Acts 10:34-35
34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
Here Peter says that God is no respecter of persons. When reading Acts chapter 10 in it’s entirety we can understand that even the Apostles of Jesus were mistaken in their belief that salvation was for the Jew only. Peter says that God accepts those, of every nation, who do two things. Those who fear God, and those who worketh righteousness. Among believers, most will easily understand what it means to fear God. {Proverbs 9:10} On the other hand it may behoove us to look a little deeper into the Word of God to see what it means to “worketh Righteousness.” That would be a little off topic for this discussion. To see what it means to “worketh Righteousness,” please visit the following article: What is Righteousness and What is Not?
Is God a Respecter of Persons According to Paul?
Romans 2:11-16
11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14 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:
15 Which shew 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;)
16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
God Judges Both Jew and Gentile With the Same Law
Here in this quote above Romans 2:11-16 we can see that Paul is saying that there is no respect of persons with God, and he is saying it in respect to the law. And to confirm that statement, in the very next verse Romans 2:12 Paul says that those who sin without the law will perish without the law. In other words he is clearly saying that if a person sins, they will perish even if they don’t have the law, or know the law. Then he says, in the very same verse, that those who sin among the people who have the law, or know the law, will also be judged by the law. In other words, Paul is saying, when it comes to His law, God judges all men by the same standard or the same law. There is not one law for the Jews and another law for the Gentiles.
How do we know Paul is talking about the Jews as opposed to the Gentiles?
Let’s take another look at Romans 2:11. It starts with the word “For.” What does that mean? It means because. If you replace the word “For,” with “Because,” the sentence will mean the exact same thing. Because there is no respect of persons with God. Those words “because” and/or “for” indicate that the following words, “there is no respect of persons with God,” are the reason for what was stated prior to the word “For.” So the reason that the words prior to Romans 2:11 are true is because “there is no respect of persons with God.”
So what is it that is true because “there is no respect of persons with God?” We can find that out by looking at the verses which Paul wrote before he wrote that statement Romans 2:11.
Romans 2:5-10
5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
Taking from chapter 2 of Romans lets compare verse 9 with verse 12:
Romans 2:9 & 12
9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
There is Only One Law
These two verses say the exact same thing. Notice that Paul doesn’t say the laws, because there is only one law. In verse 9 it talks about the Jews, the Gentiles, evil and tribulation and/or anguish. Respectively in verse 12 they have their counterparts in the words, (Romans 2:9: the Jew)-(Romans 2:12: as many as have sinned in the law), (Romans 2:9: the Gentile)-(Romans 2:12: as many as have sinned without the law), (Romans 2:9: Evil)-(Romans 2:12: sin) and (Romans 2:9: tribulation and/or anguish):(Romans 2:9: perish or judged). So we can see Paul is talking about the impartiality of God in respect to His law regardless of the persons of men. In other words God doesn’t judge the Gentiles with a different set of rules by which he will judge the Jew.
Which Law is Paul Referring to?
In verse 14 it says, “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law,” we, therefore, can see that Paul is referring to a law which the Jews have, but there are two laws which the Jews were given. They are, first of all, the Ten Commandments, which was given to Moses, and the ceremonial law which also was given to Moses. So is Paul here referring to both the ceremonial law and the 10 commandments? Or is he speaking exclusively of one of those those two laws in particular and not both of them?
He cannot be speaking of both laws, because one of those laws was nailed to the cross. So which law was nailed to the cross? Was it the 10 commandments? To answer that question, let me ask the reader a few other questions. All of these questions will be asked with the presumption that things have changed after Jesus died on the cross. In other words, now that Jesus died on the cross, is it acceptable to worship other god’s such as Baal, Ishtar, Molech, Zeus or any other such god that has been worshiped from antiquity up until now? Is it okay to take the Lord’s name in vain? Is it okay to worship Idols? Must we still honor our mother and father? Is it okay to murder? Is it okay to commit adultery? Is it okay to steal now that Jesus had died on the cross? Is is okay to be covetous? Is it okay to bear false witness? The answer to all these questions is so emphatically “NO” such as to render them ludicrous.
