion of the lost Gentile world, and which continues to the end of the chapter. In 16 and 17 Paul has told us about the glorious Gospel in which a righteousness of God is revealed from faith unto faith. But one cannot understand salvation unless he understands fairly accurately damnation, the thing from which one is saved.

I. The Revelation of the Wrath of God

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness" (Romans 1:18).

This verse begins with the conjunction, for, which introduces a reason for the statement just preceding this one. This righteousness of God is revealed to all who believe, for the wrath of God is likewise being revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. Paul was careful to put the verb in the present tense--"the wrath ... is being revealed." God cannot tolerate sin. He has wrath and indignation every day. "God is a righteous judge, yea, a God that hath indignation every day" (Ps. 7:11). The reason for His having indignation daily is that men and women are trampling under foot His sacred laws and mandates and are going on in their self-will and determination. The inexorable and unchangeable law of God is that man reaps exactly what he sows. If a man sows his wild oats, even in this life he reaps the same. Israel sowed the wind and reaped the whirlwind in that she rejected God's plan and sought for a king, something that God positively forbade her doing. We need to realize the importance of the statement of God, "Be sure your sin will find you out." The wrath of God was revealed against David because of his having sinned. Though he was forgiven, he suffered till the last day of his life. According to Nathan the sword did not depart from him and never will depart from his house until this age is brought to a close, the curse lifted, and the age of righteousness is revealed. What was true of David is true of every man, woman, and child. One cannot sin with impunity.

Men need to realize the true character of God which is set forth in Exodus 34:6,7: "And Jehovah passed by before him [Moses], and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth; keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear
the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation." We hear much about the love of God. We cannot hear too much about this characteristic of the Almighty. At the same time we cannot learn too much about His wrath and indignation. He cannot tolerate sin. Sin in every phase must be punished.

Romans 1:18 declares that "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder (or hold down) the truth in unrighteousness." While God is indignant at all unrighteousness and punishes every sin and disobedience, His indignation is especially stirred against those who hinder the truth by their ungodliness and unrighteousness. There are those who, figuratively speaking, have taken a postgraduate course in unrighteousness and ungodliness, and who finally do what they can to hinder the spread of the truth of God. In the days of our Lord Jesus Christ there were those who, as He declared, took the key of knowledge and would not enter the kingdom of heaven and would not allow those who were attempting to enter it to do so. They did not want the truth; neither did they want anyone else to have it. Moreover, by their selfishness and their fleshly nature, they were taking advantage of every situation, and were, by their ungodliness, hindering the truth of God. What they did spoke so much louder than what they said that the people could not understand their teachings. Special judgment from God is due to come to all who hinder the truth in unrighteousness and ungodliness.

While God has revealed His wrath against all unrighteousness in the past as He is doing today, there is coming a time when He will especially reveal His wrath and His indignation. That period is the time which is designated by Isaiah as "the time of Jacob's trouble." In Romans 2:5 the Apostle declared to Israel, "After thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up for thyself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God ..." There is to be, according to this passage and related ones, a special time when God's wrath will be poured out and will be revealed. God only knows how soon that time will be upon us! This day of wrath is a period of seven years which is described in Revelation, chapters 6-19. During this time God will pour out His wrath upon a God-defying and self-loving world.

 

II. The Revelation of God to Man

There is no occasion for anyone's saying that he is an atheist, skeptic, infidel or agnostic. Such attitudes of mind are abnormal. They are the result of forces and influences which are of the evil one. God has not left himself without witness to everyone who comes into the world.
 

A. The Revelation of God in the Souls of Men

"Because that which is known of God is manifest in them; for God manifested it unto them" (Romans 1:19).

There is a certain amount of knowledge regarding God which may be gained apart from the revelation found in the scriptures. This type of knowledge is spoken of by Paul as "that which is known of God." Concerning this knowledge Paul declared that it is manifested in them, that is, in those of whom he was speaking when he declared that they hindered the truth in unrighteousness and ungodliness. Moreover, it was in them because God had revealed it unto them.

