1 THEREFORE thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; [ We you judge you bring like judgement on yourself. Why? Because no one is righteous above the point that they cannot be judged also. ] for thou that judgest doest the same things. [ Or you are judging others for doing the same things that you do. Or when you start to think that you are better than someone else then you are wrong, God knows you and he will judge you for your unrighteousness. ]

2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, [ You are harsh in your judgement of others, and then you turn around and do the same things. ] that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? [ If you act that way do you really think that you will escape the judgments of God? No way. Remember Paul was a Pharisee so he would have been raise to judge others for not following th law, so he knows here what he is talking about. ]

4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness [ Or if you are going to judge others or think that you are above others where you can judge them for doing the same things that you do then you are despising the riches of his goodness. ] and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? [ You are missing the boat because when you understand the goodness of God you know that it leads to character change. The righteousness of God means or leads to repentance, to change their character. ]

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: [ His deeds means His character, who he really is. Your reward or judgement is based on your character. ]

7  To them [ To thise who want these things: eternal life. ] who by patient continuance in well doing [ Then you need to develop the character associated with these things. ] seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: [ Worthy of these honors - the glory of God; immortality and eternal life - the kind of life that God has. This is what the goodness of God will lead you too, to change your character and become more like him. Verse 4. ]

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, [ Or to those who change their character, will be the ones who receive glory, honour, and peace. ] to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:

11  For there is no respect of persons with God. [ Follow up on his discussion of the topic in Acts 10. Everyone is evil and wicked when compared to God, there is no differentiation, we are all wicked in some way when compared to God. So the point that he is working to explain is that those who are righteous are those who are willing to repent, to change their character. ]

12  For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: [ Paul is coming back to this judging, those who are not doing as they should be doing. So those who are without the law are not accountable to the law. Jacob put it this way : where there is no law there is no punishment or condemnation. Or you cannot be disobedient to a law that you do not know or have not covenanted to live. ] and as many as have sinned in the law [ Or those who have the law and are disobedient to it. ] shall be judged by the law; [ Well they will be held accountable to the law. ]

13 (For not the hearers of the law [ Paul is narrowing down the options of those who receive the law. Here it just those who just hear it. Goes in one ear and out the other. ] are just before God, but the doers of the law [ Or those who are obedient to 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, [ They need to make the law inward, it needs to be a part of their character. ] 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 [ Man looks on the outward appearance of things but God knows our heart(character). So God judges according to what is in out heart(our secrets). ] by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,

18 And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;

19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,

20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.

21 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?

22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?

23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?

24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

25 For circumcision [ Paul is speaking to mostly Jews right here and is speaking about Gentiles. The problem is that the Gentiles were not keeping the laws of Moses, in this specific case here circumcision. A good exercise here is to try to rewrite verse 25-29 in your own words. Class exercise? Abraham received the ordinance of circumcision as a sign between him and God, as a sign that his posterity was chosen to be the ones that were to bless mankind with salvation and eternal life. So we could replace this with ordinances, or as a member of the covenant, and even get down to as a member of the church because we have all entered into that covenant, even disciple of Christ or even Christian. ] verily profiteth, [ Mean nothing. ] if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision [ Ordinances. ] is made uncircumcision. [ As though no ordinances were performed. ]

26 Therefore if the uncircumcision [ Those without the ordinances. Ordinances can be the law (like city ordinance 1, and city ordinance 2, and city ordinance 3...); it also can be a ritual (like baptism). An ordinance is a law or rule that a person, group, or community is expected to live by, and act in obedience to, for the benefit and safety of the individual and others within the community. A religious ordinance may be defined as a ritual or law(eternal law) that provides a hope of a future reality (Alma 13:16) that should govern the inward commitment of the heart, manifested in the outward words, works and thoughts of an individual. Like choosing to act in mortality to acquire in futurity, a specific hope for a future blessing, benefit and salvation after mortality. ] keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision [ Again lack of ordinances. ] be counted for circumcision? [ Be counted the same as those with the ordinances. So Paul is suggesting that if a man lives with the character of the law then it should be counted to him, right? So if you replaced circumcision here with ordinances how would that apply to us today? ]

27 And shall not uncircumcision [ Those who are without the ordinances. ] which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, [ You tell me what you think. ] who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? [ So here he is saying that one that is circumcised (the one who has received the ordinances) does not live the law, so who is the better person? The one who is living the law but is un-circumcised or the one who is circumcised but does not live the law. Or if the person is only living by the letter of the law who is really transgressing the law? The one is without the ordinances but keeps them in his heart, or the one with the ordinances who does not keep them. ]

28 For he is not a Jew, [ A saint. ] which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, [ Ordinances. ] which is outward in the flesh: [ So if you have only participated in these ordinances not to change your character, then they are doing you no good. Or it is not the priesthood, it is not the ordinances that make one holy, which was the tradition of the Jews. They were just more holy because they had the ordinances. Here Paul suggests that these are not what make a man holy before God, but rather it is the character of man. So do not judge people who are living the law but just do not have the ordinances because they may be better than you are. ]

29 But he is a Jew, [ A saint. ] which is one inwardly; and circumcision [ Activity, what he does. Or the point is that if you do not change your character then the ordinances are of no value. ] is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. [ We could rewrite verse 25- 29 as follows: 25 For membership in the church verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy faith in God is made dead. 26 Therefore if the non-member keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his obedient heart be counted as discipleship? 27 And shall not the non-member, if he fulfil the law become as a disciple, judge thee who transgress the law, he who performs the visible outward obedience of the letter of the law, or he that hath the inward commitment and change? 28 For is not a disciple of Christ, which is one outwardly; neither is he a true believer, which is only manifested in outward obedience: 29 But he is a disciple of Christ, which is one inwardly; and the discipleship of Christ is that of the heart and the spirit, and not in the letter of the law; whose praise is not of men, but of God. ]