Without law—without law— Without the law, &c. Those under the law, St. Paul says, shall be judged by the law; and this is easy to conceive: because they were under a positive injunction, wherein life and death were annexed as the reward and punishment of obedience and disobedience. But of the unbelieving Gentiles, who were not under that positive injunction, he says barely, that they shall perish. St. Paul does not use these so eminently different expressions for nothing. See particularly chap. Romans 5:13.
Related Commentaries of Romans 2:12
Romans 2:12
12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;