glorydaz said:
...God's law has been written on our conscience since the beginning. That's what Paul is saying in Romans 1 and 2...
Paul never says anything of the sort, although it is easy to make this error - I, too, used to think this.
In Romans 2, there is a statement about the “law†being written on the heart of the Gentile:
13for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. 14For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, 15in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, 16on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.
Although this text is widely seen as suggesting that God’s “law†is written on the hearts of human beings in general, Paul here is instead describing the writing of the “law†on the hearts of
believers (and in this context, specifically Gentile believers).
The entire discussion turns on the Greek word that has been translated here in the NASB as “instinctively†in verse 14. I am going to argue that this rendering does not properly express Paul’s intent. I will argue that Paul basis assertion is not
this:
“when Gentiles who do not have the Law instinctively do the things of the Law…â€
…but instead
this:
““when Gentiles who do not have the Law by birth, do the things of the Law….
The reader should note that while the first rendering indeed suggests that pagan Gentiles have a form of law written on their hearts, the second rendering in no sense preferentially supports such a reading over a reading where it is only believing Gentiles that have the law written on their heart (the position that I hold).
The greek root word at issue is “fuseiâ€, which is often translated as “by nature†(although not in the NASB rendering of 2:14 where it is rendered as “instinctivelyâ€). The western reader should be careful to understand this properly. Paul uses this very same word, in other contexts, to denote what is true of someone by virtue of the circumstances of their
birth. One example is Ephesian 2:3:
We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles
Clearly, Paul means "by birth" here. He is not asserting that Jews are born with fundamentally different inner constitutions than Gentiles.
Perhaps more tellingly, we have this same root “fusei†used just a few verses further on in Romans 2:
27And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?
The
same Greek root “fusei†is rendered here as “physically†and as “instinctively†in verse 14. Note how the word is rendered in the YLT translation of 2:27:
and the uncircumcision, by nature, fulfilling the law, shall judge thee who, through letter and circumcision, [art] a transgressor of law.
Clearly the term “fusei†should be understood as having a “by birth†meaning here in verse 27 – being uncircumcised is a circumstance of birth for the Gentile. It seems only reasonable that Paul uses this same greek root in the same “by birth†sense only a few verses back in 2:14.
Thus, it is highly plausible that what Paul is saying in about the law in verse 14 is that the Gentiles do not possess it by the circumstances of their
birth, and not that the unregenerate Gentile has an innate, or instinctive sense of the law.
In fact, note how Jeremiah, uses very same “law written on the heart†concept:
But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people
Note how the prophet uses “law written on the heart†language to describe something that will happen in the
future and will which will be effective only for
believers. Paul is deeply knowledgeable of Old Testament concepts and would more likey than not use “law written on the heart†language in the same way it was used in the Old Testament.
