Romans 2:14-16 - Daily Devotion - 11 June 2026

St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

14 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. 15 So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them 16 on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Christ Jesus, as proclaimed by my gospel.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Sheina Chen

When I was growing in my faith as a teenager, I had a lot of questions about God, particularly about whether his judgement (and salvation) was fair.

“What happens to the people who’ve never had a chance to hear about Jesus? Will they get judged by God?”

This was a controversial question amongst my high school friends. They thought it was unfair that God didn’t give everyone the opportunity to hear the gospel and repent. How could people in a remote tribe in Africa face the same judgement as someone who’d grown up in church? I didn’t know how to answer them.

I wish I’d known this passage back then, because verses 14 and 15 are pretty clear. Although Gentiles (non-Jews) don’t have the Old Testament Law in the same way that Jews do, they have an innate understanding of the law in their hearts and minds. They know the essentials of God’s moral standard – but even though they try to act in accordance with that moral standard, they fail. So everyone stands guilty before God – both Jew and Gentile. Everyone will face judgement on the day Jesus returns to judge, and God’s judgement of them will be good and fair.

It might be an uncomfortable truth, but it’s one that rings true. When I’ve chatted to friends about whether they think they’re a good person, most will say, “I’m not perfect, but I think I’m pretty good”. Or, ”I think my good actions outweigh the bad ones”. Most people will accept that they fail to do the right thing all the time, even if they haven’t heard the gospel. And those that don’t agree they’ve done anything wrong are probably in denial!

As I reflect on our sin and the judgement we all face, it makes the good news of salvation even more wonderful. How incredible is God’s grace to us – that even though it’s our nature to reject him and his good law, he chooses to save us! It’s such a relief to be able to trust in the salvation Jesus has given us, rather than dwelling on my guilty conscience.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sheina is a member of our Bossley Park morning congregation.