This bit of scripture has given me a really hard time. I feel it necessary to make that known. I've certainly had at least one interesting bit of insight, which I've included here, of course; but I've also done a lot of pulling my hair out over it (the results of which I've also included here for your reading enjoyment). I just have to say, whoever thought that taking a new Christian down the "Romans Road" was a good idea was wrong. Romans is meat. Tough, leathery, hard-to-chew, harder-to-digest meat. New Christians should read John. Just saying...
Now, on to the scripture. Hi-diddly-dee...
Romans 2:12-16
When Adam and Eve first sinned in the garden, it affected all of us. (And don't go saying you wouldn't have sinned if you'd been them. You would have. If you ever find a perfect place on this earth, don't go there! You'll screw it up. Any of us would!) After they sinned, all generations thereafter were cursed to be sinners who have to work hard and die. But even in their sin, God was gracious. He allowed them to retain that Knowledge of Good and Evil - that conscience - and all generations thereafter have also been given that universal grace. (That's why even people who aren't filled with the Holy Spirit suffer guilt, shame, and remorse when they sin. It's their God-given conscience accusing them!)
What these verses are telling us is that those consciences serve a purpose to God. Those who lived and died without knowing the Law are essentially a "law unto themselves." They will be judged according to what they knew - what God Himself "wrote" on their hearts when He created them. No, they didn't have the Law written on paper like the Jews. But, as Paul states and as we can see by reading the Old Testament, simply having the written law doesn't mean you'll obey it. (Heck, Adam and Eve only had the one rule and they couldn't even follow that!) The people who lived and died without the Law still had a conscience, and that's what their judgement will be based on on Judgement Day.
So, what was God's purpose in allowing people to live and die without full knowledge of Him? Well.... I don't know. We simply have to have faith that it's all part of His plan. His ways are not our ways - they're much higher! - so we just have to trust Him. We can easily see that He is not an equal opportunity God. Everyone has different struggles, blessings, personalities and opportunities. But we can all glorify Him with what we've got. And I think that's the point.
I also think - no, I know - that Jesus changes everything. This really can't apply to those who have heard and rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's not a pick and choose kind of thing where someone can say, "No, I won't accept Jesus, but I'll take the Romans 2 I'm-a-good-person-who-follows-my-conscience deal." I think this applies to people who never had a chance to hear about God in any way, shape, or form (think native tribes who never met a missionary). I think this scripture is basically saying to take comfort and know that He will be just to those who never had a chance. We can take comfort in knowing that His creation proclaims who He is, even to those who never heard, and He carefully wrote His law on the heart of every human, so no one can have any excuse. I also don't want to imply that this means those native tribes would have it easier if we didn't try to reach them with the Best News. Jesus gives joy and abundant life to all who know Him! How could we, in good conscience, hold that news back from anyone?!
Yes, I truly believe this scripture is pointing out the fact that we serve a just God. And how could we doubt that after reading v. 16? Who will be judging the secrets of all? Jesus Christ, Himself! The One who not only created us, but also came to earth to be one of us! He experienced everything that we do - love, joy, friendship, laughter, pain, grief, loneliness, death. No one could be better equipped to judge man than a God who created us from the inside out and then became one of us to know what it is to be human. Who could know and understand us better? And even more than that, He loves us more deeply and perfectly than anyone else ever could. We serve an indescribably good, just, and awesome God!!
And I guess that's the greater theme here. No, He's not equal opportunity in the sense that we think of it. But He made sure that no one could die without some inkling of how awesome and majestic He is, and some idea of what both glorifies Him and makes our lives better.
"A conscience is that still small voice that people won't listen to. That's just the trouble with the world today... " ~Jiminy Cricket
