<p>2:14&nbsp;<i>For when Gentiles that do not have the law</i>- Gentile believers in Christ. There's no article- it's not a reference to&nbsp;<i>the</i>&nbsp;Gentiles as a whole.</p><p><i>Do by nature the things of the law, these not having the law, are the law to themselves</i>- Nobody seems to be naturally obedient to &quot;the things contained in the law&quot;, rather is obedience and spirituality an hourly struggle. It's therefore tempting to seek to interpret this verse in the light of the immediate context- which is condemning some Jewish? members of the Rome ecclesia for doing that which is &quot;against nature&quot;, i.e. lesbianism and homosexuality (Rom. 1:26). The Gentile believers&nbsp;<i>in that context of homosexuality</i>&nbsp;were &quot;by nature&quot; doing God's will in that area. Again, we see Paul teaching that nobody is 'born gay', such behaviour is not natural. Perhaps it is in this context that we can understand the rest of 2:14 and 2:15, which seem to suggest that conscience naturally rebels against such things. This is indeed the natural reaction to such perversion.</p><p>It&rsquo;s easy to get discouraged in our preaching by the apparent lack of response. But all the witnesses that we make, the points we get across, the bills we distribute, adverts we place&hellip; the people who receive them&nbsp;<i>don&rsquo;t</i>&nbsp;treat them as they would say a commercial advertisement.<i> Everyone out there has a religious conscience</i>- let&rsquo;s remember that. They know, deep down, what they ought to be doing. And our preaching invites them to do it. If there is no immediate conversion, well don&rsquo;t worry.&nbsp;<i>You have touched peoples&rsquo; hearts</i>&nbsp;by your witness. Paul describes our witness in terms of the burning of aromatic spices during the triumphant procession of a victorious general, in our case, the Lord Jesus. His victory train goes on and on and on; and each generation of preachers is the aroma. But in Paul&rsquo;s image, the aroma strikes the bystanders in only one of two ways: some find it pleasing and life-giving, whereas others find it nauseating and deadly (2 Cor. 2:14-16). The point is, the fragrance of our witness penetrates&nbsp;<i>everywhere</i>&nbsp;(2 Cor. 2:14), and it is an odour which&nbsp;<i>cannot be ignored</i>. It is either repulsive, or life-giving. Our hearers will react in only one of those two ways, whatever their apparent indifference to us.</p>