“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” (Romans 2:12 NIV).
As we continue our extended look at this important verse, there is another way we can understand the concept that we find here in Romans 2:12. We can build that approach with a basic definition of electricity: “electricity” refers to the flow of an electrical charge that is carried by electrons. With this in mind, let’s consider a hypothetical situation involving two different individuals.
Let’s say person number one is a professional electrician who possesses a thorough understanding of electrical theory. Person number two does not know how electricity works. However, person number two has seen electrical appliances in use and is aware that something causes them to operate when they are plugged into an electrical outlet.
If either of these individuals touch the wiring of a live electrical outlet without proper insulation, they will each receive the same electrical shock. In this example, our electrician represents those who had (or have) access to God’s Word. Person number two represents those who have not had access to the Biblical Scriptures. However, person number two does have some knowledge of God’s existence through general revelation, as discussed earlier.
The first person in our illustration has greater knowledge and greater accountability for receiving an electrical shock. The second person has less knowledge but is still aware of electricity’s power and should have known to exercise caution. Nevertheless, each person suffers the same painful result, even though one has more knowledge than the other.
In a similar manner, Romans 2:12 tells us that sinful human beings without access to God’s written law will still perish despite their lack of knowledge. One Biblical scholar offers the following explanation…
“Since God judges people in accordance with standards known to them, a defense based on ignorance of the Mosaic law is irrelevant and illegitimate. It is not the degree of revelation received, but response to the revelation itself, however received, that will prove critical on the day when God will judge (v. 16).” (1)
Those who have never been exposed to God’s written revelation still have their conscience (as we’ll see later in Romans 2:15) and the testimony of nature that attest to His existence. However, God will not hold those individuals accountable for transgressing a written law they never received. Therefore, anyone who sins apart from the law will perish apart from the law as well.
We will shift our focus over the next few studies for a brief exploration into an important topic: what is the ultimate fate of those who have never had access to God’s Word?
(1) R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 1981.
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