(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
All Commentaries on Romans 2:13 Go To Romans 2
Thomas Aquinas
AD 1274
210. After confuting the human judgment with which the Gentiles and Jews judged one another and commending God’s judgment [n. 169], the Apostle now undertakes to show that the things in which the Jews gloried do not suffice for their salvation. First, he states his position; secondly, he answers arguments against his position, in chapter 3, there [n. 246] at Then what advantage has the Jew? The Jews gloried in two things, namely, the Law and circumcision, which stemmed not from the Law but from the patriarchs, as stated in John 7(:22). First, therefore, he shows that the Jewish Law heard or accepted was not enough for salvation; secondly, he shows the same about circumcision, there [v. 25; n. 237] at Circumcision indeed. In regard to the first he does two things: first, he sets forth his position; secondly, he clarifies it, there [v. 14; n. 213] at For when Gentiles. 211. In regard to the first he sets forth two things: one by rejecting; the other by asserting. For he rejects the Jewish opinion that they were made righteous by merely hearing the Law. Hence he says: I have said that all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law, for it is not the hearers of the law, i.e., in virtue of having heard the Law, who are righteous before God, even if they are deemed righteous before men: "Every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man" 111 (Mt 7:26); "If anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his natural face in a mirror..." (Jas 1:23). Secondly, he declares that the doers of the Law are righteous, when he says, but the doers of the law will be justified: "Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man" (Mt 7:24); "Be doers of the word and not hearers only" (Jas 1:22); "A good understanding have all those who practice it" (Ps 111:10). 212. But this point seems to conflict with his own statement below (3:20) that "no human being will be justified in his sight by the works of the law." Consequently, no one is justified precisely for doing the works of the Law. The answer is that justification can be taken in three ways: in one way, in regard to reputation; then one is said to be justified, when he is regarded as just: "You have made your sisters appear justified," i.e., by reputation (Ez 16:51). In this sense, the doers of the law are justified, i.e., are considered just before God and men. Secondly, by doing what is just: "This man went down to his home justified" (Lk 18:14), because the publican performed a work of justice by confessing his sin. In this way is verified the statement that the doers of the law will be justified, i.e., by performing the justices of the Law. In a third way justification can be considered in regard to the cause of justice, so that a person is said to be justified, when he newly receives justice, as in (5:1): "Since we are justified by faith, we are at peace with God." It must not be supposed, however, that the doers of the Law are justified as though acquiring justice through the works of the Law. This cannot be accomplished either by the ceremonial works, which confer no 112 justifying grace, or by the moral works, from which the habit of justice is not acquired; rather, we do such works in virtue of an infused habit of justice. 213. Then when he says For when Gentiles who (v.14) he clarifies his position. First, he shows that doers of the Law are justified even without being hearers; secondly, that hearers of the Law are not justified without observing the Law, there [v. 17; n. 224] at But if you are called a Jew. In regard to the first he does three things: first, he mentions the worthiness of those who observe the Law without having heard it; secondly, he clarifies what he had said, there [v. 15; n. 218] at They show that what the law requires; thirdly, he proves it, there [v. 15b; n. 219] at while their conscience also bears witness. 214. In regard to the first he touches on three things relating to the Gentiles [nn. 215, 217]. First, their lack of the Law, saying, when Gentiles who do not have the law, namely, the divine, which they have not received. For the Law was not delivered to the Gentiles but to the Jews: "The law which Moses commanded us as an inheritance for the congregations of Jacob" (Si 24:24); "He has not dealt thus with any other nation" (Ps 147:20); "When Moses commanded us a law, as a possession for the assembly of Jacob" (Dt 33:4). From this it is clear that the Gentiles did not sin by not observing the ceremonies of the Law. 113 215. Secondly, he commends their observance of law, when he says, they do by nature what the law requires, i.e., the moral precepts, which flow from a dictate of natural reason. Thus Job (1:1) was blameless and upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. Hence he himself says: "My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his ways" (Jb 23:11). 216. But the expression, by nature, causes some difficulty. For it seems to favor the Pelagians, who taught that man could observe all the precepts of the Law by his own natural powers. Hence, by nature should mean nature reformed by grace. For he is speaking of Gentiles converted to the faith, who began to obey the moral precepts of the Law by the help of Christ’s grace. Or by nature can mean by the natural law showing them what should be done, as in Ps 4 (v.6): "There are many who say, ‘Who shows us good things!’ The light of thy countenance, O Lord, is signed upon us," i.e., the light of natural reason, in which is God’s image. All this does not rule out the need of grace to move the affections any more than the knowledge of sin through the Law (Rom 3:20) exempts from the need of grace to move the affections. 