The Goodness of God is for benefit of humans!
The Gospel is the Goodness of God is what leads people to repentance! - not the fear of hell! Romans 2:4
Romans 2:4
The overall purpose of Romans 1-3 is to level humankind under sin. Paul begins with Gentiles who are guilty of blatant disobedience (1:18-32). He then pronounces the moralist guilty of counterfeit obedience (2:1-16). Now in 2:17-29, Paul, a Hebrew of Hebrews, goes after his own people the Jews and demonstrates that even the Jew is a sinner who stands guilty before God. Paul issues two timely warnings that have greater relevance to us.
DIVINE GOODNESS, IN ITS RELATION TO MAN, IS VERY EXTRAORDINARY —The overall purpose of Romans 1-3 is to level humankind under sin. Paul begins with Gentiles who are guilty of blatant disobedience (1:18-32). He then pronounces the moralist guilty of counterfeit obedience (2:1-16). Now in 2:17-29, Paul, a Hebrew of Hebrews, goes after his own people the Jews and demonstrates that even the Jew is a sinner who stands guilty before God. Paul issues two timely warnings that have greater relevance to us.
1. In its plenitude. "The riches of His goodness." See this —
(1) In his constitution. The extent of God's goodness to a being may be determined by the capacities which He has given for happiness, and the provision He has made to supply them. How great, then, His goodness in the constitution of man! He has a capacity for sensational, intellectual, social, and religious pleasure.
Beasts have a capacity for
sensational pleasure, but not for intellectual; angels have a capacity
for intellectual, but not for sensational; man has a capacity for both.
He has powers to draw happiness from all the wells of enjoyment.
(2) In His redemption. "God so loved the world," etc. "Herein is love," etc.
2. In its form. It is "long suffering" — forbearance. God's goodness to brutes or angels is not "long suffering." But His goodness to man is goodness holding back the arm of indignant justice.
3. In its design — to lead to "repentance"; to reform our souls.
(2) In His redemption. "God so loved the world," etc. "Herein is love," etc.
2. In its form. It is "long suffering" — forbearance. God's goodness to brutes or angels is not "long suffering." But His goodness to man is goodness holding back the arm of indignant justice.
3. In its design — to lead to "repentance"; to reform our souls.
The message of the Christian church over the years has been -
if " You believe in the Lord Jesus - you will not go to hell ? "
But it is the wrong message - while it may be true, but it is not the " Good News or "
the Gospel of Christ!
God is Good and Loves you; and it is because of the Atonement of Christ which provided everything that you will ever need for the abundant life - both in Heaven to come and here on earth now!
QUESTION: How the Goodness of God Leads to Repentance?
ANSWER:
"Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?"
(Romans 2:4, NKJV).
Does the goodness of God lead to repentance?
Is repentance the result of truly understanding God's goodness?
The more we learn about God’s goodness, the more we are drawn to the wonderful gift He offers us—salvation through His son Jesus Christ. Because of His goodness and love for us, God gave His only Son, who was sinless, to pay for our sins.
2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that “God made him who had no sin [Jesus] to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
Even though we do good things or try to live a good life, we are not good by nature. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 3:10, “There is no one righteous, not even one.”
Our goodness has to come from the source of all good things—God, who is inherently good. He urges us to come to repentance and, as we read in Romans 2:4, He patiently waits for 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 biblical definition of repentance is "to change one's mind." The Bible tells us that when a person repents, his or her actions change. Acts 3:19 says, "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."
Acts 26:20 declares, “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.”
The full biblical definition of repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action.
The Goodness of God Leads to Repentance –
What Theologians Say:
Justin Martyr wrote, "Therefore we must confess that He, who is ever the same, has commanded these and such like the institutions on account of sinful men, and we must declare Him to be benevolent, foreknowing, needing nothing, righteous and good."1
J.I. Packer said, "God's love is an exercise of his goodness toward sinners. As such, it has the nature of grace and mercy. It is an outgoing of God in kindness which not merely is undeserved, but is actually contrary to desert; for the objects of God's love are rational creatures who have broken God's law, whose nature is corrupt in God's sight, and who merit only condemnation and final banishment from his presence."2
Footnote:
1 Justin Martyr, Dialogue of Justin in Roberts and Donaldson, The Ante-Nicene Fathers. As quoted in Systematic Theology by Dr. Norman Geisler.
