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.

He proves what he says against the Jews, and speaks with wise skill, so as not to appear to say anything against the law. As if praising and exalting the law, he says that those who do not have the law "by nature," that is, who have conviction in their thoughts, deserve to be wondered: for they had no need of the law, and yet they fulfilled the law, imprinting in their hearts not writings, but works, and instead of the law, using conscience and natural thoughts as a testimony of goodness. He speaks here of three laws: the written law, the law of nature, and the law of works. Gentiles who have no law. What? Written. By nature, they do what is lawful. Under what law? According to the law revealed in the deeds. Without a law. What? Written. They are their own law. How is that? Guided by the natural law. They show that the work of the law is written in their hearts. What? The law in business. Note wisdom: He did not strike the Jews, as the course of speech required. In the course of the speech it should have been said thus: when the Gentiles, who have no law, do what is lawful by nature, they are much more excellent than those who are instructed in the law. But the Apostle did not say so, but expressed himself more mildly, thus: "A law unto themselves." By this he proves that both in ancient times and before the law was given, the human race was under the same Providence. By this he also stops the mouths of those who say: Why did Christ not come to teach to do good first, from the beginning? Knowledge of good and evil, he says. He put into everyone from the beginning; but when He saw that it did not help, He Himself finally came.

And their thoughts, now accusing, now justifying one another, are in the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secret deeds of men through Jesus Christ.

With these words begin a new speech; for now the Apostle speaks of how all men in general will be judged. On the day of judgment our own thoughts will appear, now condemning, now justifying, and man will not need at that judgment seat either another accuser or another defender. And in order to increase the fear, he did not say, sins, but, secret deeds. Men can judge only manifest works, but God, he says, will judge secret works through Jesus Christ, that is, the Father through the Son, because the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son (John 5:22). You can understand the words through Jesus Christ in this way: according to my gospel given to me by Jesus Christ. Here it is suggested that the gospel does not preach anything unnatural, but proclaims the same thing that was first instilled in men by nature itself, that is, that the gospel also testifies to judgment and punishment.

Behold, you are called a Jew, and you comfort yourself with the law, and you boast of God, and you know His will, and you understand the best, learning from the law.

Having said that nothing more is needed for the salvation of a Gentile who fulfills the law, he finally calculates the advantages of the Jews, relying on which they were proud before the Gentiles. First of all, he speaks of the name of the Jew; for it was a great privilege, as the name of a Christian is now. He did not say, Thou art a Jew, but, Thou art called; for the true Jew is he who is professed to be a Jew, because Judas means confession. And you comfort yourself with the law - instead of not working, not walking, not knowing what to do, but having the law, which instructs you in everything without difficulty. And you boast of God, that is, that you are loved by God and preferred to other people; to turn the love of God into a means of despising homogeneous beings is a sign of extreme foolishness. And you know His will, that is, God's. And you understand the best, that is, he decides what he should do and what he should not do. By the best (έο) we must understand what is decent or useful to everyone.

I am sure of myself that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a teacher of the ignorant, a teacher of infants, having in the law an example of knowledge and truth.

I said above that hearing the law is of no use unless the fulfillment is added; For it is not the hearers of the law, he says, who are righteous in the sight of God, but the doers of the law (v. 13), now he says something more, namely, Though you be a teacher, if you do not keep the law, you not only do not receive any benefit for yourself, but also incur a greater punishment upon yourself. And since the Jews were greatly exalted by their teaching dignity, this especially proves that they are worthy of ridicule. For when he says, "Guide of the blind, teacher of infants," etc., he depicts the arrogance of the Jews, who called themselves guides, light, and instructors, and called the converts from paganism those who were in darkness, babes, and ignorant. But thou hast an example of knowledge and truth, not in deeds or merits, but in the law, trusting in it as an image of virtue. In the same way, someone who has a royal image does not copy anything from it, but those who do not have it, and do not see it, faithfully imitate it. Thus, every teacher writes and depicts in the souls of the disciples the knowledge of the good, and therefore the truth itself. If he does this in his activity, he will be perfect; otherwise it will be the same as those who are now condemned by the Apostle. Some understood by the image a model of knowledge that is not real. Thou hast not true knowledge and godliness, he says, but counterfeited and disguised with a false appearance.