All these verses we have looked at in Romans 2:5-16 speak of sin, evil and judgment to those who do not obey what? The law! So what is sin, and what is this law which comes with judgment?
1st John 3:4
4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
Romans 4:15
15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
Sin is the transgression of the law, and where there is no law, there is no transgression. It can only be referring to the 10 commandments. Will God now judge the Gentiles, or for that matter even the Jews, for a failure to keep the ceremonial law? No, because the ceremonial law was nailed to the cross.
Colossians 2:14-17
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Notice in verse 17 it says, “Which are a shadow of things to come.” What are a shadow of things to come? The ceremonial law is the answer. Paul is writing about eating and drinking in respect to holy days and sabbath days based on new moons and he begins by calling them ordinances which were nailed to the cross. Another way to say “shadow of things to come,” is type and antitype. The Passover was a type or shadow of things to come, and the Crucifixion of our Lord was the antitype or the fulfillment of things to come. Pentecost was a type or shadow of things to come, and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 was the antitype or fulfillment of things to come. So also will be for the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Booths. So this thing this doctrine that the 10 commandments were nailed to the cross is a misunderstanding. It was the ceremonial law that was nailed to the cross.
Has God’s Law Changed?
Matthew 5:17-20
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Upon examination of Jesus’ statements in Mathew 5:17-19 there can be no mistake that not even one jot or tittle (meaning punctuation marks because changing a punctuation mark can change the meaning of a sentence) shall pass from the law or the prophets even until heaven and earth pass away. He also says, not one jot or tittle will pass from the law till all be fulfilled. Till what is fulfilled? We can see in Matt. 5-17 that He is talking about the fulfillment of prophecy. Not a specific prophesy, but till all prophesy is fulfilled. So truly He is saying that nothing will change in the law of God until all prophecy is fulfilled. This sounds like nothing will ever change in God’s law, because prophecy extends into eternity and it seems that heaven and earth will never pass away. There will be a new earth, but it seems that earth will continue into eternity.
Furthermore, in verse 19 Jesus uses the word, “Whosoever.” The word whosoever includes anyone. The word itself denotes that it includes anyone and everyone. The word whosoever cannot be used to mean the Jews only unless you specifically add additional words to the statement to specify the limitation such as in the following sentence: Whosoever, among the Jews, therefore shall break one of the least of these commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: With that statement in verse 19 we can see that Jesus includes all man kind and not limiting it to the Jews only.
Which Law Was Jesus Referring To?
First Jesus informs us that not one jot or title will pass from the law, and then he goes into a discussion where He gives several examples in regard to the law upon which He is instructing us. Let’s take a look at some of those examples:
Matthew 5:21 & 27 & 43
21 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
It should be obvious that these three verses, (21, 27 and 43) and all of the scriptures of Matthew 5, for that matter, are all fundamentally rooted in the 10 commandments.
Matthew 22:36-40
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
In Matthew 22:36-40 Jesus brings us full circle in regards to the law and the prophets. In His masterful approach to instructing mankind concerning the law and the prophets whereby he says not one jot or tittle shall pass from until all is fulfilled. He reveals that the law and the prophets Matthew 22:40 hang upon these two commandments which are to love God with all our hearts, mind and soul, and to love our neighbour as our selves which is unmistakably referring to the Ten Commandments. And so Jesus was clearly referring to the Ten Commandments when He speaks of the law in Matthew 5:17-19.
What Does God’s Word Say About the Changing of His Word?
Deuteronomy 4:2
2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
2nd Peter 3:16
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
Revelation 22:19
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
We can see that in Deuteronomy 4:2 that God strictly commands the children of Israel that they are neither to add nor diminish ought from His Word. What does ought mean? It means even unto the uttermost of minutia cannot be changed of His Word. Twice again, in 2nd Peter 3:16 and Revelation 22:19 it says that anyone who changes the Word of God does it to their own destruction. So we can see that there has been no change to God’s law, or even His Word since the beginning till all be fulfilled, even till heaven and earth pass away.
And so, in conclusion, what we have seen here in these scriptures is that God judges His people and all mankind, both Jew and Gentile by the same standard or law, and that law is the 10 commandments and that nothing in that law has or will ever change.