Titus. Chapter 4. Romans 2, Acts 10, And James 2

Titus

Chapter 4

Romans 2, Acts 10, and James 2

January 2026

Romans 2, Acts 10, and James 2 tell us what? Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Non-believers are capable of obedience; grace is operative; and faith must produce works. This directly addresses objections to the Calvinist and evangelical “total moral inability” framework.

I. Romans 2: The Baseline

1. Gentiles obey without the written Law (2:14-15)
   • “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law…”
   • Obedience is actual, moral, and accountable.
   • Conscience is operative.
2. Judgment is according to deeds (2:6, 11)
   • God’s judgment is intelligible and fair.
   • Responsibility presupposes capacity, ability, and free will.
3. Law written on the heart (2:15)
   • Even without Mosaic instruction, moral law exerts force and humanity is accountable to it.
   • Shows prevenient grace at work (Wesley) or natural conscience (Orthodox).

Conclusion. Romans 2 presupposes real moral agency in both Jews and Gentiles, not mere potentiality or hypothetical obedience.

See my article Yetzer Ha-Ra and Yetzer Ha-Tov on my website for what Second Temple Judaism believed.

II. Acts 10: Cornelius. Case Study of Real Gentile Obedience

• Cornelius, a Roman centurion, is a God-fearing Gentile (Acts 10:1-2)
• He prays, gives alms, and fasts — actions pleasing to God
• He has no Mosaic Law, yet he obeys God’s moral demands contained in the law

Connection to Romans 2

1. Practical obedience without formal Law
   • Romans 2: Gentiles “do by nature the things of the law.”
   • Acts 10: Cornelius prays and gives alms
2. Responsibility recognized by God
   • God sends Peter to him (Acts 10:4-6)
   • Obedience is possible, visible, accountable, and recognized by God
   • Aligns with Romans 2:6-7. “render to every man according to his deeds.”
3. Obedience is morally intelligible
   • Cornelius’s actions are voluntary and praiseworthy
   • Demonstrates moral capacity even before a formal covenantal relationship. It denies Augustinian Calvinism’s total inability and total depravity.

Conclusion: Acts 10 exemplifies Romans 2 in practice: unbelievers or pre-Christian Gentiles can act obediently and be accountable, consistent with prevenient grace or a God-given conscience. And this is acceptable to God, directly refuting the Calvinist idea that what appears to be good is actually stained with sin.

Let me remind you of another example. This is the story of Jonah and the pagan city of Nineveh. Jonah told the city that it would be destroyed in 40 days. They humbled themselves and repented of all their wickedness. God relented and did not destroy the city. God’s grace is seen in His patience and willingness to accept their repentance, not in granting them special grace so they might obey Him. They had the ability all along but just needed to use it righteously. Jonah incentivized them, and the Holy Spirit convicted them.

III. James 2 and the Link to Romans 2

James 2:14-26. “Faith without works is dead.”

Connection to Romans 2

1. Works are necessary to validate saving faith
   • Romans 2: deeds, not a mere profession of faith, are the standard for judgment
   • James 2: “Show me thy faith without thy works” — faith without obedience is insufficient, dead, and non-saving.
2. Moral responsibility is active
   • Both texts insist humans are accountable for their actions because they are able to do what is commanded. Without ability, there can be no accountability.
   • Faith and conscience produce observable results, rebuking the Calvinist idea of imputed righteousness and imputed obedience.
3. Grace enables and encourages, but does not negate moral agency and ability
   • James assumes Christians can obey God
   • Romans 2 assumes Gentiles can obey God
   • Jonah and the story of Nineveh reveal that Gentiles have the innate ability to obey the law of God and occasionally do.
   • None of these texts suggests obedience is impossible without regeneration or irresistible grace, as the Calvinists falsely claim.

Combined Insight

• Romans 2: Gentiles obey naturally → God judges fairly
• Jonah: Gentiles have the natural ability to repent of their wickedness and humble themselves before God
• Acts 10: Example of such obedience → God acknowledges and blesses

IV. The Moral-Theological Takeaway

1. Obedience is possible for all humans
   • Both believers and non-believers can act rightly
   • Disobedience is voluntary (and therefore blameworthy)
2. Judgment presupposes capacity or ability
   • God’s commands are never impossible
3. Grace elevates and perfects obedience
   • Prevenient grace (Wesley), natural conscience (Orthodox), and Christ’s enabling all explain how humans can obey without nullifying the need for salvation
4. True Faith is demonstrated in action
   • James 2 and Romans 2 together show that doing is inseparable from believing

V. Plain Summary

• Romans 2 lays out the moral accountability of all humans
• Acts 10 shows a real-life Gentile example obeying God
• Jonah provides an example of the heathen turning from their wickedness to find the favor or grace of God. Grace comes from doing God’s will.
• James 2 shows that faith must result in works for Christians

Together, these texts affirm:

• Moral agency exists even outside Christ
• Obedience is real, not hypothetical
• Grace is enabling, not coercive, and not irresistible
• Judgment is intelligible, not arbitrary

This provides a consistent biblical framework for understanding human responsibility, countering the “total inability” argument of Augustine/Calvinism.

Final Comments Article 4

These passages all confirm what the early church believed about free will, our ability, and our responsibility to obey God. And all of these passages and many more refute the false foundational doctrines of Augustinian Calvinism and much of Evangelicalism today.

Romans 2, Acts 10, and James 2 tell us what? They tell the honest and objective student of the Word of God that all of us can obey God. It is not a question of our ability to do so but of our actually doing God’s will. Most refuse to do God’s will, and that is what makes it sinful and blameworthy. If we were unable to do as God commands, it would not be sinful or blameworthy to fail to obey God. Nor would we be held accountable for disobedience. God is holy and just.Top of Form

Bottom of Form

We looked at two examples of the heathen obeying God and finding His grace as a result. Grace is conditional, contrary to Augustinian Calvinism and most of Evangelicalism.