“For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law” (Romans 2:14 ESV).
This passage tells us that those who have never received God’s Biblical criteria for righteous behavior are not lawless. Instead, everyone recognizes some lawful standard of right and wrong behavior. With this in mind, Romans chapter two tells us that people without access to God’s Word will be held accountable for the way they adhered to the laws they have established for themselves. As we read earlier in Romans 2:12, “For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law.”
One source makes an important distinction in this regard…
“The Bible is necessary to know God’s plan of salvation and for a fuller understanding of what God demands, but one does not need a Bible to have a basic knowledge of the difference between right and wrong… even those who never have seen a copy of God’s Word know they should refrain from murder, theft, and so on. This natural law, which conforms essentially to the Ten Commandments, is a restrainer of evil that allows society to function.” (1)
Even those who deny that premise still embrace it when others treat them unjustly…
” Our moral inclinations are manifested in our reactions when others violate our rights; we don’t see the moral law nearly as clearly when we violate others’ rights… But again our sinfulness is not found in our inability to know what the moral duty is but in our unwillingness to do it to others.” (2)
It is one thing to know that “right and wrong” exists as an abstract concept. Every rational person recognizes that self-evident truth even if he or she is unwilling to admit it. But it’s something very different to do what is right and avoid what is wrong with respect to ourselves and others. This is where we fall short and subject ourselves to God’s judgment whether or not we have access to His Word.
So, the issue stems from our failure to adhere to the standards of right and wrong that we establish for ourselves and others. In the end, all human beings will show that they have failed to meet God’s standards or the standards they have set for themselves. As one source observes, “This is helpful for those who are honestly concerned about God’s ‘unfairness’ in failing to reveal His standards to everyone. God will not judge pagans by Scripture’s standards of right and wrong. He will judge all men by their own standards.” (3)
Image Attribution: Unfair by Dave Pickersgill, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
(1) The Law On The Conscience. (2020, September 1). Ligonier Ministries. https://learn.ligonier.org/devotionals/the-law-on-the-conscience
(2) Geisler, N. L. (2002). Systematic Theology: Introduction/Bible. Bethany House Publishers.
(3) Richards, L. O., & Richards, L. (1987). Bible Teacher’s Commentary. David C Cook. “Study Guide 124: Romans 1-3.”