This natural revelation of God to the souls of men I might illustrate as follows: With a precision camera one can make almost any kind of picture, and take, humanly speaking, a perfect photograph. The person must know the type of film that he should use for all occasions and purposes. He must understand how to operate his instrument. He must be able to take his light reading. He must adjust his shutter speed. In other words, he must operate the camera accurately. When he does this, the image of the object, the likeness of that which is to be reproduced, is transferred from the original to the film within the camera. Let us think of our minds and hearts as a camera in which a perfect film is placed. We may compare our eyes to the lens. As little children, when we begin to notice things, the lens of our spiritual camera are open. We look into the heavens. We see the celestial bodies in their majesty and glory. We recognize standing behind the material universe the invisible, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent One. Thus there is transferred and stamped indelibly upon the film of our souls the image of the one true and living God. "That which is known of God" therefore, is transferred to our souls at a very ealry age. I recall, as a mere child, how I used to lie upon the grass and look into the heavens by day and by night. I saw evidence, in my childish way, of movement, order, symmetry, power, intelligence. Independent of what others said and did, I came to the conclusion that there must be some great, intellectual Being who is standing behind all things, and whom I could not see with the physical eye--as He controls the movements of the universe. This image was stamped indelibly upon my soul. That this is correct is shown by verse 20. This knowledge of God the philosophers call
natural theology.
 

B. The Revelation of God in Nature

"For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse."

Under section "A" I have been speaking of the image of the invisible God that is transferred to the soul of every normal child. It remains there until such a one either deliberately refuses to believe, or until some influences are brought to bear in the life that warp the mind and erase from the soul this picture. As a rule this picture remains indelibly stamped upon the soul throughout life, even though the individual may deny the fact. That this statement is correct may be seen from the fact that even atheists and infidels, who deny the existence of God and the inspiration of the Scriptures, in critical moments when they are face to face with eternity often reject their infidelity and skepticism and call upon God for mercy.

Even though we grant that there are people who have by their own willfulness rejected the idea of God and erased the impression made upon their souls in childhood, yet there is stamped upon the visible unverse a sufficiently portrayed piture of the Almighty in order that men might be without excuse. A rational, honest man who will for one moment consider the heavenly bodies in their movements must come to the conclusion that there is a Supreme Being who created all these things and who is guiding and controlling them. We might think of the universe as a mechanism. To be more specific, let us think of it as a great chronometer that is moving with exact and utermost precision. Everyone knows that there must be an intelligent being who makes any mechanism and who controls it and keeps it running in order. No mechanism ever ran of its own accord or by its own power. Since the universe has been running throughout time, with regularity and precision, we know there must be a great Engineer whose power and knowledge are sufficient to enable Him to keep this great universal chronometer running and keeping exact time. God has thus stamped His existence upon the world and there is now no excuse for anyone's being a skeptic or atheist.

 

III. Man's Original Standing with God and His Downward Plunge

"Because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things" (Romans 1:21-23).

In verse 21 Paul declares that man knew God originally. According to the Genesis account man did know God. At various times the Almighty appeared to man in Eden and held sweet communion and fellowship with him. His powers were alert and unhampered by sin. His vision was clear, and he could understand whatever revelations that God made to him. And even after his rebellion and his sin, he still had a knowledge of God. This is reflected in the fourth chapter of Genesis. Though the descendants of Cain walked in his way and developed a godless civilization, Seth and his posterity preferred to retain the Almighty in their knowledge and to worship the only true and living God.

The artifacts and various things that were discovered by the late Professor Langdon of Oxford led him to the irresistible conclusion that man originally was a monotheist, and that only later did he develop polytheism. This discovery is in perfect accord with the revelation of Paul in Romans chapter 1.

Although man had this knowledge of God, he refused to glorify Him as God. It is in God that man lives, moves and has his continual being. He is utterly dependent upon the Almighty. But the heart of man, in its corrupted state, generally will not render the homage and adoration that is due the Almighty from His dependent creatures. Thus, as Paul says, men refused to glorify God--to acknowledge their dependence upon Him and to give Him the glory and honor due His name.

When they took this attitude toward Him, they refused to give thanks. They accepted and partook of His bounties but in no way showed their appreciation. Such is the way that most people of the world do today.

