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.

How is it that when you teach another, you do not teach yourself? Preaching not to steal, do you steal? When you say, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," do you commit adultery? Are you sacrileging idols? Do you boast about the law, and dishonor God by transgressing the law? For for your sake, as it is written, the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles.

He expounds his thought in the form of a question, ashaming those who boasted that they were teachers. He calls the theft of one dedicated to idols sacrilege; for though they abhorred idols, yet, possessed of the love of money, they touched him who was consecrated to idols out of shameful gain. After this he sets forth the most grievous guilt, saying: "You boast of the law, as one who is exalted in honor from God through the law, but by the transgression of the law you dishonor God." There are three faults here. The first: the Jews dishonor; the second: they dishonor God, who exalted them in honor; Third, They dishonor the law by breaking it, when it was to their honor. But lest they should think that he himself was accusing the Jews, he brought the prophet Isaiah as their accuser, setting forth two of their faults. For they not only offend God themselves, but also lead others to do so, and not only do they not teach to live according to the law, but they also teach the opposite, they teach to blaspheme God, which is contrary to the law; for those who see their corruption say, "Should God love these people?" Is the God who loves such the true God?

Circumcision is profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a transgressor of the law, then your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

Since circumcision was held in high esteem by the Jews, he did not immediately say of it at the beginning that circumcision is superfluous and useless, but in words it permits, but in deed rejects it, and says: I agree that circumcision is profitable, but only when you fulfill the law. He did not say that it was useless, lest they think that circumcision destroys it; but he proves that the Jew has no circumcision, saying, "Thy circumcision has become uncircumcision." Thus he proves that the Jew is not circumcised after his heart. He means two circumcisions and two uncircumcisions: one external, and the other internal. Namely, external circumcision is carnal circumcision, when one is circumcised according to the flesh, spiritual circumcision consists in the rejection of carnal passions. And carnal uncircumcision occurs when someone remains uncircumcised according to the flesh, and spiritual uncircumcision occurs when someone, having a pagan soul, does not cut off the passions in the least. Paul's thought is this: if you are circumcised in the flesh, but do not fulfill the law, then you are still uncircumcised, uncircumcised in spirit; In the same way, he who is uncircumcised according to the flesh, but fulfills what is lawful, is circumcised to the Spirit, because the passions of the flesh have been taken away from him. This is explained further. Listen to me.

If, therefore, the uncircumcised observes the ordinances of the law, will not his uncircumcision be imputed to him as circumcision?

He does not say that uncircumcision is superior to circumcision, because it is too painful, but says that it will be imputed to him for circumcision. Therefore, true circumcision is a good activity: in the same way, uncircumcision is an evil activity. Notice, he did not say, "If uncircumcision preserves the law; For I have probably assumed the following objection from someone: Is it possible that an uncircumcised man should keep the law, when the very existence of being uncircumcised is a violation of the law? How did he express himself? Provisions of the law, that is, decrees, the implementation of which is thought to be justified. For circumcision was not a deed, but a suffering endured by him who was circumcised, and therefore cannot be called the justification of the law. It is given as a sign not to mix Jews with Gentiles.

And he who is uncircumcised by nature, who keeps the law, will he not condemn you, a transgressor of the law in the Scriptures and circumcision? For he is not a Jew who is outwardly such, nor is circumcision outwardly in the flesh; but the Jew who is inwardly such, and the circumcision that is in the heart, is in the spirit, and not in the letter: to him also the praise is not from men, but from God.