John wrote: > these Gentiles KNOW NOTHING. They have > heard nothing (v v 13,14) that would cause > them to even begin to compare with those > of prominence.
The phrase, "For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified," does not mean that these who did the law had not heard it. Rather, it simply means that justification before God is not based upon hearing but upon doing. Back up and look at Rom. 2:6-11. God renders glory, honor, and peace to every man that WORKETH GOOD, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. There are some who become righteous (work good) because of faith in Jesus Christ. Although these do not have Torah, they keep Torah because Torah is written upon their hearts. So by their new nature in Christ, they do the things contained in the law and are a law unto themselves. They show the work of the law written upon their hearts. John wrote: > You are not the only who goes elsewhere > in the letter or the biblical message to argue > the point that this passage could not possibly > mean what it says. On the contrary, I believe that the passage means exactly what it says. You simply seemed to read your own idea into it and caused a reading of it that contradicts what Paul teaches elsewhere in this same epistle. John wrote: > I see no contradiction, but more importantly, > I see the critical importance for the existence > of these Gentiles in this illustration. Without > them, Paul's point is without the contrast > necessary to the making of his point. I think you mean that without the contrast necessary, he could not make YOUR point. His point is something other than you think (IMO). If you won't hear me, maybe you would reconsider upon hearing the highly respected Bishop of Durham, who seems to take the same position as me on this subject. :-) Tom Wright considers several viewpoints of Romans 2, including yours, and he says that your viewpoint "... falls foul of Paul's emphasis on the universality of human sin, in the overarching theme stated in 1:18 and concluded in 3:20. ... here he [Paul] is hinting at a theme he will explore later in the letter, namely that the people in question are Christian Gentiles (vv. 14-15)." Peace be with you. David Miller. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
