Current Sermon Series

---

INTRODUCTION

READ: Romans 2:6-11

CHIASM / INVERSION

Obvious chiastic structure: A,B,C,C,B,A.
Today, we’ll focus on verse 6 and 11, the outer brackets, as they parallel one another. Verse 11, God shows no partiality. As such, verse 6, he will judge everyone by the same criteria — according to their works. 

CONTEXT: DAY OF WRATH FOR THE IMPENITENT

Must keep in mind where this falls in Paul’s articulation of the gospel.

Most immediately, verse 5, he warned that those who are impenitent, those who fail to see their own need for repentance, are storing up wrath for themselves on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 

But this day when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed is not merely a day of wrath. It is the day of final judgment for all — the day when all stand before the judgment seat of Christ and receive the rewards for the works done in the body.

It’s a day of wrath for many, but not wrath for all. It’s not a day of wrath for those in Christ. Nevertheless, it’s still a day of judgment in which the righteous will receive their reward.

Look down at verse 16. On that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. It’s one day — one event. (And we can see this throughout the New Testament.)

In other words, the day of wrath for the impenitent — or unrepentant — is also the day in which the hopes of the repentant will be realized — those who heeded the warnings and believed the promises.

Which takes us to verse 6.

VERSE 6

He will render to each one according to his works:

First, let’s notice 4 features of this coming day of judgment. Then will address their implications and some concerns some raise about this particular verse.

1) The Judge: God Himself will carry out this judgment. He will render to each one according to his works. God doesn’t leave the judgment up to another. The omnipotent omniscient omnipresent holy God will Himself render each person’s judgment. 

2) The Certaintyof Judgment: That each person will be judged according to his works is certain. He will render or repay. Not, he might, but he will. This isn’t a hypothetical judgment, but what God says He Himself will do.

3) The Universalityof Judgment: this judgment is universal. He will render to each one. Each person will receive his just reward / recompense. No one is excluded from judgment. It’s universal.

4) The Criteriaof Judgment: the criteria by which everyone one will be judged is their deeds / works… according to his works. God’s not going to judge some by a different standard such as their ethnicity, their sex, their status, what they identify as — even if they choose to call themselves a Christian. Each person will be rewarded or repaid based on his or her works.

GOSPEL CONTRADICTION?

Now the first question that verse 6 often raises is: doesn’t this contradict the gospel? What happened to us being saved by grace through faith alone apart from works? Some accuse Paul of contradicting himself, as if the apostle has difficulty following his own argument. As if Paul hasn’t read the rest of his own letter or referenced his other letters.

I mean, sometimes my arguments are not as cogently articulated as they are in my mind. But this is the apostle Paul writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So, we can be confident that there is no contradiction.

HYPOTHETICAL JUDGMENTS

So, if this isn’t a contradiction, many have suggested that Paul is speaking hypothetically. That if it were possible for one to earn salvation by works, then God would reward them accordingly. But since it is impossible, this is merely a hypothetical statement Paul is making in order to prove that all are under sin, and that no one would want to be rewarded based on his or her works. 

For if God judges any based on works, who could possibly merit life? No one. So flee to Christ.

And we can see the attractiveness with this interpretation. It eliminates any apparent contradictions. It doesn’t call into question that salvation through faith alone apart from works. And many solid theologians hold to this interpretation.

But here’s my pushback on the view that Paul is speaking hypothetically. The text does not say that this is what God would do if He were to judge people on the basis of their works — but that this is what He actually will do. He will render to each one according to his works. 

There’s not even a hint of this being hypothetical. Moreover, if we interpret this concept as hypothetical here, then we are forced to figure how to do so with the resto of the New Testament that affirms judgment according to works. 

(Perhaps verse 14 may, but we’ll address that then. Why? Because to be honest, I don’t know. But I may by the time we get to it.)

RECONCILING THE TEXT

But first, if verse 6 isn’t a contradiction with the gospel itself, and if it isn’t hypothetical, then what are we to make of it? How do we reconcile what Paul will later write in 3:20 — For by works of the Law no human being will be justified in God’s sight, since through the Law comes knowledge of sin. How do we reconcile that with, He will judge each one according to his works?

WORKS OF FAITH, NOT OF LAW

Well, for one, rendering judgment according to works is not necessarily judgment rendering according to works of the law. Now that might seem like splitting hairs. But that’s actually much of Paul’s argument throughout this letter. The Law is holy and righteous and good. But the Law in incapable of saving.

Works of faith and works of the law are not the same. 

Listen to this from the end of Romans 9.
What shall we say then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is a righteousness that is by faith. But that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but is if it were based on works. 

What sort of works? Works of the law versus works originating from faith.

REWARDED, NOT JUSTIFIED

The second important difference is that of justification and reward. (Justification is pronouncing one: Not Guilty.)

The text doesn’t say one will be justified by his works, but that he will be rewarded according to his works. 

Again, this is a small nuance, but nuances are extremely important. The straight and narrow is meant to keep us from running off into a ditch on either side of the road. 

Receiving repayment or rewards based on one’s deeds is not at odds with one being justified by faith.

But what it does is negate the possibility of easy believism. The idea that you can say you believe but that such belief has no impact on how you live. That’s not saving faith.

SCRIPTURE AFFIRMS

Which takes us to the most important argument in reconciling this with the gospel: Judgment according to works is not uniquely Paul’s idea. This is what Scripture has always affirmed. 

The gospel doesn’t contradict any of God’s Word but is in line with the whole of it. Indeed, the Gospel — or we might say, the New Covenant — is the fulfillment of the entirety of Scripture’s witness.

It’s important that we recognize what Jesus came to do. He came to fulfill all that Scripture had long anticipated — which includes not merely saving us from our sins — but making us entirely New. 

Ephesians 2:10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

PROVERBS 24

Paul is likely quoting Proverbs 24:12.

Proverbs 24:10-12. If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? (sees the heart, that is). Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it; and will he not repay man according to his work?

Wisdom recognizes that there are expectations laid on the image-bearer to reflect the One they are imaged after. Wisdom recognizes that there is a Rewarder in heaven — a judge who will hold those to account who fail to live out his calling on their lives.

REVELATION 2

At the end of the Script, judgment according to works hasn’t change.

Revelation 2:23. One of the letters to the seven churches. To the church in Thyatira. I know your works, your love, and faith, and service, and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. BUT I have this against you… that you tolerate that woman Jezebel…. And those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works…. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.

You can belong, in one sense, to a church such as the one in Thyatira. But if you are in bed with the world, you will be condemned along with the world. Belonging to a church — or to make it more personal, belonging to Grace Bible Church — doesn’t make you immune from judgment. 

We — to quote another of Paul’s letters — 2 Corinthians 5:10 — we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

So, in addition to the warning, each of the seven churches are also promised rewards for their perseverance. Revelation 2:26. The one who conquers and who keeps my word until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations…

Judgment goes both ways. Rewards and recompense will be render according to one’s works.

