2. The Jewish World Is Guilty! (2:1–3:8)

Bible scholars do not agree on whom Paul was addressing in Romans 2:1-16. Some think he was dealing with the moral pagan who did not commit the sins named in Romans 1:18-32, but who sought to live a moral life. But it seems to me that Paul was addressing his Jewish readers in this section. To begin with, his discussion of the law in Romans 2:12-16 would have been more meaningful to a Jew than to a Gentile. And in Romans 2:17, he openly addressed his reader as “a Jew.” This would be a strange form of address if in the first half of the chapter he were addressing Gentiles.

It would not be an easy task to find the Jews guilty, since disobedience to God was one sin they did not want to confess. The Old Testament prophets were persecuted for indicting Israel for her sins, and Jesus was crucified for the same reason. Paul summoned four “witnesses” to prove the guilt of the Jewish nation.