…they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.(Romans 2:14 – ESV)
There is no secret way to God – The point of the first half of Romans 2 is not that some men are saved by their incomplete knowledge of the Gospel, but that all men are without any excuse including an ignorance regarding the moral decrees of God. People know the law in their consciences and they do not obey it. It is not that some are obeying and are saved, but that none are and all are damned.
It is an incorrect interpretation to say that book of Romans hints at a secret, natural "gospel" which saves men – this is a wicked, anti-evangelistic theology. Paul's meaning is not that one can be saved apart from the knowledge of Christ, but that everyone has sufficient knowledge to be condemned. Paul does not say that anyone who "responds" to general revelation will be saved. Rather, he shows that revelation testifies to mankind's condemnation. Paul is not pleading that some are coincidentally saved here: he's making the strong case for universal depravity among men – the Jews because they have received the Law, and the Gentiles for knowing intuitively what the Law is, but both are now guilty because none could keep it.
The only way to God is through the gospel of Jesus Christ. For the monergist, "those who haven't heard" do not present a problem, as God knows who His children are and will ensure that they hear the gospel (Acts 17:26).
In the same way there is no secret society of Christians, some elite core of Christianity that has special revelation that we do not have in the Bible. There is no special organization that you can belong to that makes you a better Christian, unless that organization is the one Christ Himself established, the Church. I am not talking about having organizations that are for teaching or doing God’s work in an open way. We aren’t talking about charity groups here. I am talking about closed societies, special knowledge, and secret things. The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law (Deuteronomy 29:29).
Any organization that claims Christ but has closed ranks that one must be initiated into is not the open society God has ordained in Christ, it is just like the Judaizers who said that Gentiles must be initiated into the deeper truths by the rite of circumcision. Paul said this was a false gospel, and he proclaims a curse on anyone doing this (Galatians 1:6).
He would say the same thing today about many organizations that claim to be Christian, but have initiation levels that grant secret knowledge others do not have access to. I am not talking about going to seminary, which is an open thing; I am talking about secret societies, secret codes secret religions and special knowledge not found in the scriptures. Although it might mention Christ, and even seem to have Him as the center, it is not of Christ.
We are supposed to be open, as we are to God, we are to be open to men. The mysteries of the Gospel have been revealed to all God’s people, those who have put their faith and trust in Christ are complete in Him, and anyone or anything that says otherwise is blaspheming Christ Himself. You don’t have to go through a ritual to get to God (1 Timothy 2:5). You can go straight to the throne room (Hebrews 4:16).
2 comments:
Amen J.D. Thanks for that clear explanation of how Paul was showing that everyone is self condemned by their depravity.
wayne
JD--
As you know, I think you are off base here, and ignore the thrust of Paul's argument in light of his larger argument in Romans.
In Chapter 2, as in Chapter 9, Paul's argument is against the Judaizers who claimed that justification with God comes through participation within the exclusivism of the cultural/religious cultus of Jewish worship. Paul's argument throughout the entire book is against these assumptions, and are clearly seen in chapter 2 in particular.
For example, Paul clearly expresses his understanding that all who "do the law" will be seen as righteous by God; "to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, [God] will give eternal life"; and God will give "glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good".
He later affirms that there will be Gentiles (those not initiated into the Jewish understanding of God) who will be justified based upon the good that they do (the keeping of the law of Christ) even in the absence of hearing about this law. In other words, just as Abraham was justified for his faithfulness to the will of God apart from the law, so too will Gentiles be saved by the work of Christ for their faithfulness to doing the will of God of which they have knowledge.
In Paul's greater theological complex, all who are justified--whether they have knowledge of Christ or not (ex., Abraham, ignorant Gentiles)--are justified by the work of Christ. After all, knowledge of Christ is no guarantor of doing the will of God, even as the Jew's knowledge of the law was no guarantor of their compliance with the will of God therein revealed.
To Paul, nothing has changed from Abraham to the present--all are justified by Christ through faith.
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