The next step that man took away from God was to become vain in his reasoning. Not having the knowledge of God, the natural heart of man became puffed up with pride, thinking that he could get along without God and be independent of Him. Thus he made all his calculations, leaving the Lord out of consideration. When he did that, all of his conclusions were of course incorrect.

The next step in man's plunge to the horrible abyss mentioned in the rest of the chapter was his heart becoming darkened and senseless. This is a natural consequence of rejecting light and truth. God is the source of light. When one shuts out the light that comes from the knowledge of God's existence and of His perfections, naturally his heart is darkened. In all his movements and thinking he is like a man in a dark room, feeling around and trying to find his way. In addition to the darkness that envelopes the one thus departing from God, such a ones heart becomes senseless. All of his perceptive powers become enfeebled and insensitive. This condition of heart is in evidence on every hand today. Those who thus have their minds and hearts darkened and their senses benumbed cannot percieive things in their proper perspective. Although man reached the point where he was walking around in darkness, he still believed that he was wise and understood the phenomena of his environment. In making this profession he became a fool. A fool is the one who lacks knowledge and perception, and cannot see things as they are. Moreover, he is the one who is living on the fleshly plane, and is satisfying carnal desires, and is neglecting his spiritual and intellectual needs.

Finally, we are told that man, in his departure from the Almighty, changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things. A view of the idolatrous situation throughout the world shows that men everywhere, after they had forsaken God and refused to have Him in their knowledge, made gods after their own likeness and the likeness of various creatures. A most interesting and enlightening study of the various gods of the different nations throughout their history might be made at the British Museum. Gods of the various nations have been procured and are there on exhibit, not only those of ancient times, but those of the modern world also. Thus the statement of the Apostle Paul concerning man's idolatry is absolutely in accordance with all the facts.

 

IV. Man Forsaken of God

We are told that, when man thus departed from God He gave him over to carry out the evil inclinations of his heart. Of course, God gave him over to a reprobate mind and to practice the things that are detrimental to him, only when his case was hopeless. God never forces any man's will. He worries, figuratively speaking, along with one just as long as there is any possiblitly of His getting him to return. When, however, anyone reaches the point that no moral suasion will avail, the Lord abandons him to his fate. Three times in this chapter we are told that God gave over humanity to the working out of the corruption of the heart. This is found in verses 24, 26, and 28.

"Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves: 25 for that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile passions: for their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working unseemliness, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was due. 28 And even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, unmerciful: 32 who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they that practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practice them" (Romans 1:24-32).

If anyone wishes to know exactly what Paul was describing in vss. 24-32, all he has to do is to go to Pompey, Italy, for instance, and visit the various houses that have been unearthed. Immoral practices and evil, wicked deeds of the people of Pompey are portrayed in pictures on the walls of certain houses. We have every reason to believe that what was practiced in Pompey and Herculaneum was prevalent in the average city of the Greco-Roman world. This type of life and conduct mentioned by Paul in Romans, chapter 1, is also alluded to by secular historians. They do not, however, give such a gruesome, horrible picture of moral conditions as the Apostle Paul did by the Spirit of God.

Though God did give over the heathen to abandonment and to the working out of the the corruption of his depraved heart, He now commands all men everywhere that they should repent and turn to God.

"The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent: inasmuch as he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead" (Acts 17:30,31).


 

THE PREDICAMENT OF THE JEW AS JUDGE

In Romans 1:18-32 the departure of man from God originally was set forth. Man at first had the knowledge of God, but he did not honor Him as such. Neither was he thankful. He therefore turned away from God and became vain in his reasoning. When he reached this point, he began to engage in idolatrous practices. When he thus turned his back upon God, the Almighty gave him over to work out the evil things of his depraved heart. The blackest picture appearing on the pages of History is found in this descripton of the lost Gentile world presented by Paul in Romans 1:18-32. In Romans chapter 2 Paul turns to the Jew and presents his case as it stands at the present time. He begins his discussion with this startling statement: Wherefore thou art without excuse, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest ..." The Apostle is very tactful and wise in drawing his conclusions and turning from the lost Gentile world to discuss the Jewish situation. That Paul has the Jew in mind, even though he does not call his name at the beginning of this chapter is evident from what he says. This becomes very apparent when one notices verse 4 in which the Apostle charges the one whom he has in mind as despising the riches of God's goodness, forbearance, and long suffering. This language can refer only to the Hebrew. Finally, in vs. 17, he mentions the Jew outright and in plain words discusses the Jewish problem.
 

