Romans 2: 1–16

 Romans 2: 1–16

In the previous chapter, Paul describes the rot of moral evil into which men have fallen. He concludes with a list of remarkable wickedness, which might cause us to shudder. Like the Jews of Paul’s day we tend to look at such behaviors and feel the sense of superiority. Like the Jews of Paul’s day, we are convinced that we are safe, superior, and secure. Paul says, “Not so fast.”. There was a Jewish myth that Abraham sat at the gate of hell to make sure no Jew went in. It was believed that every Jew would ultimately enter heaven no matter how evil their behavior had been. It sounds like some modern Christians. Paul challenges us in verse four. To the Jews of that day and many Christians today, Paul says you are abusing grace. When we live wicked lives with the expectation that God will forgive, we are treating lightly or contemptuously three expressions of God‘s love. Paul uses three words that express God’s grace that many Christians take for granted and abuse. Those words are kindness, forbearance, and patience.

Kindness carries the idea of moral goodness but is not necessarily pleasant. It is an act of kindness to pull out an abscessed tooth, even if the extraction is not pleasant. We think of kindness only in terms of enjoyment. When the Lord corrects us, it is an act of kindness, but it may be overwhelmingly painful, and we must take it seriously. Forbearance is a rarely used word in the New Testament. It means to hold back necessary judgment. There is a flood of judgment waiting as if behind the dam. God‘s forbearance holds it back. But that will not be so forever. No one can sin with impunity, relentlessly. Just because we are not being punished now doesn’t mean that we will be safe forever. Finally, by ongoing sin, we abuse God‘s patience. Patient expressed the idea of one who has the right and the power to revenge himself but does not do so.

Too often, Christians disconnect holy living as a requirement or expectation of faith. Choosing sin with the belief that forgiveness is always there is a fool's misunderstanding. Suppose a loving and good husband has a wife who gets into a sordid affair. After several months of her unfaithfulness, the affair is discovered. The affair ends, and the husband forgives and restores his wife. She now has two options: she can live up to his love, his kindness, forbearance, and patience. Or she can return to having an affair, assuming that she can always get forgiveness. At some point she will discover she has no longer been forgiven.

“Lord, keep me sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s conviction that I will never abuse Your grace.  AMEN”