Romans 2:27

And shall not uncircumcision, &c.— The Apostle here supposes that a heathen may be an honest, sober, good, kind, benevolent and holy man through the secret influences of the Spirit of God: for were it impossible for the Gentiles in any sense to fulfil the law of love, it would not be supposable that he should do it; and then the Apostle's argument would be without any foundation. And that he does not here speak of a Heathen converted, or to be converted to Christianity, is manifest from the whole context. Hence it appears, that it was the Apostle's sentiment that a man under the Heathen dispensation might do the will of God by the secret influences of the Holy Spirit, and through the alone merits of Jesus Christ be saved for ever,—not indeed by his works: it is of grace that he is saved. See chap. Romans 3:20. The following words, judge thee, look back as far as the first verse: whosoever thou art that judgest. This judging, as Mr. Locke observes, relates to the unkind erroneous sentiments of the Jews concerning the uncircumcised Gentiles; judging them utterly unworthy of the favour of God, and disqualified from being his people. But here the Apostle, with great force and truth, retorts the censure upon them. "Shall a virtuous and pious Heathen condemn you, wicked Jews, as unworthy of God's favour, and disqualified from being any longer his people?" That this is the Apostle's meaning, appears from the next verse; For he is not a Jew, &c.; and in the following dialogue, concerning the rejection of the Jews, he supposes that the Jews would take this to be his sense; nor could any Jew in those days, acquainted with St. Paul's principles, miss of understanding him thus. In ch. Romans 14:3 the word judge is used in the same sense. See Locke, and the note on Romans 2:15.