OLD TESTAMENT

To hammer this home and see how it relates to the previous section of Romans 2 on repentance, let’s look at a couple Old Testament passages.

Jeremiah 18:7. If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation… turns from evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it.

Likewise — And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build up and plant it, and if that nation does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. 

Why? Because God always judges men according to their works. Not according to their supposed chosen-nessas His people. To genuinely be among God’s chosen will show itself in one’s life.

Ezekiel 18:25. The people accused God of injustice saying, “The way of the Lord is not just in his judgments for exactly this reason. They presumed that because they were the chosen people of God, they were immune from His judgments regardless of how they lived their lives.

So, the Lord rebukes them: Is it not your ways that are not just? 

And the Lord goes on to describe how justice works:
When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice he has done he shall die.
That is justice! You cannot live on past righteousness!

But notice God’s mercy. And when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he has committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

MERCY DOESN’T EXCLUDE WORKS

That is mercy. But get this, God is not being unjust in granting mercy to those who repent. He’s upholding justice. And he will judge both the repentant and unrepentant according to their works.

Works aren’t excluded in the judgment of the repentant. Their lives will be marked by their repentance. And they will be rewarded with life. Why? Because repentance is trusting and obeying the Lord. 

And get this. All fall in the category of needing to repent! The question is whether repentance is evidenced in one’s life.

And yet, the house of Israel says, “The way of the Lord is not just.”
O house of Israel, are my ways truly not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? Therefore, I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways. 

JUST AND PATIENT

The Lord is always just. But as we looked at over the past few weeks, the Lord is also patient — granting time for repentance. 

The promises of God are not for those who abuse those promises and live contrary to the promises. The promises are for those of faith, those who trust the Lord and respond accordingly. What does that response look like? It looks like repentance — turning from any of your ways that have been contrary to God, and aligning yourself with Him. 

BELIEVING, NOT DOING

It’s absolutely true that salvation is through faith alone, not works. Salvation is through believing, not doing. 

But what you believe will be manifest in what you do — what you think, say, love, worship. 

If I truly believe a peanut will likely kill me if I eat it, I’ll be very careful not to just eat whatever. I’ll be cautious as to what goes into my system.

How much more diligent should those who have come to a knowledge of the truth — be cautious not to partake of just anything. The wages of sin is death. It will kill you. It will lead to a far worse death than a peanut.

Your actions will reveal your heart commitments. 

Again: there is no easy believism. It’s easy to say, “I believe.” But genuine belief will be followed by action. Many profess. But many will be gravely disappointed. Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord.

So, while salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, the rewards that accompany salvation (and likewise, condemnation) will be rendered according to one’s deeds. 

In other words, there is no easy believism associated with the gospel. Belief is not mere lip service — but heart service, and body service, and mind service. Your whole being gets behind and involved in what you most believe to be true. 

AFFECTIONS TESTED

Suppose you tell your husband or your wife that you love them. But then you pay little attention to them. You spend little time with them. You’re always too busy with other matters. Your leisure time doesn’t involve them, because they aren’t what you truly enjoy. You’d rather look at some screen, whether 60 inches or 6 — than look at your spouse. The words, “I love you,” become quite hollow. Your actions betray your words. 

At the same time, one could never say those 3 words: “I love you” to their spouse. And you know what? I’m confident they would know. 

How? Because of their actions. And I’m not speaking, wives and husbands, of you doing something on those special holidays out of obligation (obligatory attention is the worst) — but your everyday life. 

Well, in the same way, Christ knows. God knows. You can’t fool Him with empty love, empty faith, the duties you perform on holy-days like coming to Sunday service. 

Many say they love Jesus. But guess what? Jesus has offered each of us a very simple test to see if your words are true. (This goes back to our memory verse for FDC.) John 14:15. If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

So, Jesus himself makes clear that your love — your faith — will be displayed in your works — in your keeping his commandments.

NEW TESTAMENT WITNESS

So, judgment according to works isn’t just an Old Testament concept; it is upheld in the New. What does faith in Jesus look like? It takes up its cross and follows him. And when Jesus returns, he will judge people according to their works. 

This judgment isn’t some hypothetical judgment that happens apart from Christ. This judgment has Christ at the helm. This is the same judgment Jesus himself promises. 

MATTHEW 16

Matthew 16:24-27. If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 

Now, listen to verse 27, because it’s exactly what Paul says in verse 6.
For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

SAME FEATURES

Hear the same features of judgment?
The Judge: God himself — in the person of Christ.
It’s universal! He will repay each person.
This judgment is just as certain. He will repay. That’s the exact same word Paul uses that the ESV translates “render.”
The criteria is the same. He will repay each person — based on what? — according to what he has done.

Or we could look at the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25. One judgment that involves rewarding the wicked according to their works, and the righteous according to their works.

There is no conflict between saved by faith and judgment according to works!

PRESSING THE POINT

I’m pressing this hard, because there are a lot of people who think they are saved — who think they are in Christ — but have no evidence of such in their lives. 

When they stand before the Judge, they will be gravely disappointed. Why? Because being a just Judge, God always judges according to truth (v. 2) and according to the same criteria — the same standard — according to what one has actually done — not according to what one might have done if they only had more faith.

Their works will prove their faith or they will prove faith’s absence in their lives.

GALATIANS

Let’s look at one last passage — there’s many — but for the sake of time, let’s go to Paul’s letter to the Galatians — the letter which has as its dominant theme that salvation is by faith apart from works of the law. 

At the end of his letter, 6:7, he warns the church:
Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. — In other words, those good works must persevere to the end. (Next week, verse 7)

This is nothing less than what James stresses — faith without works is dead. Dead faith saves no one.

WHY ACCORDING TO WORKS?

This brings us to the question, why is judgment, or we might say, God’s recompense — why is it according to works? 

Because God is a just Judge. Verse 11. For God shows no partiality.

When one stands trial, the judge doesn’t try your case and pass judgment based on your heritage, what family you belong to, or even your name dropping. You will be judged based on the evidence that either stands for you or against you. He’s going to judge you based on what you did.

INTENT AND MOTIVE

Now, intent and motive do have a place in the court of law. Just as manslaughter and homicide differ based primarily on intent and motive. 

When the Judge of all the earth takes the bench, He will not judge by lesser standards. 

So, when Paul says according to works, he’s not excluding the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (That’s important to note.) He’s including all that flow from the individual — his thoughts, his words, his actions, his intentions, his affections, even his faith — the entire manifestation of the person. 

And when you think about it, these things often come out in criminal trials. Don’t think faith or belief are excluded.
Did you intend to kill Mr. So-and-so? Did you believe that when you pulled the trigger it would kill Mr. So-and-so? Did you feel Mr. So-and-so deserved to die? What were your feelings toward Mr. So-and-so?

UNSEEN EVIDENCE

Yes, the cold hard concrete evidence is front and center. Is this the weapon? But a good prosecuting attorney is going to do his best to draw out the internal evidence that is unseen before the jury. (And likewise, if it helps his case, the defense attorney will do the same.)

God isn’t just some prosecuting attorney. He’s not going to attempt to draw out the internal evidence of the heart. He will indeed draw it out. 

But listen loved ones. For those in Christ, we have the perfect defense attorney. Who will do the same regarding the evidence in our favor — the evidence that we truly have and are trusting in Christ. 

What Paul is excluding, as well as the rest of Scripture, is the idea that you can simply claim to be a Jew, and that somehow makes you innocent before God. Or to bring it home a bit, saying you’re a Christian or a member of Grace Bible Church doesn’t make you innocent before God. 

DOES NOT RECEIVE FACE

God is impartial. Which means God doesn’t judge based on appearances. Literally, the word impartial in verse 11 means, God doesn’t receive someone based on their face. God doesn’t receive face. 

LOOKS ON THE HEART

Many of us are often fooled by appearances. But God looks at the heart. And what follows the heart?

Well, Jesus tells us. Luke 6:45.
The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

COMMENDED BY WORKS

So, long as our hearts are evil, so long as our hearts are hardened toward God, we will have no works at all to commend us as belonging to Him. But the gift of the Spirit is a new heart to where we delight in God and the things of God. And that delight will produce much good which will commend us as belonging to Christ.  

Or as Jesus says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Our affections, our thoughts, our good deeds toward one another, the conversations we hold, speaking the truth in love, rescuing those who are being taken away to death, holding back those who are stumbling to the slaughter, bringing back those who wander from the truth, having mercy on those who doubt, saving other by snatching them from the fire, opening our hands to our brothers and sisters in need, clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick, welcoming the stranger, praying for both the church and her enemies … and so much more. 

What about guarding our eyes, our thoughts, our hearts, refraining from every form and appearance of evil, putting the deeds of the flesh to death … 

CONSPICUOUS

It will be manifest whether you are in Christ. O some may seek to fool others for a time. As Paul writes to Timothy. The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden. All will come to light.

JACOB AND ESAU

God receives no one based on appearances. Isaac may have been fooled by Jacob dressing himself with his brothers clothes, covering himself with his brothers scent, carrying before his father what appeared to be his brothers accomplishment — the fresh game Esau was sent to hunt and prepare as a meal for his father. Even Jacobs hands, which are symbolic for one’s works, were clothed in a way to imitate his older brother. 

Isaac may have been deceived, but God is not. God will not be mocked with one’s pretending — one masquerading as a disciple but not actually being one. 

We need more than to pretend to be like our older brother. If we are truly clothed in Christ, we are to reflect Him — not merely by appearances but in our very works — our faith, our affections, our compassion, our endurance, our love for our neighbor, our laying down our very lives and taking up our cross to follow him. 

While works do not save, faith that truly believes the promises we have in Christ, will take His word to heart and follow Him. 

DAY IN COURT

When your court date comes, and you stand before the Judge, you won’t get off simply with the defense stating to the Judge: “Judge, he’s one of ours. He bears the name …”

The Judge will ask, The Judge will ask: Well, what has that looked like in his life? Paint me a picture.(The Judge knows, just like He did with Adam and Cain and others, questions in which He already knows the answer.)

Well, your honor, she went to church much of her life. I mean, she attended 17 Christmas Eve services and 23 Easter services, as well as an occasional Sunday here and there. She got wet, and even has a certificate to show for it.

She had a few seasons in her life where she did those online devotions. Sir, you know that YouVersion App. They have a verse from the Bible. She’d read a sentence or two of Your Word, Your Honor, and then a very nice uplifting message of someone else’s words. 

Has she read my Word? 

Well, Your Honor, you know, she’s read some of it here and there. You know, it’s kind of hard. All those genealogies and names and places. And some of those prophets of Yours, they’re a bit harsh. But those devotions, they cover those sweet little gems you hid in there. 

Hmmm.

O and one more thing, Your Honor, in her car, she has K-Love on preset. 

K-Love? 

Yeah. It’s positive and encouraging music. I know, it’s nothing deep, and hasn’t really contributed to any spiritual growth, but she likes it, and it makes her feel good about herself.

Has it led to any repentance in her life? Well, Your Honor, it’s hard to say. 

NO PARTIALITY

Listen loved ones. I don’t know what each of your testimonies are. But when Scripture says God shows no partiality, it means it. 

Name dropping won’t do you any good. Name dropping won’t do your loved ones or your neighbors any good. Many will come to the day of judgment and name drop Jesus’ name, and he will say, “I never knew you.” 

Is there evidence in your life? 

Next week, we’ll look at the middle verses and what this evidence looks like, as well as its rewards.

PERFECT JUSTICE

For now: God’s perfect justice: He is perfectly impartial, not swayed in the least by appearances. 

We may imagine that there is something special about us that will persuade God to make an exception — (list). No.

The standard of judgment for you will be the same as for everyone else regardless of religious heritage, the name you identify with, how we you may have gotten and when, your upbringing (my father was a preacher, my mom sang in the choir, my uncle was a deacon) none of those count for anything. 

Unbelievers will be judged and awarded according to their works. And believers will be judged and rewarded according to their works. 

BIG DEAL

Why make such a big deal? Because Scripture does. 

We can fall into the same temptation that Israel did. “Well, I belong to the people of God, so I’m immune for judgment.”

Loved ones, that’s a dangerous way to think. The warnings and consequences Israel received have been written down for our benefit that we might not do as they did — that we might not fall into the same sin and perish.

As God’s chosen, we are called to be all the more diligent, not less.

If we have truly received the Spirit of adoption as sons, it should show itself in our lives. Sons aren’t called to lower standards but higher.

CHRIST

What about Jesus? Do you think Jesus, as the eternal Son, was judged by a lesser standard? No. He was all the more diligent to honor his Father in all things.

And get this. He was rewarded for His perfect work. 

Philippians 2:9. Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knew shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue shall acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

His reward? A Bride, who is currently being made perfectly beautiful and unblemished. The Church — a multitude no one could number from every nation, tribe, people, and language.

His reward? Eternal glory at his Father’s right hand — not simply as the eternal Son, a glory he has enjoyed for all eternity, but as the God-man, the second Adam. 

Loved ones, there is a reward for your work. We’ll look at that in more detail next week. For now, take these words to heart. He will judge each one — each of us — according to our works.

Or do you presume upon the riches of God's kindness and forbearance and patience not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance. But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. (Romans 2:4-5)

INTRODUCTION

I mentioned a few weeks ago how Scripture is primarily a defense of God’s glory. Now, the dominant way Scripture defends God’s glory is by His making Himself known — making Himself known rightly. And He does that through the display of the perfection of His attributes.

LISTING ATTRIBUTES

Now, Scripture doesn’t simply list God’s attributes. It proclaims and displays them. 

I can tell others about some of the attributes my wife has — that she’s beautiful, kind, funny, warm, gentle, discerning …

But could you possibly know her if I merely listed them? You wouldn’t know my wife at all. But if I described her beauty, and how it often arrests my attention — if I gave examples of her compassion for others — if I shared some of my biggest failures and how she patiently bore with me — you’d begin to picture this incredible woman as she truly is. 

That’s how God makes Himself known — not merely by telling you His attributes but putting them on display. 

This morning, we’re looking at the glorious attribute of God’s patience. And one of the unique aspects of God’s patience is that it makes room for Him to more fully display the rest of His attributes.

I would commend to you that there is no greater study than the study of God. People often sigh over the idea of studying theology, but that’s precisely what theology is — it’s nothing other than the study of God. 

And everyone without exception practices theology to one degree or another. More than that, everyone lives out of their theology. But more often than not, it’s a distorted theology — a skewed man-centered theology of who God is. Scripture’s design is to correct that.

No where are God’s attributes — all of them — more fully displayed than in the person and work of Jesus Christ. If you want to know God rightly, gaze upon him. 

Of course, the whole of Scripture illumines the glory of Christ. So, we set none of it aside but look at the whole. 

So with that, let’s look at the glory of God made known in His patience.

READ: ROMANS 2:1-5

LONG-SUFFERING

Last week we looked at God’s forbearance, that of God bearing with, or putting up with sin and sinners — and specifically in reference to his delaying judgment for a time. 

This week, we’re looking at this word the ESV translates “patience.”

But we need to be careful not to make too much a difference between God’s forbearance and patience. God’s forbearance is a type of patience.

But these words aren’t exactly synonyms. Rather, the word patience here has to do with God’s long-suffering. It’s the word: μακροθυμία — which comes from two Greek words: μακρός long and θυμός wrath, passion. 

You can hear the meaning in its use in Exodus 34:6. God is slow to anger.

WRATH RESTRAINED

Or we might say that God restrains His anger. 

In other words, God is not easily set off — which is quite contrary to most of us…

Which takes us to the first helpful way to view God’s patience:

POWER OVER HIMSELF

God’s patience is His control or power over Himself. 

Now, that might seem a strange lens through which to view God’s patience. But think about the times you have lost your temper. Isn’t that how we put it. Don’t make me lose my temper!

Most of the time, what took place is that you lost control of yourself. Our temper, our anger is rarely righteous, regardless of how often we like to tell ourselves otherwise. 

We’ll throw around phrases like: O she pressed my buttons! But what exactly does that mean? Are you a robot? Do you not have control over yourself? 

Well, that’s exactly it. Most of us lack an abundance of self-control. 

But isn’t that the fruit of the Spirit? Patience and self-control. 

But if we’re honest, even as believers, we have room for this fruit to develop and ripen in our lives. I know I do. Which is why we need to fix our eyes all the more on Jesus and how he exercised patience and self-control perfectly — so that we might honor him by imaging him.

UNDISCIPLINING PARENT

Many mistake God for the sort of parent who always threatens but never actually punishes a defiant child. Such a parent loses all respect of the child. And it only proves to produce spoiled brats. We’ve seen them. You know exactly what I’m talking about. 

And why does such a parent fail to discipline? Not because the parent has power over himself, but most often out of fear — fear for what others may think — fear of losing the affection of the child — fear of the cost of discipline. And how do we know that’s the case? Because these are the same parents who lose their temper and blow up in rage — and often over significantly smaller things.

That’s not power over oneself. That, loved ones, is weakness — and not a godly weakness at all. It’s weakness, not meekness. 

A STRONG LOVING FATHER

But God is not at all such a pathetic excuse for a father. Instead, God is a strong and loving Father who will not withhold discipline from those He loves. 

Even morse, we should be in awe of His great restraint and patience toward us — Who instead of carrying out our punishment on us, He carried it out on our older Brother instead — our older Brother who volunteered to receive the belt in our place — our lashes on himself. 

How can that not move you to repentance?

MORE FULLY DISPLAYS JUSTICE AND POWER

Like His forbearance, God’s patience is not opposed to His justice.
God’s patience is wrath restrained, not nullified. 

God does not, by His patience, dispense with His other attributes such as His holiness and righteousness and power.

At the same time, if God had executed the fullness of His justice immediately, think of how much of His glorious character we would be ignorant of. Without God’s patience, we couldn’t know the extent of His justice and power. 

God’s justice is made all the more illustrious by His immense patience.
His power is shown all the more glorious because of His patience. 

PHARAOH STRENGTHENED

Consider God’s patience with Pharaoh, and how that served to more fully display God’s justice and power. 

Consider Pharaoh’s refusal to let God’s people go and God’s immense patience through all ten plagues.
Romans 9:17. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”

So, the Lord strengthens — that’s the primary word used in the Exodus account regarding the Lord hardening Pharoah’s heart. The Lord hardens Pharaoh’s heart that Pharoah might go a full ten rounds. Otherwise, God could have bat an eyelash and won by a knockout. 

God’s patience, rather than showing a lack of power to enact justice, displays a fullness of power over Himself.
For who can stay the omnipotent Almighty’s hand but the patient long-suffering Almighty Himself!

O the restraint to hold back His wrath from such vile rebellious creatures who mock and scoff and show no gratitude despite all the good God bestows upon them.  

MAKE HIMSELF KNOWN

So, one reason for God’s immense patience is to make Himself more fully known through the display of His attributes. 

If God simply listed His attributes, we’d have a shallow knowledge of God at best. But His patience makes room for Him to more fully display the perfections of all of His attributes. 

MEASURING PATIENCE

And yet, God’s patience is glorious in itself.

So, we might ask:
How does God make His patience known?
Or, we might ask, is there a way we might we measure God’s patience? 

Well, I have at least four ways we might measure the glorious patience of God.

#1 THE GREATNESS OF THE PROVOCATIONS:

First, consider the greatness of the offenses, the provocations, the testing of God’s patience.

For some of us, the smallest thing sets us off to where the rest of us scratch our heads asking, “What’s wrong with her?”

But God hasn’t endured little frustrations and inconveniences. Nor is it about God not getting His way.

God endures great acts of defiance and rebellion.

WHO IS THE LORD THAT I SHOULD OBEY

Recall Pharaoh’s response when Moses delivers the message: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Let my people go.” How does Pharaoh respond? Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice.

That, loved ones, whether spoken aloud or not — apart from the Spirit’s regenerating work — is the whole world’s disposition towards the one true God.

EASILY AGITATED

Consider those who have tested your patience — and deliberately so. We lose our cool over much smaller things. I was thinking of Balaam’s donkey. Three times he struck his donkey because he didn’t like the donkey’s walk — when the whole time the donkey was keeping Balaam from harm. 

