Sermons

The Attribute of Goodness

Romans 2

¹Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. ²But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. ³And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? ⁴Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? ⁵But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; ⁶Who will render to every man according to his deeds: ⁷To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: ⁸But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, ⁹Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 

Paul in this passage of scripture was trying to help the Jewish people to understand that wrong is wrong no matter who is doing it. 

Rom. 1: ³²Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Therefore they were without excuse for their sins.  They were in the habit of accusing and condemning the Gentiles for their sins and they were involved in the same sin.

(While they excused themselves on the ground that they possessed the Law and the oracles of God, and were his favorite people.)

The apostle here affirms that they were inexcusable in their sins, that they must be condemned in the sight of God, on the same ground on which they condemned the Gentiles; to wit, that they had light and yet committed wickedness. If the Gentiles were without excuse Rom. 1:20 in their sins, much more would the Jew, who condemned them, be without excuse on the same ground.

Romans 1^:20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 

Romans 2: ²But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

All sin will bring God’s judgment upon it regardless of what it is.  It does not matter who it is, if there is sin it is wrong.  God has already condemned it.

According to the scripture the one with sin in their life will not escape the judgment of God.  Rom 2: ³And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

NIV Rom. 2: ⁴Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?

Paul was asking them if they despised the good dealing of God and the superior advantage that they have had, not knowing the fact that they were designed to lead you to repentance.

What they were doing was allowing their heart to become hardened.  That is they had become calloused and stubborn which made them unrepentant.

Note:

NIV.  Rom. 2: ⁵But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. ⁶God “will give to each person according to what he has done.”

Paul was endeavoring to get across to them that repentance was necessary and that it was the goodness of God that was leading them to repentance.

If they did not consider it and repent that God would judge them for what they had done.

I propose to you today that whoever we may be that we must not allow our selves to be caught up in a trap that tells us we do not have to repent.

The fact that we who are Born Again does not give a license to do things that are not proper.

Acts 17:30 ³⁰And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

It is God ‘s goodness that leads a person to repent.

Goodness-khray-stot'-ace

From G5543; usefulness, that is, moral excellence (in character or demeanor):—gentleness, good (-ness), kindness.

Romans 5: ⁶For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. ⁸But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

This is the virtue and the benefits that God affords to a person who is a sinner.  He leads a person to repent out of His gentleness and goodness.

God is what the KJV calls forbearance. 

Forbearance: an-okh-ay'

From G430; selfrestraint, that is, tolerance:—forbearance.

The self- restraint of God leads to repentance.  In other words God tolerates sinners and permits them to live to be saved.

Rom. 3:25 m NIV ²⁵God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,^£ through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance (self-restraint) he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—

Neh 9: ³⁰Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.

³¹Nevertheless for thy great mercies’ sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God. 

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Niv.- Neh. 9: ³⁰For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you handed them over to the neighboring peoples. ³¹But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

It was God’s desire that they come to repentance.  It was His goodness that led to His forbearance to allow them to live.  It was God’s desire that they would see the error or their ways and find a place of repentance.

WE find this to be true in Revelation Chapter 2.

Rev. 2: ²¹And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. ²²Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. ²³And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

Longsuffering is a part of God’s goodness that leads to repentance.

Longsuffering- makrothumia

mak-roth-oo-mee'-ah

From the same as G3116; longanimity, that is, (objectively) forbearance or (subjectively) fortitude:—longsuffering, patience.

makrothumōs

mak-roth-oo-moce'

G3116 Adverb of a compound of G3117 and G2372; with long (enduring) temper, that is, leniently:—patiently.

This is speaking of God being lenient and patient.  God extends his mercy through His goodness to reconcile man unto himself

1 Peter 3:²⁰Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

God is now waiting in His patience and leniency hoping someone will take advantage of His grace and mercy and repent.  God wants to reconcile the soul unto him self that it can receive eternal life.

2 Peter 3⁹The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

¹¹Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, ¹²Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 

Sin that is UN- repented of will receive the judgment of God.

In the end it will bring eternal destruction.

In your rebellion God is being patient and lenient hoping for reconciliation. God has made his choice and in now waiting for yours.

What will you choose to do?

1.     Repent

2.     Rebel

Repentance leads to life.  Rebellion leads to death and destruction.