Rom 2:5-16 | TNotes

2:7 ^h He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good: Paul makes it clear elsewhere that no one can receive eternal life except as God’s gift through faith (3:20 ⁱ, 28 ^j; 4:1-8 ^k). Here, Paul is either referring to Christians whose good deeds (that result from faith) will be taken into account in God’s judgment, or he is reminding readers of the absolute standard that God’s own holiness establishes, since only by perfection can sinners hope to find acceptance before God. As the argument of the letter unfolds, Paul will show that no one is capable of meeting that standard.
2:8 ^l Live for themselves translates a rare Greek word (eritheia) that seems to convey the idea of selfish ambition or strife. Using this word, Aristotle scolded the politicians of his day for seeking public office for selfish gain rather than from a desire to serve the people (Aristotle, Politics 5.3; see also 2 Cor 12:20 ^m; Gal 5:20 ⁿ; Phil 1:17 ^o; 2:3 ^p; Jas 3:14 ^q, 16 ^r).
2:12 ^s destroyed: This common New Testament word describes the fate of the wicked after death (see also 9:22 ^t; 14:15 ^u; 1 Cor 1:18 ^v; 15:18 ^w; 2 Cor 2:15 ^x; 4:3 ^y; Phil 1:28 ^z; 3:19 ^aa; 2 Thes 2:10 ^ab; 1 Tim 6:9 ^ac). Condemned sinners do not cease to exist, but they suffer eternal punishment, which includes the everlasting destruction of all good in their identity and experience.

• the Jews, who do have God’s law: The Jews were given the law of Moses, while the Gentiles never had God’s written law. In the New Testament period, Jews emphasized their possession of the law as a mark of God’s favor and even as a guarantee of salvation.
2:13 ^ad obeying the law ... makes us right in his sight: Regarding the promise of righteousness through obedience, see 2:7 ^ae; see also Jas 1:22 ^af.
Summary for Rom 2:14-15: 2:14-15 ^ag The Gentiles who know his law when they instinctively obey it may be Gentile Christians, especially since written in their hearts (2:15 ^ah) alludes to the prophecy of the new covenant (Jer 31:31-34 ^ai). Or they could be non-Christian Gentiles who know God’s general moral law through their consciences. In this case, Paul would be using the notion of natural law to show how all people could be held accountable for certain basic moral requirements.
2:16 ^aj secret life (literally the hidden things): Scripture frequently stresses that God will judge people according to their thoughts and intentions (see 1 Sam 16:7 ^ak; Ps 139:1-2 ^al; Jer 17:10 ^am).