What is the meaning of Romans 2:15? So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts Paul is talking about Gentiles who never read Moses yet instinctively do what God commands. • God placed a moral compass inside every person. When a pagan mother shields her child, she proves she knows murder is wrong. • This inner law echoes Jeremiah 31:33, “I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts”. • Even before Sinai, Cain was judged for murder (Genesis 4:10-11), showing the standard already existed. • John 1:9 calls Jesus “the true Light who gives light to every man,” pointing to universal moral awareness. • Romans 1:19-20 reminds us that what may be known about God “is plain to them” through creation. In short, the heart carries God’s signature, so no one can plead ignorance. their consciences also bearing witness Conscience is the God-given courtroom inside us. • It affirms right choices (Acts 24:16, “I strive always to keep my conscience clear”). • It condemns wrong ones, as David felt after numbering Israel (2 Samuel 24:10). • 1 Timothy 4:2 warns that conscience can be “seared,” showing we must keep it tender. • 1 John 3:20 comforts believers: “If our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart,” meaning Christ’s forgiveness overrides past guilt. The verse says conscience “bears witness,” not inventing truth but echoing what God already wrote inside us. and their thoughts either accusing or defending them Our minds act like attorneys presenting evidence before God’s bench. • When we violate the inner law, the mind “accuses,” bringing unrest (Luke 18:13, the tax collector beating his breast). • When we obey, it “defends,” giving peace (Job 27:6, “My conscience will not reproach me as long as I live”). • Paul practiced this discipline: “We take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). • Yet even a clear conscience is not the final word; “It is the Lord who judges me” (1 Corinthians 4:4). Our own thoughts preview the coming final judgment, proving guilt or confirming obedience before we ever stand in God’s courtroom. summary Romans 2:15 explains that God etched His moral law into every human heart. Conscience testifies to that law, and our thoughts continually confirm or condemn our actions. This inner witness leaves all people accountable to God while pointing to their need for the gospel that alone can cleanse the conscience and transform the heart. |
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