Mind Blown
“So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”
Today’s Text: Romans 2:1-16 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
Hebrews 4:12 tells us that “the word of God is alive and active.” So true. It never ceases to amaze me how, after years of reading, studying, and preaching the Scriptures, I can still experience a fresh word from the Lord.
Here is how I experience it. The word of God is like a beautiful, rich, and deep work of art. I am awestruck by its glory as a whole. But when I examine it closer, I notice details that compose its glory.
And then, I remember that the word of God is “alive,” and that Jesus Christ, my Lord, is the Living Word. The word of God is not a work of art but, in its essence, the second Person of the Godhead.
Mind blown.
The apostle Paul is writing about God’s righteous judgment upon sinners. But no one is allowed to be smug and have any sense of superiority in comparison to those sinners. Why? Well, he drops this bombshell: “you”—yes, you—”you who pass judgment do the same things” as the sinners (verse 1). And therefore, you—yes, you—and I will not “escape God’s judgment.” [Gut punch, face slap.]
This is the starting point of the “good news” (!?)—that all of us, every single one, are sinners whose just reward is the wrath of God—nothing more, nothing less.
And since he is writing to Christians in Rome, he is also writing to Christians in the South Bay.
And, again, it is definitely important to understand the theology: The total depravity of humanity is not something that any of us can escape. So then, what does that theology really mean with respect to how we ought to live? That is what makes the word of God “alive and active.”
Well, verse 4 tells us:
Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
The word of God is telling us here that the essence of the Christian life (the essence of my life) is not to judge others but to repent of our (my) own sins.
God most certainly exercises “His kindness, forbearance and patience” and withholds His wrath so that “those sinners” may be saved. But the word of God is also telling us that God exercises “His kindness, forbearance and patience” and withholds His wrath so that US sinners may have an opportunity to repent.
Of course, we should exercise judgment in order to discern right from wrong, truth from lies. However, such judgment must not include condemnation, but rather “kindness, forbearance and patience.”
Father, You are merciful and kind. You have washed away all my iniquity and cleansed me from my sin. May I not use Your kindness and mercy to condemn anyone. But may You lead me to repentance daily. I repent of my sin and turn to You. “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” In Jesus’s name. Amen.
