All who sin
apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under
the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear
the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who
will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who
do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law
for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show
that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences
also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other
times even defending them.) This will take place on the
day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel
declares. Romans 2:12-16
This
section of verses of Romans 2 gives us insight into what happens to those who
never hear about Jesus. Paul says that
people who sin but never hear the law will die separated from the law but those
who hear and know the law and yet sin, will be judged by the law. Those who hear and obey are considered
righteous.
The
Gentiles (non-Jews) will be judged by a different standard because they never
heard the law. They will judged by how
they responded to their nature, the default righteousness on their hearts that
knows wrong, such as killing and stealing. All cultures know right and wrong
but if they willfully reject right and do wrong, they will be judged on that
standard, not the standard of accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. That wouldn’t be fair if they never heard
about Jesus.
When
everyone is judged by God, their secret motivations will be revealed. Those we heard the Gospel and
accepted/rejected Jesus will be judged by that standard. Those who never heard about Jesus and
consciously accepted/rejected right or wrong will by judged by that standard.