All of us are not of the same mood: sometimes we patronize evil, sometimes we are judges of other people's evils, we condemn those who are like us. Wherefore, having spoken before of those who approved of the wicked, he now speaks of condemnation, and says, Thou art therefore inexcusable. That is, you knew that God's justice consists in punishing the wicked with dignity; Therefore Thou who condemnest those who do the same as Thou hast no excuse. It seems that these words refer to rulers, especially to the Romans, as then rulers of the universe; for to judge is the business of rulers. However, this is also appropriate for every person; for every man can judge, even if he does not have the office of judge. Therefore, when you condemn an adulterer, he says, and you yourself commit adultery, you condemn yourself.

And we know that truly there is God's judgment on those who do such things.

Lest anyone say of himself: "I have hitherto committed adultery and escaped judgment," the Apostle, frightening him, says that it is not so with God: with us one is punished, and the other, although he does the same, escapes punishment; but it is not so with God: for God's judgment on bad people is truly there.

Do you think, O man, that you will escape the judgment of God by condemning those who do such things, and by doing the same? Or do you despise the riches of God's goodness, meekness, and longsuffering, not understanding that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and impenitent heart, you store up for yourself wrath for the day of wrath and the revelation of righteous judgment from God, who will reward each one according to his deeds.

He said above that the recompense of bad people for their error and reverence for creatures consists in the very misfortunes to which they indulged, because the very impurity was a sufficient punishment for them. Now he reveals punishment for them. For you, says man, there is another punishment: you will not escape the judgment of God. How will you escape the judgment of God, when you have not escaped your judgment? For in what thou hast condemned another, in that thou hast pronounced judgment upon thyself. But if you rely on God's long-suffering because you have not yet been punished, then this impunity serves for a greater punishment for you. For God's long-suffering is salvific for those who use it to correct themselves, but for those who use it to increase sin, it serves as a great reason for punishment, not by its nature, but by the hardness of their hearts. You gather wrath, he says, God does not gather for you, but you gather for yourself. How is that? With his unyielding and hard for good heart. For what can be harsher than you, when you are neither softened by goodness nor bowed down by fear? Further, having spoken of the day of wrath, he adds: revelation and righteous judgment from God. And justly, lest any man consider judgment to be an act of wrath. Revelation, he says, is everything. Therefore the recompense is according to what is revealed, and as a consequence the judgment is righteous. Here the truth does not always prevail, because the deeds are hidden, and there the revelation is followed by righteous judgment. Note this passage, comparing it with the following: "I will harden the heart of Pharaoh" (Exodus 4:21), for Paul speaks in almost the same words.

To those who seek glory, honor, and immortality by perseverance in a good deed, eternal life.

Having said that the Lord will reward everyone, he began with the reward of the good, thus making his speech pleasant. In words, by constancy in a good deed, he expresses, first, that one should not depart from good, nor do it negligently, but remain in it to the end, and secondly, that one should not rely on faith alone, because a good deed is also needed. With the word of immortality, He opens the doors of resurrection. Then, since we shall all arise, but not all for the same thing, but some for glory, and others for punishment, he mentioned glory and honor. So, the whole speech has this meaning. To those, he says, who seek future glory, honor, and immortality, and never let them go out of their thoughts, God will reward, that is, in the resurrection, eternal life. In what way are future glory, honor, and incorruptibility gained? By constancy in a good deed. For he who is constant in a good deed and stands firm against every temptation truly wins glory, honor, and immortality, or the enjoyment of incorruptible goods in an incorruptible body.

And to those who persist and do not submit to the truth, but give themselves over to unrighteousness, wrath and wrath. Sorrow and distress to every soul of a man who does evil, first the Jew, then the Greek.

