January 19 Click on verses for Full Scripture

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Today's Pathway: Romans 2:3-6 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

Yesterday we saw that the hypocrite condemns himself to God's judgment by doing those things for which he criticizes others. Today's text expands on this principle. In verse three Paul asks if the hypocrite really thinks that he can escape God's judgment. That's a good question for all of us. Do I really think that God isn't paying attention to what I do? Have I somehow convinced myself that God will not only ignore my behavior, but also ignore His own Word and simply allow me to do what I please without any ramifications? This would be a very foolish thing, yet I believe that often we do think this way. If we were thinking clearly about the Lord, we probably wouldn't get involved in some of the activities that we participate in. So, our first problem is ill-advised reasoning.

The second problem may be even more serious. Paul says that the unrepentant hypocrite despises what God has done for Him. The word "despise" carries these ideas: "to scorn, hold in contempt, not care for because it is thought to be without value." God has been very good to us. That alone should motivate us to follow Him. In addition, Paul mentions "forbearance and longsuffering". The principal here is this: not only has God been good to us, but He has been very patient with us. God would have been justified in destroying us the first time we sinned. Certainly, as Christians who know the truth, we deserve His wrath for every violation of His Word. Yet God has been kind and gracious and merciful. I have food to eat and a house to live in. I have been blessed with family and friends, good health, and material benefits. And these do not compare to the spiritual blessings that God has promised to me. Since His goodness "leadeth" me to repentance, it follows that one of the reasons why God is good to me is because He wants me to repent. He doesn't desire to punish me; He wants me to confess and change. So, in light of all that God has done for me, it is contemptible for me to not respond properly to Him. The fact is that we often convince ourselves that we have "gotten away" with our sin because God's hammer of justice hasn't fallen on us. Rather than being thankful to God for His kindness, and responding by repenting, we interpret His mercy to us as a license to sin and we continue in our rebellious ways. The 19th century pastor J. B. Lightfoot wrote this, "The blackest of sin is not righteousness violated, but mercy despised." According to the Apostle Paul, both are serious failures.

Paul concludes this passage by stating in verse five that the hypocrite's problem is his hard and impenitent heart. He has become calloused to God's goodness and belligerent in his refusal to repent. Because of this he is storing up the wrath of God against himself. Every day that we refuse to repent we amass more of the anger of God. If we repent, then we are forgiven, and God's wrath dissipates. But our refusal to do so only increases God's fury, and eventually He will judge us according to our deeds.

Today is the day to be thankful for what God has done and to respond to His mercy with repentance, and thus restore our relationship with Him.

Pastor Mark J Montgomery