Pastor John:
Romans 2:16-19 confuses me. What was Paul saying?
Romans 2
12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.”
R. J.
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Paul is just saying that the ancient Israelites will be judged by the law of Moses, which they had received from God, and that the Gentiles will not be judged by that law because they did not have it. However, the ancient Gentiles did have a conscience, which also was given by God, and therefore, God will judge each one of them according to whether or not his own conscience condemned him.
Pastor John