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It is common for us to try and justify our sin. We will look at the good things around us and say, oh, look, God is blessing me, so that must mean what I'm doing is okay. But God's kindness is actually to lead you to repentance.
When we understand the text. You're listening to When We Understand the Text, a five-minute Bible commentary so we may know the things freely given to us by God. Here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe.
Thank you, Becky. We come once again to Romans chapter two, verses one through five. Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges, for in passing judgment on another, you condemn yourself because you, the judge, practice the very same things.
We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man, you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?
Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.
So let's go back a little bit. Romans chapter one, verses 18 through 32, we were reading about how the Gentiles were under the wrath of God because of their sin. They exchanged natural relationships for unnatural relationships and God gave them over to a debased mind and they were filled with all manner of unrighteousness as it says in verse 29.
Then when we get to chapter two, Paul is more addressing the Jews here. You have no excuse. Every one of you who judges for in passing judgment on another, you condemn yourself because you, the judge, practice the same things.
You, Jews who are judging the Gentiles are doing the same things that the Gentiles are doing. Verse two, we know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, oh man, you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?
Because see, the Jews thought that because they were in a covenant relationship with God, that they would escape God's wrath. They would do the same sins that the Gentiles did but not face the same judgment because they were Jews, because they were born Jews and God had a covenant with Abraham and we've been born of Abraham.
So we don't have anything to fear. Verse four, Paul says, do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
So the Jews were saying, look at the blessings that we have going on right now. We're not under any kind of curse. We haven't done anything wrong. But Paul is saying to them, God is being patient with you and he is blessing you and is showing kindness to you so that you will repent.
Not because you're doing everything right but so you would recognize, you would humbly recognize the blessings of God and his patience toward you and the mercy that he shows to you though what you deserve is the wrath of God.
And we do the same thing so many times. We will look at the blessings that we are enjoying right now or we'll say, nothing bad's happening to me. I don't see any ramifications for doing anything wrong.
So God must be okay with everything that I am doing right. But God is being patient with you so that you would humbly recognize your sin and your need to repent before God. It takes a soft heart, a humble heart before the Lord to recognize our sin and that we need to repent every day.
There's not a day that goes by that we don't need the mercies of God. But thankfully we read in Lamentations 3 that his mercies are new every morning. You know, I've heard Matt Chandler say, for some of you, God's probably gonna have to light you up before you realize your sin and need to repent before God.
And then there are others, you may be perfectly comfortable in your sin and you will think that you don't need to repent. You'll go the rest of your life repeating that sin before you appear before God and say, Lord, Lord.
And he says to you, depart from me. I never knew you. The picture that Jesus paints in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter seven. I hope that your heart is not that hard. Pray for a soft heart.
Desire that the Lord would expose your sins to you, that you might be convicted and repent before God and seek his mercy and grace, which he has promised he would give to us. First John 1 .9, if we ask forgiveness for our sins, he is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness because the price has been paid through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Gabriel Hughes is the pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Junction City, Kansas. Find out more online at www .utt .com.