2 J.I. Packer, Knowing God.
Goodness of God - Learn More!
WHAT DO YOU THINK? -
We have all sinned and deserve God's judgment.
But God, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him. Jesus, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He died for our sins, thus taking the punishment that we deserved, was buried, and rose from the dead according to the Bible.
If you truly believe and trust this in your heart, receiving Jesus alone as your Savior, declaring, "Jesus is Lord," you will be saved from judgment and spend eternity with God in heaven.
What is your response?
Was it it - "Yes, today I am deciding to follow Jesus"
or - " Yes, I am already a follower of Jesus "
Or - I still have questions
Throw off all the bad things
Study Bible Hebrews 12:1
The Call to Endurance
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of
witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily
entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us.
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.…
Berean Study Bible · Download
*** Cross References
---------------------------------------------------
Question: "Who are 'the cloud of witnesses' mentioned in Hebrews 12:1?"
Answer: Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Here the writer to the Hebrews exhorts all who profess faith in Jesus Christ,
the “author and perfecter of our faith” (v. 2), to do two things:
- First, we are to remove or put off any burden that keeps us from Christ-likeness, especially sin because sin ensnares us and keeps us in bondage to itself.
- Second, we are to persevere, patiently enduring all things until we grow and mature in the faith. James reminds us that trials serve to strengthen our faith and bring us to maturity (James 1:2-3). Hebrews 12:1 is reminding us to persevere through those trials,
knowing that, by God’s faithfulness, we won’t be overwhelmed by them
(1 Corinthians 10:13).
So who are the “cloud of witnesses,” and how is it they “surround” us?
To understand this, we need to look at the previous chapter, as evidenced by the word therefore beginning chapter 12.
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the rest of the Old Testament believers looked forward with faith to the coming of the Messiah. The author of Hebrews illustrates this eloquently in chapter 11 and then ends the chapter by telling us that the forefathers had faith to guide and direct them, but God had something better planned.
Then he begins chapter 12 with a reference to these faithful men and women who paved the way for us. What the Old Testament believers looked forward to in faith—the Messiah—we look back to, having seen the fulfillment of all the prophecies concerning His first coming.
We are surrounded by the saints of the past in a unique way.
It’s not that the faithful who have gone before us are spectators to the race we run.
Rather, it is a figurative representation and means that we ought to act as if they were in sight and cheering us on to the same victory in the life of faith that they obtained. We are to be inspired by the godly examples these saints set during their lives.
These are those whose past lives of faith encourage others to live that way, too.
That the cloud is referred to as “great” indicates that millions of believers have gone before us, each bearing witness to the life of faith we now live.
Recommended Resource: Heaven by Randy Alcorn
=================================
While our country and the world is perilously close to being destroyed - it is not because of God's judgments, but rather because of Satan's inroads in the lives of people.
When anyone yields to the devil through sin, they become a defenseless slave of evil!
Remember, Satan has no real power or other purpose but to lie, steal, kill, and destroy.
Therefore it is stupid to fall into his traps by yielding to his suggestions!
He can not make us do anything we choose not to do.
We need only come to submit ourselves to the Gospel of Christ and accept the Will of God in our lives...
Because God through the Lord Jesus Christ has taken Satan's power and placed Christ himself as the mediator between God - our Heavenly Father and all of mankind.
The Witness of Scripture Hebrews:
38 nor does His word abide in you, because you do not believe the One He sent.
39 You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me,
40 yet you refuse to come to Me to have life eternal.… Berean Study Bible ·
Many people come to think otherwise - but once you seek the Will of God in your life -
the Eternal Truths will become self evident through the Gospel of Christ.