I have a neighbor, and to hear him yell at his dog as if the dog is dumb and disobedient. The dog is just being a dog!

We get agitated over the weather, over the traffic, over our vehicles, over appliances failing, software glitching — so many things that are amoral at best — things that aren’t acting out against us. 

DELIBERATE DEFIANCE

But God is tested by those in deliberate defiance and rebellion. And we’re talking about His creatures — whom He fashioned for a specific purpose — that of displaying His glory, His goodness, His righteousness in the world. 

Well, Josh, we don’t want to be any of those things! We prefer unrighteousness and ungodliness if that’s what it takes to promote our own glory instead of God’s! And that’s precisely the issue!

How patient would you be if your own creation raised its fist against you?

We might consider some sins small — but even the smallest sin is no light thing. Rather, all sin is an attack on God’s goodness and His character. 

Sin is an assault on God’s greatness and majesty, indeed, His very perfections.

So, that’s the first measurement of God’s patience: the greatness of the provocations He endures.

#2 THE MULTITUDE OF THE PROVOCATIONS

The second measurement of God’s patience is the multitude of these provocations. 

MY SIN ALONE

My sin alone — a single day of my sin alone — should leave me in awe and amazement of His divine patience. And the fact that often times, such is not my response only leads to greater offense for my lack of worship and gratitude.

Now multiply that over the course of a week, a month, a year, a lifetime.
And I’m but one man! 

ADDING YOURS

Now add yours to the mix. Consider how few the moments of your day you spend seeking to reflect His glory, focus on His will, loving Him with your all.

And even when we do have those moments — how blemished — how distracted and divided our hearts, our attention, even our intentions are!

And so far, we’re just considering those of us in the church!

ADDING THE MULTITUDES

Now consider the multitude who shakes their fists at God each and every day in total defiance — the countless idols set up in His place — the bowing down in worship to creations infinitely inferior to the Holy One.

Consider the innumerable gifts of grace and mercy — the common grace and mercy that God in His kindness bestows on the whole of humanity — and the ingratitude shown for this breath — this beat of the heart — the energy to rise up out of bed this morning — the daily sustenance whether meager or abundant. 

What are the offenses that all the men and women of the world receive from their fellow creatures in comparison the injuries God receives from man. 

PICTURE THE CROSS

Now picture the cross. Each lash upon an innocent man — but not just any innocent man — but the One who gave those who scourged Him life and strength to swing the whip. 

Consider the mocking of the One who gave them the breath to mock — the crown of thorns placed upon Jesus’ head by creatures He gave dominion to. 

The crowds chants: Crucify Him.Being stripped naked and exposed. A bloody mess nailed to a gnarly beam of wood. 

Or what about the reviling while He hung there: He saved others, but he can’t save Himself. Let him come down from the cross, and we’ll believe in him. 

O the patience to hang there like that for hours, bearing the sins of the whole world.

NOT JUST A SINGLE WRETCH

We’re not talking about the sins of a single wretch in the span of his seventy or eighty year life. Who could possibly calculate one man’s sins — from his entrance into the world to his exit — from his first use of reason to the separation of his soul from his body. 

That’s one man. What about a village? What about Lebanon TN. Can you calculate the offenses. Or what about a great city like Nashville — or New York. What about just the sins of this young nation.

What about the world. Eight billion people now. What about every generation since time began. 

That’s the second measurement of God’s patience: the multitude of the provocations He endures.

#3 THE DURATION OF THE PROVOCATIONS

The third measurement of God’s patience deals with time: the duration of the provocations and God’s sustained patience.

Most sin isn’t a mere blink of an eye — but a settled disposition against God. Why? Because sin isn’t an accident. And rarely does one begin to sin and quickly move to repentance — and certainly not without the Spirit.

SUSTAINED PATIENCE

But more than the duration of the individual offenses, is the duration with which God has sustained His patience. 

O it’s one thing to be patient when you know you just have to bear it for a moment or two. But time quickly wears down one’s patience. 

Later on in his letter, Paul will quote Isaiah 65:2. All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and rebellious people. 

We touched on forbearance last week, so I’ll make this brief. How long has God born with the provocations of man? All of man’s day and all of God’s. Remember, with the Lord, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 

From the first sin of Adam to this very day, the line of God’s patience has endured without wavering. There’s not a single one of Adam’s descendants who hasn’t enjoyed some measure of God’s patience. And still that patience continues — bearing with the gross of mankind’s offenses.

That’s the third measurement: duration. 

#4 THE FULL SENSE OF EVERY PROVOCATION

The fourth and final measurement of God’s patience: God endures the full sense of each and every provocation. 

What do I mean by this? 

Well, when someone does something against you, you only know a portion of that offense. You can’t see inside their heart. You don’t know the fullness of their intent. You don’t know if they meant more harm or less. You don’t know their agenda, or the “why” behind what they did or didn’t do. 

OMNISCIENCE

You and I are not omniscient. But God is. God has a distinct view of the entire catalog of man’s sin. He knows the depth of hostility behind every sin. Nothing escapes his purview. Nothing exists outside of God’s total awareness, and that includes the depths and details of man’s hostility towards Him — every evil notion and intention of the heart — from the vilest of thoughts — to the smallest grumblings of the heart displeased with His providence.

And yet, the earth still spins. He has yet to arrest the world. Mankind continues to cover the globe — most shaking their fists at God and at His image-bearers. 

All the while, God is solicited by His justice to call sin to account — all the while He is directed by His omniscience, perfectly knowing what ought to be done — all the while armed with His omnipotence and judgments to vindicate Himself. But His mighty arm is restrained — it is restrained by His immense patience. 

WORSHIP

Okay, Josh. So, God’s patience is great. What are we supposed to do with that bit of information.

Well, one, we should worship. We should be in awe that despite the greatness, the multitude, the duration, and the full sense of every provocation — God continues to restrain His mighty arm of judgment.

O that we’d tremble in worship!

APPEASABLE

But the second thing we should recognize is that in displaying such immense patience, God shows Himself to be appeasable — that God’s patience opens the door for reconciliation.

Ask yourself this: Why does a parent delay in carrying out punishment against a defiant child? Because their desire is not to punish. What parent doesn’t desire reconciliation with their children? How much more so does God, the perfectly loving Father desire reconciliation with His?

APPEASEMENT

But while God’s patience shows Himself to be appeasable, we must never confuse God’s patience for appeasement. God’s patience does not mean that He is or has been appeased with those in rebellion against Him.

Patience and reconciliation are not the same thing. His patience does not mean that one is in favor with God. His patience declares that He is willing to be appeased — willing to be reconciled — that it is possible that one might find favor with Him.

DO GOOD

That God did not utterly root up mankind in that initial sin — or you and I in our most recent sin — demonstrates God’s willingness to do good to us.

Though the earth has been cursed from the Fall — the pillars still stand. The heavens continue to declare God’s glory. The rain continues to fall on the just and unjust. All of this is a sign that God still delights to do good to His creatures. 

SPRINKLINGS OF WRATH

And yet, there are sprinklings of His wrath and judgments as a warning of greater wrath to come — as a reminder that He has been and still is grievously offended — and that His patience will one day — in His perfect controlled timing — give way to final judgment.

THE HEAVENS DECLARE

That the heavens continue to declare the glory of God declares not merely God’s glory but the gospel. (That’s Romans 10:18.) Have they not heard. Indeed they have. For their voice goes out to all the earth and their words to the ends of the world. 

O the heavens don’t declare the gospel in a saving sense, but in the sense that God is a long-suffering God. The voice of the heavens continue to declare that God isn’t yet finished with humanity despite all of man’s sins against Him. The heavens declare — and we saw this when we looked at the sign of the rainbow last week — that God has no desire to be at war with humanity even though all of humanity has been hostile towards Him.

LONGS TO RECONCILE

You see, God is not like us at all. There’s no bitterness in God. He doesn’t harbor enmity in His heart. 

He longs to reconcile. And He is patient not wishing any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 

The riches of His kindness, and forbearance, and patience suggests that there must be available some possible means of pardon. But what is that means?

Well, that’s the problem, isn’t it? 

The heart of man is so hardened toward God, that he doesn’t even look for the means of pardon and reconciliation. 

NO DESIRE TO SEEK

All the while God calls out — you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. But sinful man doesn’t want to find God — not the Living God — not the God of truth and justice — not the sovereign of the universe. 

So man fashions his own little gods and seeks to appease them according to what is right in their own eyes.

But here’s the question for us all — and for your unbelieving family members and neighbors so that you can communicate this to them.
What sort of pardon can there truly be for the unrepentant?
What sort of reconciliation can there be for one who refuses to repent?

By His patience, God shows that He is most ready to receive them into His mercy upon their return. And so, by His patience, God invites all of mankind to repentance. 

A DAY OF JUDGMENT

But like God’s forbearance, God’s patience does not entail that He is equally patient with all, nor that His patience toward each person will endure forever. 

The time of patience will end.
As verse 5 warns: But because of your hard and impenitent heart, your are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 

THE WORLD’S DAY

In other words, a day of judgment is coming. God has a calendar. And a day of judgment has been fixed on that calendar. 

The day of God’s patience will give way to the day of His judgment. The whole world has a day.

THE NATION’S DAY

But not only does the world have a day, nations have a day.
Consider Ninevah. Jonah warned: Forty days! Now, Ninevah repented … that time. And judgment was averted. But Jonah isn’t the last prophet sent to Ninevah. We also have Nahum. And the Chaldeans made quick work of rendering God’s judgment on the Ninevites. Nations have a day.

THE CITY’S DAY

Cities have a day. (Consider Jerusalem in 70 A.D.)
Even as Jesus weeps over Jerusalem: Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace. (Luke 19:42).
Cities have a day. 

Societies also have their day, as well as peoples have their day. And persons have their day. 

The day of persons is often sooner than that of nations and cities.

The first generation of Israel was given forty years max in the wilderness for their defiance and refusal to enter Canaan. But get this. Not every person saw forty more years. Many died within days of God’s forty year verdict on the nation. 

NINEVAH’S WARNING

So, what does a right response to God’s patience look like?
How about Ninevah?

Jonah delivered a very simple message. Yet forty days, and Ninevah will be overthrown.

Now, Ninevah’s response is somewhat shocking — when compared to the rest of humanity. Or perhaps, it’s the rest of humanity’s response that should seem shocking to us. 

But at the simple preaching of Jonah, the people of Ninevah repented — and their repentance was one that recognized their guilt before God — expressed their grief over their sin — turned from their evil ways — and called out to God in faith. 

NINEVAH DEDUCES

God’s patience is meant to lead you to repentance. And Ninevah seemed to recognize just that. How so? Well, they must have deduced that if there be a warning, the warning must have been given for some purpose — that the warning itself was an act of kindness and patience. 

A warning suggests that there must be some means of avoiding destruction — and that such avoidance must come from the One who sent the messenger to warn. 

If the people of Ninevah repented at the preaching of Jonah, how much more so the preaching of Christ — the final messenger — God’s own Son?

DEMANDING A SIGN

The people of Jesus’ day demanded a sign. Rather than repenting they wanted signs of his authority. 

Have you ever considered, what sign of authority did Jonah march into Ninevah with? Just a message. 

RESPONDING TO A MESSAGE

Now consider that Ninevah was given but forty days — a much shorter verdict before their judgment day, and they repented. While Israel was given forty years, and we see no sign of their repentance. 

And get this. Ninevah hadn’t witnessed any of God’s mighty works in Egypt. The most they had were the accounts. They heard the stories. Yet they repented. 

All the while, Israel had front row seats to God’s mighty works. And they refused to repent. 

AUTHORITY ISN’T THE ISSUE

You see. The problem isn’t the question of authority. Paul has already covered multiple times just in these first few verses that the whole world knows their guilt before the Holy God. 

What can be known about God is plain to them.
Although they knew God, they did not honor or give thanks.
They did not see fit to acknowledge God.
Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval.
Therefore, you have no excuse…
We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.

EVERYONE KNOWS

Everyone knows! But they willingly suppress the truth that judgment is coming. 

So, when God is kind in sending a warning, the messenger doesn’t need any additional sign of authority. The whole of creation already serves as a witness — a witness to God’s kindness and patience and forbearance that is meant to lead to repentance!

You should know that! They should know that! The whole world should know that! Don’t you know this? Paul exclaims. Because you should. 

And now, something greater than Jonah is here!

The men of Ninevah will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah — the reluctant prophet! — and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

TIME OF SINNING

Though God is patient with most, He is not, in the same degree, patient with all. 

Every sinner has his time of sinning — beyond which he shall go no further. Once sin is filled up, so is the delay of God’s wrath. The plumb line is set. And sin shall not pass beyond it. 

When God puts an end to the abuse of His patience, His wrath will make quick and sure work of it. 

Though His wrath be visibly delayed, that delay may prove more dreadful than a quick punishment now. God gave them up to their sin — may only serve to store up greater wrath for oneself.

The abuse of God’s patience is a dangerous place to be. The abuse of the riches of God’s kindness, and forbearance, and patience is a dangerous place to hang out. 

And the impenitent heart who abuses such (verse 5) is treasuring up wrath for themselves. Rather than enjoying the riches of God’s kindness, they treasure up wrath. The irony shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s a sad irony. 

REPENTANCE

But here’s the thing about repentance. God’s kindness is intended to lead sinners to repentance. It doesn’t force. 

The saying, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. 

Where God shows grace to all — grace is efficacious only for some.
Repentance requires a new nature wrought by the Holy Spirit.

But without that new nature, you know the effect God’s goodness has on hardened hearts? It only proves to further harden them.
Just as the sun hardens clay, the brilliant sun of God’s goodness only serves to further harden clay hearts. 

COMFORT

But God’s patience is not intended to harden you. 

Rather, God’s patience should be an immense comfort for believers.
For if He has been so patient toward His enemies, surely He will be patient to those who trust and obey him.

VERSE 5

With that, it’s important to pause and jump down to the word in verse 5: impenitent. The impenitent are not those who are striving to live out their faith but fall short. 

TENDER CONSCIENCE

We need to address this because some of us have more tender consciences. This doesn’t mean that there are no expectations for us. Rather the reverse — the expectations are greater for those of us in Christ. But those expectations are not cause for despair. Christlikeness on this side of glory is a direction — not perfection. We will continue to come up short until He finishes His work in each of us, and we finally see Him as He is, and the work of sanctification is complete.

THE IMPENITENT

The impenitent refers to those who refuse Christ, refuse to repent, refuse to give heed to the Lord’s commands. 

But if you are in Christ — trusting and abiding in Christ — you can count on His patience toward you. He will never leave or forsake you. But will patiently finish this good work He began in you. 

And as He has been patient with us, so should we to others.

DEFAULT DISPOSITION

I know last week we looked at some of the more severe examples such as Uzzah, Nadab and Abihu, Ananias and Sapphira. And it’s important that we don’t overlook those. But they are far from the norm.

God’s default disposition is that of bearing with sin — that He might reconcile the sinner to Himself. 

God’s default position is long-suffering. And that has been the case since the very first sin of Adam.

RECKONING WITH ADAM

When the Lord God came to reckon with Adam for his rebellion, the Lord walked in the Garden in the cool of the day. He didn’t run with sword drawn. He walked. And He called. 

Why? Why would God walk and call out? Why would He ask a question He already knew the answer to if not for Adam to repent and be reconciled by owning his sin? But instead, Adam hid. Instead, Adam blamed. 

And when it was Eve’s turn, she did the same.
And so too with Cain. Where is your brother Abel?
But instead of confessing and repenting, Cain lies and excuses himself.

But here’s the thing. There’s no reconciliation apart from owning one’s guilt. There’s no restoration so long as there’s a denial of the truth. The wall of hostility and separation remains.

CREATION AND JERICHO

In six days the Lord created, made, built up the whole of the heavens and the earth. 

But it was a full seven days in destroying a single city — Jericho — a city God had beforehand devoted to destruction. But seven days of patience while the people marched around.

Why is God so much quicker to build up than to tear down? Because He has no delight in the death of the wicked.

Why is God so much quicker to reconcile than pour out His just wrath? Because He is not wishing that any should perish.

THE FIRST MAJOR PROPHET

Isaiah, the first major prophet proclaims these words from the Lord in the opening verses:
(1:5) Why will you be struck down?
(1:18) Come now, let us reason together.

O how the Lord pleads!
(1:19) If you are but willing and obedient.

Yet, the Lord cannot forsake justice. He can’t!

Therefore, He cannot restrain His wrath indefinitely.

THE CROSS

And what is the cross if not at least a sign of God’s immense patience and desire to reconcile.

Have you reconciled with the Lord of the universe?

And if you have, do you extend that same patience toward your fellow image-bearers that He has extended toward you?

And if you have been reconciled, now you know how to present the truth of God’s patience to others.

Someone asked about what I might say to someone on their deathbed. Well, perhaps this is a good place to begin. Tell them about God’s glorious attributes — His kindness, His forbearance, His patience. Ask: Do you know these? And point them to Jesus who is the embodiment of the fullness of these glorious attributes — and their only means of reconciliation. 

While you still have breath, the invitation is open. Be reconciled to God.

Let us pray.

Or do you presume upon the riches of God's kindness and forbearance and patience not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance (Romans 2:4)

GOSPEL

Reminder: Romans 1:16-17

Paul is presenting the gospel. For I am not ashamed of the gospel…

But to present the gospel — Paul must first show our desperate need for the gospel — he must show how all are guilty — all stand under God’s righteous judgment apart from Christ.

THREE ATTRIBUTES

In light of that — here in at the beginning of Romans 2 — Paul raises the question as to our response to God’s kindness and forbearance and patience.
Do we give these attributes of God proper consideration.

That’s Paul’s word “presume” in verse 4.
It means to think lightly upon — or even despise — by giving something less consideration than it deserves — esteeming something to have little to no value in comparison to other things. 

So, we’re taking some time to deeply contemplate and meditate on these glorious attributes — that we might know God’s character rightly. Which ought to lead us to awe and worship — and — as our text says — to repentance.

KINDNESS

Last week we looked at God’s kindness …
This week — God’s forbearance.

READ (Romans 2:1-5)

WHAT IS FORBEARANCE?

So, what is forbearance?
(ἀνοχή noun — ἀνέχω verb to bear with)

Most simply, the verb form means to bear with or tolerate or to get really basic and literal, it means to put up with. 

TOLERANCE

And we see this in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthains. 

2 Corinthians 11:4. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.

Which means, not every form of tolerance — or bearing with — is good or godly. Here, Paul pretty much accuses the Corinthians of the same abuse of tolerance as we see in our society. 

THE WORLD’S USE OF TOLERANCE

Today, tolerance is often used synonymously with that of acceptance, or worse celebration and participation. The problem with the world’s tolerance is that it is most often intolerant. 

The world is not tolerant of those who do not accept and celebrate its ways — most specifically, the world is not tolerant in believers not joining in its sin and debauchery. As Peter writes in 1 Peter 4:4, because of this — because you refuse to join them their reckless and wild living, they heap abuse on you. In other words, the world’s view of tolerance is one sided.

SIN EXPOSED

This is not at all to suggest that we are sinless. But we can’t celebrate sin and willingly engage in sin. For one, the Holy Spirit has opened our eyes to see sin as it truly is — as an attack on the God who has been nothing but kind and loving to us — so much so, that He gave His only Son for us. Sin has been unclothed for the ugliness that it is.

HOW LONG MUST I PUT UP WITH YOU?

So, then, what is the biblical view of tolerance and forbearance?

Well, perhaps we should look at Jesus’ use of the term. Matthew 17:7.

When he comes down from the mount of transfiguration with Peter, James, and John, a man comes up to him, pleading, Lord have mercy on my son… for he has seizures and suffers terribly. For he often falls into the fire and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.

Now, hear Jesus’ words.
“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.”

This is not a popular verse. Can this really be Jesus speaking? The world would likely entreat Jesus to doing little reading of Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. 

Is Jesus being insensitive? I don’t believe so. There are a few things going on with Jesus’ words. More than we’ll take time to address this morning. 