I. The Jew, Siting on the Bench,
Agrees with the Judgment Pronounced Upon the Gentiles.

"Wherefore thou art without excuse, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judges another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest dost practice the same things. 2 And we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against them that practice such things. 3 And reckonest thou this, O man, who judgest them that practice such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? 4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" (Romans 2:1-4).

Paul, in a very dramatic and graphic manner, represents the Jew as seated on the bench, and, as judge, pronouncing condemnation of the Gentile world for its departure from God and its immoral, unsavory practices. Thus the judge agrees with Paul the witness that he has presented the case of the Gentiles world accurately.

The Apostle immediately turns to the one seated on the bench and, assuming the role of a witness against the judge, declares that he is without excuse. "... for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnst theyself; for thou that judgest dost practice the same things" (2:1b). A person's practicing things which he as a judge condemns reminds us of King David who took the wife of Uriah and had him placed in the most dangerous position in the battle in order that he might be killed. Nathan the prophet was sent by the Lord to David, and he spoke a parable concerning a poor man who lived in a given community and who had a pet lamb. In the same vicinity there lived a rich man with large flocks of sheep. When a visitor came, the rich man seized the pet lamb of the poor man and made a feast for him. When Nathan reached this part of his parable, David's wrath reached the exploding point, and he said, "As Jehovah liveth, the man that has done this is worthy to die: and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and because he had no pity" (II Sam. 12:5,6). In reply Nathan pointed at David and said "Thou art the man!" Thereupon the King in real conviction of sin confessed his wrongs and asked God's forgiveness, which thing was granted. But David had to pay the price of his sinning, which was that the sword should never depart from his house. One may be forgiven, but every son whom the Lord receiveth, He chasteneth.

In vs. 2 Paul tells the Jew who thus criticizes the Gentiles, and who practices the very thing perpetrated by them, that both he and the Jew know that the judgment of God is according to truth to them that practice such things. In vs. 3 he asks the Jew does he think he can escape the punishment from God due for his sin? The rhetorical question demands the answer no.

In verse 4 we have this language: "Or despiset thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" The Jew at the time Paul wrote this statement was despising the riches of God's goodness. God had been good to Israel. When Abraham and Sarah were past the age of parenthood, God performed a biological miracle upon their bodies which made possible the birth of Isaac. This miracle is called and act of creation (Isa. 43:1). When Israel developed into a nation and was in slavery in Egypt, God, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, went to Egypt and delivered her from bondage. At Sinai He gave His law to her. Throughout the wilderness wanderings God performed miracles daily in her behalf, meeting her actual needs. Joshua led the nation into Canaan and fought the battles against the Canaanites and settled the people in the country. Throughout Israel's history, God bore with her and blessed her, notwithstanding her infidelity and failures. Thus the Apostle calls the Jew's attention to the fact that he at that time was despising these unparalleled blessings and gracious dealings. He also charges the Jew with despising, belittling, underrating the forbearance of God. The forbearance of God refers to Gods exercising mercy toward Israel and not punishing her for her present attitude. The nation had rejected the Messiah when he came. If God had dealt with the people of Israel upon the basis of the merits of their case, He would have blotted the nation from the globe. But he didn't do that. He exercised forbearance in not instantly wiping out the nation.

In the third place, Paul asked the Jew: "... despisest thou the ... longsufering ...?" This word looks toward the future. God will still exercise patience with the nation of Israel and will bear with the people, doing everything in His power for them without forcing their will. In asking concerning the Jew's despising God's goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, the Apostle called attention to the fact that they did not realize that the goodness of God is the thing that is attempting to lead the nation to repentance. Our translation is rather incaccurate in rendering the word in the original "leadeth." The idiom properly rendered should be, is trying to lead thee to repentance. God's goodness from the time that Israel rejected the Messiah has been trying to lead the nation to repentance. His goodness is still trying to lead her to repentance. He will continue in this attempt until He succeeds. In our consideration of this point, let us remember that God does all that He can, that He uses all moral suasion and providential overruling in order to bring people to repentance. But He always stops short of forcing anyone's will. Under His moral government of the universe He must stop short of forcing or coercing the will. From other scriptures We know that eventually God will thus be successful in His attempt to bring the nation to repentance and to the acknowledgment of rejecting her Messiah.

