Romans 2:16

This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

(v16, NIV)

The first question is, what is Paul referring to in this verse? He says "this", but what does "this" refer to? Apparently, "this" will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets. Well, how do people normally describe something in the way Paul is describing "this"? Usually you use something different to describe a certain thing. For example, if I were to describe the day that we go to church, I wouldn't say "The day that we go to church is the day that we go to church". If I were to describe it like that, it sounds redundant and usually not very helpful. Instead, I would use something different to describe the day that we go to church. Instead, I might say something like "The day that we go to church is this coming Sunday". So, what does Paul use to describe "this"? He describes it as taking place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Christ Jesus. In looking at it this way, I do not think Paul is saying "God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ". Instead, "this" must refer to something else.

So what is "this" that Paul refers to? It must be something he mentioned earlier. At the beginning of the passage Paul talks about hypocrisy. Later on, he talks about God's judgment being revealed. After that, Paul answers objections with regards to the statement that God shows no partiality. They would object because it doesn't seem fair if only the Jews received the law but the Gentiles did not. In all this, Paul is not just talking about judgment, but the results of judgment. Sinning apart from the law will result in perishing apart from the law. However, when we sin under the law, this results in being judged under the law. This is also seen earlier when seeking for glory, honor and immortality renders eternal life, but self-seeking renders wrath and anger. People will get what they deserve according to what they do on the day in which God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ.