14 Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.
Romans 2:14-15 (NIV)
20 Wisdom calls aloud in the street,
she raises her voice in the public squares;
21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out,
in the gateways of the city she makes her
speech:
22 “How long will you simple ones love your
simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?”
Proverbs 1:20-22 (NIV)
Because God has shared His moral wisdom with humanity at large, Christians can count on many unredeemed allies in the struggle for cultural renewal. Men of all ages have discerned the repugnance of abortion, the duty to care for aged parents, and the need to tell the truth.
Paul often spoke of “mystery” (e.g., Eph. 3:6; Col. 1:26), but not in Romans 2:14-15. While he taught that the content and reach of the gospel (the mystery) had been “kept hidden for ages and generations” (Col. 1:26), he maintained that principles of human decency were readily available to man from the beginning; they were stamped on his heart (Rom. 2:15).
In Romans 2:14-15, Paul does not say that God has written such Reformation principles as “faith alone,” “grace alone,” and “Christ alone” on every man’s heart. However, most men appreciate the virtues of veracity, beneficence, parenthood, and justice—“the requirements of the law” (Rom. 2:15). They will not live up to the ideal, but they show their respect for it by their sense of shame and their compulsion to offer excuses for shortfalls. In other words, they have God-given consciences (v. 15).
C. S. Lewis chronicles this pattern in his book The Abolition of Man. He finds respect for truth telling (cf. the Ninth Commandment) in the writings ancient Egyptians (“I [a righteous soul] have not spoken falsehood”), the Greek poet Homer (“Hateful to me as are the gates of Hades is that man who says one thing, and hides another in his heart”), and the Old Norse (“In Nástrond (=Hell) I saw the perjurers”). Similarly, he finds respect for mercy across the human race, whether from Babylonians (“Whoso makes intercession for the weak, well pleasing is this to Samaš”) or Australian aborigines (“They never desert the sick”). The lists go on and on.
Because God’s moral standard is written on their hearts, men must strain to ignore it. The “requirements of the law” are so obvious, they virtually “cry out” to men (Prov. 1:20-22). And only by putting their hands over their ears, raising their own voices, and blocking out wisdom’s shouts, can men avoid what God desires of them.
Those who ignore wisdom’s cries face disaster. One might think that pity is the order of the day, but Proverbs 1:26 paints a different picture. Wisdom is not some occult insight, available to only the favored few. She is so generously available in the marketplace that she will “laugh” and “mock” when calamity hits those who harden their hearts against the obvious.
The Bible is God’s special revelation. It alone is perfect and authoritative. It alone makes man wise unto salvation. Unfortunately, many have no use for the Bible. But pastors may encourage their members as they move from the Church to the world, hoping to protect the unborn, secure the sanctity of marriage, stem the tide of broadcast perversity, and advance integrity in the marketplace. He may assure them that wisdom has preceded them in the streets, and she shouts so that all might hear. It should not, then, be at all surprising when a mixed crowd of believers and unbelievers gathers in the name of justice. The Lord is the author of such agreement, but only the Christians know its real source.