Matt 6:33
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
------------------------------------------
Many people were taught or have come to think that it is God's purpose to punish or destroy those who sin or oppose Him! Nothing could be further from the Truth! Why?
Because the reason Christ came and bore our punishment, judgment, and reason for our separation was so we would not have to. Almighty God has already placed His wrath upon the Lord Jesus - His only begotten Son at the Cross of Calvary over 2000 years ago!
Therefore He is not about to come judge you or anyone else!
Do you get this and have you come to understand the Eternal fact?
Here is the essence and full truth of the Gospel - Word of God as found in the Bible!
AMEN!!
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.…
Berean Study Bible · Download
*** Cross References
---------------------------------------------------
Question: "Who are 'the cloud of witnesses' mentioned in Hebrews 12:1?"
Answer: Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Here the writer to the Hebrews exhorts all who profess faith in Jesus Christ,
the “author and perfecter of our faith” (v. 2), to do two things:
- First, we are to remove or put off any burden that keeps us from Christ-likeness, especially sin because sin ensnares us and keeps us in bondage to itself.
- Second, we are to persevere, patiently enduring all things until we grow and mature in the faith. James reminds us that trials serve to strengthen our faith and bring us to maturity (James 1:2-3). Hebrews 12:1 is reminding us to persevere through those trials,
knowing that, by God’s faithfulness, we won’t be overwhelmed by them
(1 Corinthians 10:13).
So who are the “cloud of witnesses,” and how is it they “surround” us?
To understand this, we need to look at the previous chapter, as evidenced by the word therefore beginning chapter 12.
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the rest of the Old Testament believers looked forward with faith to the coming of the Messiah. The author of Hebrews illustrates this eloquently in chapter 11 and then ends the chapter by telling us that the forefathers had faith to guide and direct them, but God had something better planned.
Then he begins chapter 12 with a reference to these faithful men and women who paved the way for us. What the Old Testament believers looked forward to in faith—the Messiah—we look back to, having seen the fulfillment of all the prophecies concerning His first coming.
We are surrounded by the saints of the past in a unique way.
It’s not that the faithful who have gone before us are spectators to the race we run.
Rather, it is a figurative representation and means that we ought to act as if they were in sight and cheering us on to the same victory in the life of faith that they obtained. We are to be inspired by the godly examples these saints set during their lives.
These are those whose past lives of faith encourage others to live that way, too.
That the cloud is referred to as “great” indicates that millions of believers have gone before us, each bearing witness to the life of faith we now live.
Recommended Resource: Heaven by Randy Alcorn
=================================
While our country and the world is perilously close to being destroyed - it is not because of God's judgments, but rather because of Satan's inroads in the lives of people.
When anyone yields to the devil through sin, they become a defenseless slave of evil!
Remember, Satan has no real power or other purpose but to lie, steal, kill, and destroy.
Therefore it is stupid to fall into his traps by yielding to his suggestions!
He can not make us do anything we choose not to do.
We need only come to submit ourselves to the Gospel of Christ and accept the Will of God in our lives...
Because God through the Lord Jesus Christ has taken Satan's power and placed Christ himself as the mediator between God - our Heavenly Father and all of mankind.
The Witness of Scripture Hebrews:
38 nor does His word abide in you, because you do not believe the One He sent.
39 You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me,
40 yet you refuse to come to Me to have life eternal.… Berean Study Bible ·
Many people come to think otherwise - but once you seek the Will of God in your life -
the Eternal Truths will become self evident through the Gospel of Christ.
Matt 6:33
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
------------------------------------------
Many people were taught or have come to think that it is God's purpose to punish or destroy those who sin or oppose Him! Nothing could be further from the Truth! Why?
Because the reason Christ came and bore our punishment, judgment, and reason for our separation was so we would not have to. Almighty God has already placed His wrath upon the Lord Jesus - His only begotten Son at the Cross of Calvary over 2000 years ago!
Therefore He is not about to come judge you or anyone else!
Do you get this and have you come to understand the Eternal fact?
Here is the essence and full truth of the Gospel - Word of God as found in the Bible!
AMEN!!
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