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on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Christ Jesus, as proclaimed by my gospel.
Romans 2:16 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB in the day when God will judge the secrets of men, according to my Good News, by Jesus Christ.
  • KJV In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
  • NKJV in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
  • NASB on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of mankind through Christ Jesus.
  • NLT And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

This judgment will come on the day God judges the secrets of all people through Jesus Christ, according to Paul's gospel. Christ is the appointed judge of every hidden thing.

Overview

Paul links the witness of conscience to the coming day of judgment, when God will judge even people's hidden secrets. Strikingly, this judgment is carried out 'by Jesus Christ,' affirming Christ's role as final judge (Acts 17:31). That this is 'according to my Good News' shows the gospel includes the sobering reality of judgment, which makes the offer of salvation in Christ all the more urgent.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 30

  • Eccl 12:14For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
  • 1 Cor 4:5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
  • Acts 17:31For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”
  • Luke 8:17For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light.
  • Acts 10:42And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One appointed by God to judge the living and the dead.
  • John 5:22–29Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son,
  • Rom 14:10–12Why, then, do you judge your brother? Or why do you belittle your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.
  • 1 Pet 4:5But they will have to give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
  • Rom 3:6Certainly not! In that case, how could God judge the world?
  • 2 Cor 5:10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.
  • Matt 25:31–46When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne.
  • John 12:48There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not receive My words: The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.
  • 2 Pet 2:9if all this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.
  • 1 Tim 1:11that agrees with the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.
  • Rom 16:25Now to Him who is able to strengthen you by my gospel and by the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery concealed for ages past
  • 2 Tim 2:8Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David, as proclaimed by my gospel,
  • 2 Tim 4:1I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom:
  • Ps 98:9before the LORD, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.
  • Rev 20:11–15Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them.
  • 2 Tim 4:8From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but to all who crave His appearing.
  • Rom 2:5But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
  • Matt 16:27For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.
  • Ps 50:6And the heavens proclaim His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah
  • Ps 9:7–8But the LORD abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment.
  • Heb 9:27Just as man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment,
  • Eccl 11:9Rejoice, O young man, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
  • Ps 96:13before the LORD, for He is coming—He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.
  • Eccl 3:17I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every deed.”
  • Gal 1:11For I certify to you, brothers, that the gospel I preached was not devised by man.
  • Gen 18:25Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Romans videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Romans 2:16YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on RomansMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Paul unfolds the gospel in full: Christ our righteousness received by faith, the second Adam in whom many are made righteous, in whose death and resurrection we are buried and raised.

How Romans 2:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.