[tabcom;3027325]In return, I would ask, 'What’s the natural moral law have to do with the gospel being written on the hearts of the believers – only?
I would say that’s wrong and that’s precisely why I asked you. The moral law isn’t just written on the hearts of “believers only” but everyone.
Paul in Romans 1:19-20 speaks of those who can see God through creation, then goes on in chapter 2:14-16 where he is saying that ALL people are intrinsically born with the “gospel written on their heart” and what Paul means by this is that every person inherently knows right from wrong; that’s why everyone has a conscience and that’s why Paul says:
that even though they do not have the law (meaing that the law was a guide to show men right from wrong)
"by nature (by the natural law; that they were made with the gospel written on their hearts) observe the prescriptions of the law (meaning they observe the moral aspects of the law or that they observe the righteousness behind the law)
These Gentiles who haven’t heard of Christ “are a law for themselves even though they don’t have the law” (meaning there are some who don’t have the Mosaic law as a guide, like the Jews), yet they follow the grace they have received, (Luke 12:48)
Paul goes on to say…
“they show the demands of the law written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even defend them on the day when…God will judge
peoples hidden works through Jesus Christ.”
(meaning that no person can say that they didn’t have the free will choice to follow the grace that they received; even their consciences will either condemn or defend them on jugdment day if they followed the natural moral law faithfully).
Le’ts back up for a moment . . .With respects to your statement . . .
I was simply providing the context as to who Paul was addressing, that is, the gospel is written on the hearts of the believers. Not on the hearts of the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction that he mentions in Rom 9:23.
Ok, granted. I see your point and agree with you that Paul is speaking to believers, in Rome, however I would disagree with you that Paul is saying that only believers have the gospel written on their hearts.
As Paul is writting to these Jewish and Gentile believers, he refers to a third party of Gentiles who aren’t formally “Christian” yet some will be saved, yet it is through Jesus that they are ultimately saved, but they will be saved because they have followed the moral law insofar as they knew what was wrong and right. Jesus said to the Jews in John 15:22 that before He revealed their sin to them they had no sin, however, after He did there sin remained.
Paul is saying that there are even some non-Jewish people will be saved even though they have heard the message of Jesus Christ because they did follow faithfully what grace God gave them. These people ARE saved ONLY because of and ONLY through Jesus Christ, which every person with proper faculties receives.
With that stated, could you please provide some clarity as to what you mean by natural moral law put into (not every man that ever lived hearts but . . ) the hearts of the believers?
Sure.
The natural moral law is knowing right from wrong. The Mosaic law only showed us what was wrong, God gave it to the people as a guide to convict and reveal their sin, however the Jews still knew right from wrong as does every person, pagan or believer.
Cain murdered Able before the Mosaic law was given right? Yet Cain inherently
knew what he did was wrong before God.
Tribesmen who live in deep remote portions of Africa, South America or other very remote parts of the world know murder is wrong. Even those who lived in those places centuries ago, knew without contact with civilization, who never heared the gospel message, nor ever heared of God,
knew that murdering another person was wrong and they knew precisely because they have the gospel written on their hearts.
Now they could have an ill-formed conscience, where their conscience doesn’t convict them, however at some point in their life when they committed a grave offense against God (perhaps their first offense), yet they knew in their conscience that what they did was wrong. They had guilt inside, whether they showed it or not; guilt comes from the conscience God gave us. Paul is saying in Rom 2:14-16 that there are some people who won’t hear the gospel, yet are judged by following their conscience (meaning following the little grace God gave them, Luke 12:48) and some of them will be saved, others won’t.