Ε έίεί means effort and unreasonable perseverance. "And those who are zealous," that is, with effort. Here he shows that they became evil not through ignorance, but through stubbornness, which is why they are not worthy of mercy. And obedience to unrighteousness and disobedience to righteousness is also the sin of arbitrariness; for he did not say, "Who are compelled and endure violence, but who are submitted." Pay attention to the fact that He expressed His recompense in eternal life differently from the sorrowful one. Wrath, he says, and wrath and sorrow. He did not say, "They will be rewarded by God," but left the speech unfinished, so that it would be meant. For it is characteristic of God to give life, and punishment is the consequence of our carelessness. With words to every soul of man bridles the pride of the Romans. Though he be a king, he says, will not escape punishment if he does (εόεο) evil, that is, he remains in evil and does not repent: for he did not say εόεο, that is, he who does, but εόεο, that is, he who does evil with vanity. And since the Jew has received greater instruction, he is worthy of a greater punishment; for the strong will be greatly tormented (Wis. 6:6), and the more learned will be punished more severely.

Glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.

In what follows, the Apostle intends to prove that circumcision is of no avail, nor uncircumcision is harmful, and then to show the necessity of faith to justify man. To do this, he first overthrew Judaism. Notice, then, wisdom: he says of what happened before the coming of Christ, that the world was full of vices, and that all were subject to execution, first the Jew, then the Greek. And having recognized as indubitable that the pagan will be punished for evil, he concludes from this proposition that he will also be rewarded for good. But if both reward and punishment are the consequences of works, then the law and circumcision are already superfluous, and not only superfluous, but also prepare a greater punishment for the Jew; For if a Gentile is condemned because he was not guided by nature, and therefore by the natural law, then much more is the Jew who was brought up in the law under the same guidance. This is what the Apostle's speech leads to. Now find out the meaning of the words. By the Greeks he does not mean idolaters, but people who feared God and lived piously, without the law, such as Melchizedek, Job, the Ninevites, and finally Cornelius. In the same way, by Jews he means the Jews who lived before the coming of Christ. For, trying to prove that circumcision has no power, he draws attention to ancient times and shows that there was no difference between a God-fearing pagan and a virtuous Jew. If the Jew was in no way superior to the Gentile before the coming of Christ, when Judaism was especially glorious, how much more is he not superior to him now, when the law has been abolished. Thus says the Apostle, intending to crush the pride of the Jews, who did not receive to themselves those who came from paganism. Glory, he says, and honor and peace. Earthly goods always have enemies, are fraught with anxiety, are subject to envy and intrigues, and even if no one threatens them from without, the possessor himself is always troubled in thoughts; but glory and honor with God enjoy peace and are devoid of anxiety in thoughts, as not subject to intrigues. And since it seemed improbable that a heathen should be honored who had not heard the law and the prophets, he proves this by saying that God is no respecter of persons. God, he says, does not take into account persons, but examines works. But if there is no difference in deeds between a Jew and a Gentile, then nothing prevents the latter from being honored with the same honor as the former. When, therefore, the law is abolished, do not exalt yourself, O Jew, before him who of the Gentiles does good, he was equal to you, even at the time when your Judaism was in glory.

Those who, having no law, have sinned, are outside the law and will perish; but those who have sinned under the law will be condemned according to the law.

He proved above that a pagan is honored with the same honor as a Jew. Now he proves that in the time of punishment condemnation will also befall the Jew. The Gentiles, he says, having no law, have sinned, that is, not being taught by the law, therefore they will perish outside the law, that is, they will be more easily punished, as having no accuser of the law; for outside the law means: not subject to condemnation according to the law. On the contrary, the Jew sinned under the law, that is, being taught also from the law, therefore he will also receive judgment, that is, he will be condemned, according to the law, as being subject to the law, which convicts him and subjects him to greater condemnation. How then do you, Jew, say that you have no need of grace, because you are justified by the law? Behold, it has been proved that the law profiteth thee nothing, so that thou hast a greater need of grace than the heathen, as one who is not justified before God by the mere hearing of the law. In the eyes of men, hearers of the law may appear to be honest; but it is not so before God: before Him the doers of the law are justified.

When the Gentiles, who have no law, by nature do what is lawful, then, having no law, they are a law unto themselves: they show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness.