For when the Gentiles, who have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
All Commentaries on Romans 2:14 Go To Romans 2
John Chrysostom
AD 407
When Paul is challenging the pride of Judaism, he is careful not to appear to be condemning the law as such. On the contrary, by extolling the law and showing its greatness he makes good his whole position. When he says “by nature” he means “by the reasoning of nature.” He shows that the Gentiles are on better footing than the Jews. They have not received the law and therefore do not have what seems to give the Jews an advantage over them. For this reason Paul says the Gentiles are to be admired, because they did not need a law, but did all the things which were written in the law, having its works but not its letters engraved on their minds.