In continuing to underrate or underestimate and thus despise God's goodness, forbearance, and loing-suffering, Israel keeps treasuring up for herself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God. This is seen in verse 5:

"But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up for thyself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God" (Romans 2:5).

David in Psalm 95 foretold the coming of God to earth and warned the people of Israel that, when they heard His voice, they should hearken. As an example of warning to them king David held up the Hebrews who disobeyed God in the wilderness and who perished on account of their unbelief. In this prophecy the King called Israel's attention to the fact that there would be a period of time which he designated as "To-day" in which they would have the opportunity of giving heed to His voice. In the event that they failed to heed the warning, the wrath of God would burst forth upon them. An examination of all related passages and the facts show that this period called "To-day" in Psalm 95 was none other than the period from A.D. 30, when the Messiah was rejected, to A.D. 70, when the wrath of God fell upon the nation by the hands of the Romans under Titus. If, during that period of forty years, Israel had not hardened her heart but had listened to the call of God, there would have been no A.D. 70, that is, no events which occurred that fateful year.

Thus each year of Israel's failure to heed the call was treasuring up more wrath, which finally overflowed in A.D. 70. The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Thessalonians (I Thess. 2:14-16) saw that this wrath was inevitable, because he understood, from Israel's stubborn resistance to the claims of Jesus and from the revelation that was made to him, that Israel would persist in her unbelief and would continue to despise God's goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering until the wrath would be poured out in A.D. 70. In that fatal year Jewish nationality collapsed, Jerusalem fell, and the Jews were scattered throughout the world. As stated above, each year of Israel's rejection of the claims of the Messiah is treasuring up still more wrath as the Apostle warned. She will continue to do this until finally the time arrives "in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God," the Tribulation Period. This time of judgment is by Jeremiah called "the time of Jacob's trouble." Moses spoke of it as the day of Israel's calamity. Thus all the wrath that has been stored up throughout these nineteen hundred years of Christian history will pour forth in that period of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.

 

II. The Judgment of the Nations

According to Romans 2:6 in the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God the Lord will render to everyone according to his works.

"Who will render to every man according to his works: (Rom 2:6).

This will be true not only in God's sending His judgments upon the earth during the Tribulation, but at the end of it, when the Son of man will come in the glory of the Father, will sit upon the throne of judgment, and will judge the nations who will be brought before Him. This judgment of the living nations is set forth in Matthew 25:31-45. In this passage there is nothing said about a resurrection of the dead. The righteous dead are raised before the Tribulation. The wicked dead are not raised until after the thousand years are finished (Rev. 20:11-15). But from the context of Romans, chapter 2, we are certain that Paul was not considering the judgment of the wicked dead after Christ's reign of a thousand years, but was talking about the judgment of the living nations, when Christ returns and mounts the throne to rule the world in righteousness. From parallel passages we know that at that time the Lord will also reward His saints. All the saints will be brought before the judgment seat of Christ to receive the things done in the body according to that which each has done, whether it be good or bad (II Cor. 5:10). Paul is discussing these very ones in Romans 2:7-10, for he says that to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life: ... but glory and honor and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
 

"To them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life: 8 but unto them that are factious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, shall be wrath and indignation, 9 tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek; 10 but glory and honor and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek: (Romans 2:7-10).

One must note that Paul is not discussing the subject of salvation. He is simply talking about God's dealing with people upon the basis of their lives and conduct.

Since Paul was talking about God's dealing with people upon the basis of their conduct, naturally he had to speak in legal terms. For each one will receive according to his deeds and actions.

When the Lord metes out rewards and punishment to people, accordingly as they have done either good or bad, He is going to take into consideration the advantages and the opportunities that each has had. As everyone who is familiar with the Bible's teaching knows, the Jew has had advantages that the Gentile has never had. With increased light always comes added responsibility. Thus Paul asserts that, when God deals with the nations in judgment, He will deal with the Jew first, and then with the Gentile. In dealing with the people the Lord will not show favoritism, for He is no respecter of persons. Each case will be decided upon its own merits, in the light of the opportunities and advantages that each has had.

