Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.(for when Gentiles who don’t have the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are a law to themselves,For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:(for when Gentiles that have not the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are the law unto themselves;
3 sermons cite this verse
… Say more about that in a moment. 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. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. According to this text, there are three things that are true of every one of you in this room. Three things. And not only are these three things true for every single person, this side of the pulpit and on that side of the pulpit, but these three things are true for every person you will meet this week, every person you encountered in this last week, every person you see at work, every person you see at school, every person in your family. These three things are true. …
… century Jews. That seems like more of a problem that they were dealing with. Well, here's what Romans 2 verse 14 says. It says, Gentiles who do not have the law, but by nature do what the law requires, they show the work of the law written on their hearts. So the Bible actually contends that even without the law of Moses, all people feel this pressure to do and to do more. Let's call it the law of conscience. And this is alive and well, even in our culture today. Wilfred McClay is a professor at Hillsdale college, and he describes the feeling as the infinite extensibility of guilt. Here's how he puts it when he reflects on our current culture. We like to speak romantically of the interconnectedness of all things, failing to realize that the same principle means there's almost nothing for which we cannot be in some way held responsible for. I can see pictures of starving children in a remote corner of the world on my television and know for a fact that I could travel to that far away place and relieve that child's immediate suffering if I cared to. Whatever donation I make to a charitable organization, it can never be as much as I could have given. I can never diminish my carbon footprint enough or give to the poor enough or support medical research enough. Structural poverty, water pollution deforestation there's an endless list of items for which you and i can take the wrap to be found blameless is a pipe dream for demands on an active conscience are literally …
1. What principle in man is assisted in convincing him of his desert of eternal punishment? No new principle is infused. Natural men have only natural principles; and therefore all that is done by the Spirit of God before regeneration is by assisting natural principles. To observe, therefore, in answer to this inquiry, That the principle, which is assisted in making natural men sensible of their desert of wrath, is natural conscience. Though man has lost a principle of love to God, and all spiritual principles by the fall, yet natural conscience remains. Now there are two things, which are the proper work of natural conscience. One is to give man a sense of right and wrong. A natural man has no sense of the beauty and amiableness of virtue, or of the turpitude and odiousness of vice. But yet every man has that naturally within, which testifies to him that some things are right, and others wrong. Thus if a man steals, or commits murder, there is something within, which tells him that he has done wrong; he knows that he has not done right. Rom. ii. 14, 15. “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these having not the law, are a law unto themselves; which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing, or else excusing, one another.” And the other work of natural conscience is to suggest the relation there is between right and wrong, and a retribution. Man has that in him, which suggests to him, when he has done ill, a relation between that ill and punishment. If a man has done that which his conscience tells him is wrong, is unjust, his conscience tells him that he deserves to be punished for it. Thus natural conscience has a twofold power; a teaching, or accusing, and a condemning power. The Spirit of God, therefore, assists natural conscience the more thoroughly to do this, its work, and so convinces a man of sin. Conscience naturally suggests, when he has done a known evil, that he deserves punishment; and being assisted to its work thoroughly, a man is convinced that he deserves eternal punishment. Though natural conscience does remain in the man since the fall, yet it greatly needs assistance in order to its work. It is greatly hindered in doing its work by sin. Every thing in man, which is part of his perfection, is hindered and impaired by sin. A faculty of reason remains since the fall, but it is greatly impaired and blinded. So natural conscience remains, but sin, in a great degree, stupifies it, and hinders it in its work. Now when God convinces a sinner, he assists his conscience against the stupefaction of sin, and helps it to do its work more freely and fully. The Spirit of God works immediately upon men’s consciences. In conviction their consciences are awakened. They are convinced in their consciences. Their consciences smite them and condemn them. …