God's Two Witnesses: Law and Conscience Text: Romans 2:12-16
Introduction: No Neutral Ground
We live in an age that is desperate to find a neutral corner in the boxing ring of reality. Modern man wants a demilitarized zone where he can stand and render his "objective" judgments on God, morality, and the meaning of life. He wants to be the referee in a contest where he is actually one of the fighters. He imagines a world where he can be "spiritual but not religious," or "a good person" without reference to any transcendent standard. He wants to be a law unto himself, which is another way of saying he wants to be his own god.
But the Apostle Paul, in this dense and potent section of Romans, pulls the floor out from under every such project. He has just spent a chapter and a half demonstrating that both the pagan Gentile, wallowing in idolatry and sexual chaos, and the respectable Jew, proud of his heritage and his scrolls, are both under the righteous condemnation of God. There are no conscientious objectors in this war. There is no Switzerland. You are either in Adam or you are in Christ. You are either a law-breaker or a law-keeper in Christ. There is no third way.
Here, Paul addresses the most common objection to this universal indictment. "What about the man on the remote island? What about the virtuous pagan who has never heard of Moses or Jesus? How can God judge someone for breaking a law he never received?" This is not some new, clever argument. Paul anticipates it and dismantles it with surgical precision. He shows that God has not left Himself without a witness to any man. He has given two great witnesses to His standard of righteousness: the external witness of the revealed Law (given to the Jews) and the internal witness of the created conscience (given to all men). And on the last day, no one will be able to say they didn't know. Every mouth will be stopped. The issue is not a lack of information, but a rebellion of the will. The problem is not that men cannot know the law, but that they hate the Lawgiver.
This passage is crucial because it establishes the basis for God's just judgment of all humanity. It shows us that everyone, everywhere, is a moral creature living in a moral universe governed by a moral God. And because this is true, everyone, everywhere, is accountable to that God. There are no exceptions.
The Text
For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law. For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law naturally do the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they demonstrate the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.
(Romans 2:12-16 LSB)
Two Courts, One Verdict (v. 12)
Paul begins by establishing the principle of equitable judgment. God judges men according to the light they have received.
"For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law." (Romans 2:12)
Here we have two groups of people: those "without the Law" (the Gentiles) and those "under the Law" (the Jews). The Law, in this context, refers to the Mosaic code, the special revelation given at Sinai. The Gentiles did not have the Torah; the Jews did. But notice what both groups have in common: they have all sinned. The verb is in the past tense, pointing to a settled state. Sin is the universal condition.
And because sin is universal, condemnation is universal. The Gentiles will "perish" and the Jews will be "judged." These are not two different outcomes. To be judged by the Law when you are a sinner is to perish. Paul is simply stating that God's judgment will be perfectly fair. The Gentile will not be condemned for failing to be circumcised on the eighth day. The Jew will not be able to hide behind his circumcision. Each will be judged by the standard he had access to. The pagan will be judged by the law of creation and conscience, and the Jew will be judged by that same law, plus the clearer revelation of the Torah. And both will be found wanting. This is not a comforting thought for the man who thinks his ignorance will save him. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, especially when the law is written on your own heart.
Hearing is Not Doing (v. 13)
Paul then anticipates the objection of the Jew, whose entire confidence was based on possessing the Law.
"For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified." (Romans 2:13)
This verse has been a battlefield for centuries, but the meaning in its context is straightforward. The Jews prided themselves on having the oracles of God. They heard the Law read in the synagogue every Sabbath. They were the custodians of the scrolls. But Paul says that mere possession, mere hearing, is worthless as a basis for righteousness. God is not impressed with your library card. He is not impressed that you have a family Bible on your coffee table. The standard for justification, according to the Law itself, is perfect obedience. It is doing.
Now, does this mean a man can be justified by his own works? Not at all. Paul will spend the next several chapters proving that this is impossible for any sinner, Jew or Gentile. "By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight" (Romans 3:20). This verse is not describing how a sinner can be saved. It is describing the standard of the Law, which is a standard of perfect performance. Paul is using the Law's own high standard to corner the proud Jew. "You want to be judged by the Law? Fine. Here is the standard: perfect obedience. Are you a doer? Have you kept it all, always, without fail?" The honest answer is a resounding no. Therefore, the Law, which the Jew thought was his ticket to heaven, becomes the very instrument of his condemnation. It is a mirror that shows him his guilt, not a ladder to climb out of it.