 

"For there is no respect of persons with God 12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without the law: and as many as have sinned under the law shall be judged by the law; 13 for not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified: 14 (for when Gentiles that have not the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are the law unto themselves; 15 in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing them); 16 in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men, according to my gospel, by Jesus Christ." (Romans 2:11-16).

As we think of God's judging the world, we immediately think of the light that the various groups of the world have had. The Jew, for example, enjoyed the revelation of God from primitive times. The Christians have all the light that the Jews had in the Old Testament but also have the additional glorious light which comes to us through Jesus Christ and the New Testament. What light have the heathen nations had? It is true that, in modern times, the gospel has been proclaimed in all heathen lands with very few exceptions. Notwithstanding the greatness of the present missionary enterprise, we are told that there are practically one-half of earth's population that have never one time heard the name of Jesus Christ as being the Saviour of the world. Whatever they have heard of Him has largely been in derision or mockery. It is also true that the gospel was preached in all the world in the first generation of Christianity; for Paul declared that the gospel had been preached in all the world (Col. 1:6) and in all creation under heaven (Col. 1:34). But Christianity died out among the heathen nations and survived only in those nations where there was a Jewish environment. What about the millions and billions of heathen who, during the Christian Era, have never one time heard the message of the redeeming love of Jesus Christ? How will they be judged? This question is answered in Romans 2:12-16. Paul declares that those who have sinned under the law shall be judged by the law; on the other hand, those who have sinned without the law shall be judged without the law. Let us note that all are to be judged by the light that they have. The heathen, not having had the law of Moses nor the gospel of Jesus Christ, yet has the law of God written indelibly in his soul. Christ is the one who is the light of the world, "even the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world" (John 1:9). There is therefore written upon the hearts and souls of every one who is born into the world the very essence of the law of God, law in the broadest sense of the term. This is what we call innate law or knowledge. All of us are familiar with intuitions, judgments which we are able to make without any teaching or training from men. There are what we call axiomatic truths, not only in the field of mathematics, but in the sphere of morals and ethics, as well as in the realm of religion. One of the old Greek philosophers said that they did not need more knowledge in order to do right, but that what the human family needed was ability to put into practice the knowledge which they have intuitively. In this judgment to a certain extent the old pagan philosopher was correct.

Every heathen is given this true light when he is born. If he will but live up to it and walk in this light, God will lead him out into the fullness of the light of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not mere theory. This is actual and real. As proof of this proposition, let us remember Abraham. This man was born into a heathen environment, the Ur of the Chaldees. He was born into a pagan, idolatrous family (Josh. 24:2). He lived up to the light that God had actually put into his soul and spurned the allurements of his environment. God therefore led him out from his country, kinsman, and relatives to a place where he could be associated with Melchizedek, priest and king of God Most High in Jerusalem. God will lead anyone today, regardless of heritage or environment, who will follow the law of God written in the heart and soul, and who will be faithful and true to it. On this point let us hear Isaiah: "The path of the just is uprightness; thou that art upright, dost direct the path of the just" (Isa. 26:7). The just man here is the one who is living up to the light that he has. God who is upright will direct the path of every such one so that he can get the full light. Our Lord Jesus declared that blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Cornelius of whom we read in Acts, chapter 10, is another illustration of this principle. He was living up to the light that he had, was praying for more; God therefore answered his prayer and brought him into the full knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and salvation.

Paul showed us that although the heathen will be judged by the light that he has, he will not be saved by that light. As we learn in the third chapter of Romans, none of the heathen world was living up to the light that they had. Neither was there anyone living up to the light that he had within the pale of Jewry. Since neither Jew nor Gentile is living up to the light that he has, each will have to be saved by the grace of God through faith. A plan of redemption through the precious blood of Jesus Christ has been prepared. Those who accept Him will be saved, those who reject Him will be lost.

In the day that God judges the secrets of men, according to Paul's gospel, by Jesus Christ, He is going to deal with each one upon the basis of the merits of his case. Let us be faithful and true to the light that we have, walk in it, and give it forth to others--to the Jew first and also the Greek.