Romans 2:1-4 The Righteous Judgment of God
Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you
judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because
you, the judge, are doing the very same things. You say, ‘We know that God’s
judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with truth.’ Do you
imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet
do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the
riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that
God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
REFLECTION:
Some timeless questions:
Which came first? The chicken or the egg?
Which comes first? Repentance or forgiveness?
Said another way:
Does repentance lead to forgiveness? Or is it the other way
around?
I know for some, what I say here is going to be a little
provocative – that's good. But consider the above verses. They were written to
those who thought that the forgiveness offered through Jesus was like a free
ticket. They knew they were forgiven, and used their freedom to cast judgments
on others for their sins. Paul is reminding them that God's forgiveness, which
is freely offered through Christ, is meant to inspire repentance not arrogance.
Here's the pitfall: When you think it is your repentance
that causes God's forgiveness, it's an easy road to arrogant judgment of
others. But when you recognize that God's forgiveness always comes as
undeserved gift, it's a little harder to fancy yourself more deserving than
anyone else.
So maybe, just maybe, we've answered one of the timeless
questions above. Maybe we are doing it in the wrong order on Sunday morning –
maybe God's forgiveness always comes first, and then leads us into a life of
humility and repentance.
You'll have to ask someone else about the chicken/egg
question…
Gracious God, help us to avoid casting judgments on others – instead, help us to use our energy in humble self-assessment. Change our hearts, O God… Amen.
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