217. Thirdly, he shows their worth in that they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law, inasmuch as they function as a law to themselves by instructing and inducing themselves to the good, because the Philosopher says: Law is a statement laying down an obligation and proceeding from prudence and understanding (Eth. 11). Therefore, it says in 1 Tim (l:9) that "the law is not laid down for the just," who is not compelled by a law outside of him, "but for the lawless," who need to be compelled from without. 114 It is, of course, the highest level of greatness among men, when they are induced toward the good not by others but by themselves. The second level belongs to those who are induced by others but without force. The third belongs to those who need to be forced to do good. The fourth belongs to those who cannot be directed to the good even by force: "In vain have I smitten your children; they took no correction" (Jer 2:30). 218. Then when he says They show (v. 15) he explains how they are a law to themselves. This can be likened to a law presented to man from without and which it is customary to deliver in writing on account of the memory’s weakness; whereas, those who observe the law without externally hearing the law show that what the law requires is written "not with ink, but" first and chiefly "with the Spirit of the living God" (2 Cor 3:3), and secondly through study: "Write them on the tablet of your heart" (Pr 3:3), i.e., the precepts of wisdom. Hence, here, too, he continues, on their hearts, not on parchment or on stone or copper tablets: "I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts" (Jer 31:33). 219. Then when he says their conscience also bearing witness (v.15) he proves his statement that the work of the Law is written in their hearts by citing actions which announce its presence. First [cf. n. 222], he mentions those actions, one of which is the witness of conscience. He touches on this when he says, while their conscience also bears witness, conscience being the application of one’s knowledge in judging whether some action was good or bad to do. 115 Hence, this conscience sometimes gives testimony of good: "Our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience" (2 Cor 1:12); and sometimes of evil: "Your conscience knows that many times you have yourself cursed others" (Ec 7:23). However, no one can testify that an action is good or bad, unless he has knowledge of the Law. Hence, if conscience bears witness about good or evil, this is a clear sign that the work of the Law has been written in the man’s heart. 220. Another function is to accuse and defend. Here, too, knowledge of the Law is required. In regard to this he says, and their conflicting thoughts accuse [accusantium] or perhaps excuse [defendentium], i.e., accusantibus or defendentibus, following the Greek practice whereby a genitive is used in place of an ablative. And these are conflicting. For an accusing thought in regard to some action arises in a man, when he has reason to suppose that he has acted evilly: "Mow I rebuke you and lay the charge before you" (Ps 50:21); "The show of their countenance witnesses against them" (Is 3:9). But sometimes a defending thought arises, when he has reason to suppose that he has acted well: "My heart does not reproach me for any of my days" (Jb 27:6). Between this accusation and defense the testimony of conscience has the final say. 221. This passage, their conscience bears witness, can be interpreted in another way, so that there is consciousness not only of one’s deeds but also of thoughts; but the first is better. 222. But because testimony, accusation, and defense occur during a trial, he mentions the time, when he says, on that day. He says this not to designate the quality of 116 the time but the disclosure of things hidden: "I will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness" (1 Cor 4:5). Yet it is sometimes called night on account of the uncertainty of that hour: "At midnight there was a cry" (Mt 25:6). The accusing or defending thoughts are not those which will arise on the day of judgment, because on that day each one’s salvation or damnation will be clear to him; rather, such thoughts as exist now and the testimony of conscience that exists now will be represented to a man on that day by divine power, as Augustine says in book 2 of The City of God. Indeed, the recognition of those thoughts that remain in the soul seems to be nothing lees, as a Gloss says, than the debt of punishment or the reward, which follow them. 223. Then he shows the author of the judgment, when he says, when God judges: "He will judge the world with righteousness" (Ps 96:13). He also describes what the judgment will concern, when he says, the secrets of men, matters about which men cannot now judges. "He will bring to light the thing now hidden in darkness" (1 Cor 4:5). He also shows the teaching from which faith in this judgment is had when he says, according to my gospel, i.e., preaching by me: "On the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word" (Mt 12:36). He says, according to my gospel, although he could not say, "my baptism," and be a minister of both, because in baptism a man’s diligence effects nothing, but in preaching 117 the Gospel the preacher’s industry achieves something: "When you read this you can perceive my insight in the mystery of Christ" (Eph 3:4) Then he mentions the judge, when he says, by Christ Jesus, Who has been appointed by God to be "judge of the living and the dead" (Ac 10:42); "The Father has given all judgment to the Son" (Jn 5:20), Who will appear to the good and the wicked during the judgment: to the good in the glory of the godhead: "Your eyes will see the king in his beauty" (Is 33:17), but to the wicked in His human form: "Every eye will see him" (Rev 1:7).
