Block Diagram

NT

Romans 2:4

i. Critique of Jewish Presumption (2:1-5)

Or

Alternative

do you think lightly of the riches

a) of His kindness

and

General-Specific

b) tolerance

c) patience,

not knowing that

Ground

the kindness of God

Action-Purpose

leads you to repentance?

Idea-Explanation

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mine

phrasing

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Romans 2:4 NASB

Romans 2:4

4 Or do you think lightly of a the riches of His b kindness and c tolerance and d patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

notes

The sin of presuming on God's mercy and grace

The "or" that v. 2:4 begins with, is not a true alternative to the question that Paul started in v. 2:3. Both questions, essentially, are rhetorical in nature. In v. 2.3 Paul asks if they suppose that they will escape the judgment of God, in light of v. 2:2 saying that they know, together with Paul, that those who commit these sins will be judged by God. The obvious answer to the rhetorical question is "No, you should know that you also won't escape God's judgment!" The answer to the rhetorical question in v. 2:4 is "Yes, you ARE thinking lightly of the riches of God's kindness and tolerance and patience, exactly BECAUSE you KNOW that God's kindness does not excuse sin, but that it has the exact purpose of leading you to repentance!" Likewise, many Christians today wrongly think that God's mercy exists in order to excuse their sin. "I can sin, because God will forgive me..." or something to that effect. God's Word makes clear, in no uncertain terms, that those who think this way will not only go to hell, but will receive a much stricter judgment there. These kinds of people, and what they teach of God's grace and mercy is described by Jude in the introduction of his letter - "certain persons have crept in unnoticed... ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness" - in other words, they turn God's grace and mercy into a license to sin - "and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ" - and by doing so, they deny the person who is SUPPOSED to be their Lord and Master, Christ (Jude 1:4). This is exactly what the false teachers in Titus is described as doing - " They profess to know God" - they SAY they love Him and follow Him - "but by their DEEDS they DENY Him" - showing clearly that saying you are a Christian means nothing, if you deny your verbal profession by the way you live (Titus 1:16). The book of Hebrews, perhaps, gives the strongest warning against this (Hebrews 10:26-31): For if we GO ON SINNING WILLFULLY after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there NO LONGER remains a sacrifice for sins, BUT a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. ... How much SEVERER PUNISHMENT do you think he will deserve who has TRAMPLED UNDER FOOT the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was SANCTIFIED, and has INSULTED the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a TERRIFYING thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Have no doubt - if you go on sinning willfully and unrepentantly, presuming on God's mercy and grace, perverting it into a license to sin, there no longer remains a sacrifice for your sin. You are insulting the Spirit of grace. You are regarding the blood of the covenant as unclean. You are trampling under foot the Son of God. And you will fall into the hands of the living God. This should terrify you. If it does, take heart, for "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10).