The Law Written on the Heart (v. 14-15)
Having dealt with the Jew, Paul returns to the Gentile to explain how he can be justly condemned.
"For when Gentiles who do not have the Law naturally do the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they demonstrate the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them," (Romans 2:14-15)
This is the doctrine of natural law. The Gentiles do not have the Torah, but they have a law. Where is it? It is "written in their hearts." This is not a different law; it is the "work of the Law," the same moral substance found in the Ten Commandments. God's moral character is stamped onto the very fabric of His creation, and particularly onto man, who is made in His image. This is why every culture in history has had some form of moral code that prohibits murder, theft, lying, and adultery. They may suppress this truth, they may twist it, but they cannot escape it. They know, instinctively, that some things are right and some things are wrong.
Paul says they "naturally do the things of the Law." This does not mean they are sinlessly perfect. It means that even in their fallen state, they cannot help but reflect the moral order of their Creator. A pagan might rescue a drowning child or show hospitality to a stranger. In doing so, he is not earning salvation, but he is demonstrating that he knows the standard. He is proving that the law is indeed written on his heart.
And God has provided an internal courtroom to enforce this law: the conscience. The conscience is a witness. It testifies to the existence of the law by either accusing us when we violate it (guilt) or defending us when we keep it (peace). This internal chatter, this constant moral evaluation of our own thoughts and actions, is proof that we are accountable creatures. No one has to teach a child to feel guilty when he steals a cookie. The knowledge is built in. This is God's witness, testifying inside every man, woman, and child on the planet.
The Final Audit (v. 16)
Paul concludes by bringing it all to a head. This internal courtroom of the conscience is just a preliminary hearing for the great and final trial.
"on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus." (Romans 2:16)
There is a day coming. A final accounting. And on that day, God will not just judge the external actions that everyone can see. He will judge the "secrets of men." The hidden motives, the secret lusts, the quiet resentments, the proud thoughts. Everything done in the dark will be brought into the light. The very thoughts that accused or defended us in verse 15 will be brought forward as evidence.
And who is the judge? It is God, acting "through Christ Jesus." This is central. The one who came as Savior will be the one who comes as Judge (Acts 17:31). The standard of judgment is perfect righteousness, and the agent of judgment is the only man who ever met that standard.
Notice how Paul bookends this. He says this judgment will happen "according to my gospel." This seems strange at first. How is judgment good news? It is good news because the gospel is the only escape from this judgment. The gospel announces that while the Law demands perfect doing, and the conscience testifies to our constant failure, God has provided a perfect "doer" on our behalf. Jesus Christ is the only man whose conscience never accused Him. He is the only one who was a "doer of the Law" and was therefore "justified" on the basis of His own perfect obedience. And the gospel is the good news that by faith, His perfect record of law-keeping can be imputed to us, and our miserable record of law-breaking can be imputed to Him on the cross.
Conclusion: Flee to the Judge
So, the Law and the conscience are two witnesses that stand together in the courtroom of God to condemn every last one of us. The Jew stands condemned by the Law he heard but did not do. The Gentile stands condemned by the Law he knew in his heart but suppressed in unrighteousness. Both are guilty. Both are without excuse.
What then shall we do? The only sane response is to throw yourself on the mercy of the court. But it is more than that. The gospel tells us that the Judge Himself has descended from the bench, walked across the courtroom, and offered to stand in your place as the condemned. He offers to take your guilty verdict so that you might receive His righteous verdict.
The law written on your heart is a signpost. Your guilty conscience is a homing beacon. Both are pointing you out of yourself and to the only one who can save. They are designed to show you that you cannot be a law to yourself, so that you might flee to the one who is the end of the Law for righteousness for all who believe. Do not try to silence your conscience. Listen to it. Let it accuse you. Let it drive you to the cross. For it is only there, at the foot of the cross, that the accusations finally cease, and the Judge of all the earth declares you, for the sake of His Son, to be just.