Romans 2:4
Paul is establishing that moralizing will not make you moral, and that by judging anyone else for their actions, points the judgment back at yourself. He further states that God’s judgment is according to truth, and that anyone, Jew or Gentile who sins against that truth will be found guilty.
In any crowd of “law-abiding citizens”, there are always those who not only want the law to punish the guilty, but they also loath the thought of any good coming to those who they deem are “bad”. The Apostle knows that these people exist, so he asks if they despise the riches of God’s goodness and forbearance and long-suffering (Romans 2:4). He states that when God is good to a man it leads that man to repent, which means “change one’s mind”. When you are so angry at those who do the things that you do not think that they should, you are not only angry at their actions, but you are angry at God for not wiping them off of the face of the earth. It is this attitude that prompts Paul to speak up for God’s goodness.
It is not often in today’s church climate that we hear that God’s goodness will cause men to change their minds about Jesus. Most of what I heard preached as a child said that if someone was going to repent, they needed to be constantly reminded that there was a “heaven to gain and a hell to shun”. They were to be told of their law-breaking ways and how that they were committing abominable acts in the eyes of God, and that this would either turn them to tears in the face of an angry (but loving!) God or they would rebel, grow hard and run from Him. I would have told you that if a preacher told a sinner how good that God was, he was just spineless and cowardly.
Thank God that He has always been good to me! His goodness is rich and full of compassion and mercy. He has been patient with my judgmental ways and my self-righteous actions. He has been long-suffering toward my ignorance and my stubbornness. If not for His goodness I would be lost.
When Jesus came to the Sea of Galilee to preach to the masses that were gathered there, he entered into the ship of Simon Peter and asked him to push out from the shore a bit, giving him room to address the large crowd gathered on the beach. After the sermon, he told Peter to launch the boat out into the deep and let down his nets for a draught of fishes. This was Jesus’ way of paying Peter for the use of his boat and also His way of ministering love and compassion to him. Peter obeys, reluctantly, and takes in more fish than he or the neighboring ships can handle.
“When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8).
It was not a sermon on Peter’s law-breaking ways that changed him, nor was it a fear of hell. When Jesus wanted to bring Peter to a place of acknowledging his failures and turning to Christ for help, He blessed him! If we want the sinner to turn to Jesus then we must show them how good and patient and long-suffering that the Father is. When the world sees that Jesus, they will flock to him now, just as they did when He came the first time.
Show someone the goodness of God today, and watch as they change their mind about who the Father is.
Paul is establishing that moralizing will not make you moral, and that by judging anyone else for their actions, points the judgment back at yourself. He further states that God’s judgment is according to truth, and that anyone, Jew or Gentile who sins against that truth will be found guilty.
In any crowd of “law-abiding citizens”, there are always those who not only want the law to punish the guilty, but they also loath the thought of any good coming to those who they deem are “bad”. The Apostle knows that these people exist, so he asks if they despise the riches of God’s goodness and forbearance and long-suffering (Romans 2:4). He states that when God is good to a man it leads that man to repent, which means “change one’s mind”. When you are so angry at those who do the things that you do not think that they should, you are not only angry at their actions, but you are angry at God for not wiping them off of the face of the earth. It is this attitude that prompts Paul to speak up for God’s goodness.
It is not often in today’s church climate that we hear that God’s goodness will cause men to change their minds about Jesus. Most of what I heard preached as a child said that if someone was going to repent, they needed to be constantly reminded that there was a “heaven to gain and a hell to shun”. They were to be told of their law-breaking ways and how that they were committing abominable acts in the eyes of God, and that this would either turn them to tears in the face of an angry (but loving!) God or they would rebel, grow hard and run from Him. I would have told you that if a preacher told a sinner how good that God was, he was just spineless and cowardly.
Thank God that He has always been good to me! His goodness is rich and full of compassion and mercy. He has been patient with my judgmental ways and my self-righteous actions. He has been long-suffering toward my ignorance and my stubbornness. If not for His goodness I would be lost.
When Jesus came to the Sea of Galilee to preach to the masses that were gathered there, he entered into the ship of Simon Peter and asked him to push out from the shore a bit, giving him room to address the large crowd gathered on the beach. After the sermon, he told Peter to launch the boat out into the deep and let down his nets for a draught of fishes. This was Jesus’ way of paying Peter for the use of his boat and also His way of ministering love and compassion to him. Peter obeys, reluctantly, and takes in more fish than he or the neighboring ships can handle.
“When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8).
It was not a sermon on Peter’s law-breaking ways that changed him, nor was it a fear of hell. When Jesus wanted to bring Peter to a place of acknowledging his failures and turning to Christ for help, He blessed him! If we want the sinner to turn to Jesus then we must show them how good and patient and long-suffering that the Father is. When the world sees that Jesus, they will flock to him now, just as they did when He came the first time.
Show someone the goodness of God today, and watch as they change their mind about who the Father is.
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