Romans 2:4
"Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?"
This verse was taught this past Sunday at church and it is an interesting one and easy to read over and not realize how important it is. A lot of people repent and turn to God when they are at the lowest point of their life. When it seems their life is a series of wrong turns and bad decisions and they are left with nowhere to turn is when they turn to God.
Does this sound like "the goodness of God?"
Sometimes God allows things to happen in our life in order to get our attention. Maybe it takes a tragedy for us to lean on Him. In our weakness, we are made strong by His strength. But does this sound like the "goodness of God" that leads us to repentance?
The "goodness of God" is the fact that He is longsuffering and "not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)
When we realize that God will forgive us no matter what we have done or how much of a sinner we are, that is when we repent, turn from our sin and turn to Him. When we realize how much God loves us and what He did for us on the cross we can't help but turn from sin and run to Him.
That is why Paul later says in Romans 6:23 "The wages of sin is death but the GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
God loves us so much that He died on the cross for us. He bore the sin, the shame and the pain so we wouldn't have to.
That is the "goodness of God" that leads to repentance. His longsuffering and patience and desire "that all should come to repentance."
REPENT and TURN TO HIM!