FROM MOUNTAIN TO VALLEY

First, let’s not miss Jesus’ mountaintop experience, where Jesus shone with glory and enjoyed the loving praise of his Father. This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.

That’s as close as Jesus, the man, will be to heaven until his ascension. And before his ascension comes the cross — the painful death he is to endure — which he foretold to his disciples on both sides of this passage in Matthew — the mountain and the call for genuine mustard size faith that can move mountains.

Coming down the mountain, Jesus was back in the valley of sin and unbelief. He’s reminded of this by the crowd.
He’s reminded of this by the suffering of this man’s son.
He’s reminded of this by the disciples lack of faith. 

“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.”

Second, Jesus is identifying himself with YHWH of the Old Testament — the echo of How Long? as the Lord bears with Israel’s unbelief — whether that be the people’s grumbling, trusting Him for manna, refusing to enter the promised land.

They were always testing Him. And the Lord in His immense patience bore with their sin for a long time — 40 years in the wilderness.

POSTPONEMENT

God’s forbearance is never to be confused with the world’s idea of tolerance. (Which is why forbearance — or to bear with — better captures God’s disposition.)

God didn’t tolerate Israel’s sin and unbelief with any amount of approval or acceptance. God bore with their sin for a time. Just as Jesus, on the road to the cross, bore with sin for a time — until he bore it directly and in full on the cross.

Which brings us to a more precise way Paul uses this word forbearance, and that has to do with postponement. God puts up with sin for a time — often a long time — rather than executing judgment immediately.

To use a dictionary definition: Forbearance is a refraining from the enforcement of something (such as a debt, right, or obligation) that is due.

FORBEARANCE ON A LOAN

Forbearance on a loan is where the lender allows the borrower to delay making payments toward a debt without incurring additional penalties. 

Now, here’s an important clarification. Forbearance on a loan is not the same as forgiveness. And so long as the debt isn’t paid, do you know what happens to the balance? It grows. Interest continues to accrue.
GOD’S FORBEARANCE

God’s forbearance is His postponement of calling debts to account for a time. In other words, God’s forbearance is judgment postponed — but not forgotten. 

Which takes us to the Jesus’ parable of the dishonest manager, which Silas read for us. 

God cannot do as the dishonest manager did and change your bill. Instead of a hundred measures of oil, make it fifty. Instead of a hundred measures of wheat, make it eighty.
God cannot simply change your bill and still be just.
The debt must be paid in full.
And who can possibly pay it? Only Jesus.

Romans 6:23. The wages of sin is death.
Psalm 49:8. Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit.

The bill can’t simply be changed to a different amount. God’s justice demands it to be paid in full. 

Yet in His mercy, God postpones calling many debts to account — and instead calls everyone to repentance — that their debts might be satisfied on the cross rather than the debtor having to satisfy a debt he could never afford himself.

TOLERATES EVERYTHING?

Which brings us to some dangerous misinterpretations of God’s forbearance.

Many interpret God’s forbearance to suggest that God tolerates everything and punishes nothing.
Since He has yet to call their sin to account and execute judgment, perhaps He never will.

They treat God’s forbearance as a license to sin. 

DOES NOT EQUAL FORGIVENESS

Many interpret God’s forbearance as forgiveness. But forbearance is not forgiveness. Forbearance doesn’t cancel the debt. Rather, interest continues to accrue.

Divine forbearance grants time for repentance. But if abused, only makes eventual judgment more severe.

Think of it like this. A creditor may wait to collect on a debt. But the waiting does not cancel the debt — nor diminish the debt.

Delayed punishment, however does not pardoned.

WRONG EFFECT

When we misunderstand God’s forbearance, people tend to think their okay in their sin. Such misunderstanding has the wrong effect. 

Ecclesiastes 8:11. Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil.

NEVER PUNISH?

They believe that because God has not yet judged them — then perhaps He never intends to judge — or he may never punish my sin.

Or maybe the chances are that since He’s delayed judgment for this long — He’ll likely continue to delay. And if God’s going to continue to delay judgment, we can get a few more sinful pleasures in! 

But such a heart is not one that knows the grace of God. It’s a heart that misinterprets the grace of God and has no clue regarding the horrors of one’s own sin and the sacrifice Jesus made to pay for sin.

SOLOMON’S WARNING

Solomon warns against misinterpreting God’s forbearance. Ecclesiastes 8:12-13.
Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life (hear the forbearance?), yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God…
But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow because he does not fear before God.

SAFE IN SIN?

Because there is no immediate recompense, many believe they are safe in their sin. Loved ones, don’t be deceived. 

I’m reminded of Mr. Beaver’s words in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, when he first tells the children of Aslan.
“Who’s Aslan?” one of the girls asks.
“Aslan?” said Mr. Beaver. “Why don’t you know who is King of beasts? Aslan is a lion — the Lion, the great Lion?”
And the two girls ask if he’s safe.
“Safe?” Mr. Beaver says. “Who said anything about safe?” ‘Course he isn’t safe … But … he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” 

Don’t misinterpret God’s forbearance to mean He is safe. Rather, we should tremble at such mercy and forbearance — tremble in worship!

BUILDING A CASE

How many lawbreakers think that because there is no immediate recompense, that they must have gotten away with their crimes?
But how many crimes are solved — and the suspect ascertained — but not yet detained — while a greater case is made against the suspect — even allowing the suspect to continue in his misdeeds so that a greater sentence may be place on him on the day of trial.

And even if justice may seem to be avoided in this life — a day of reckoning fast approaches (verse 5).

WHY THE DELAY?

Which brings us to the question: Why the delay? Why the postponement of judgment for a time?

FORBEARANCE NOT PROMISED

Well, first, recognize that not everyone receives the same delay — the same amount of forbearance — nor does each sin receive the same amount of forbearance. In other words, forbearance isn’t guaranteed, and it is certainly not owed. It is grace dispensed in accordance with the purposes and pleasures of God.

OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLES

UZZAH

Consider Uzzah. He stretched out his hand to steady the Ark of the Covenant from falling to the ground — presuming his hands to be cleaner than the dirt from which he came. Ask Uzzah about God’s forbearance.

NADAB AND ABIHU

Or what about Nadab and Abihu. They entered the Most Holy Place and offered unauthorized incense — or strange fire — before the Lord. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them.

And don’t miss that what they were doing was an act of worship! But what exactly were they worshiping when they chose to worship how they wanted instead of how the Lord prescribed! 

And yet, many argue that they will worship according to what’s right in their own eyes. Listen. Such worship is not of the Holy God. It demeans God. It make light of who God is. 

When you worship how you want while disregarding what God says, you don’t make much of Him — but yourself.

NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES

Well, someone might say, that’s the Old Testament. That’s before Jesus came. God is much more patient now. 

First, God calling sin to account does not call into question His patience.
Second, let’s look at the New Testament — after Jesus’ payment for sin on the cross. 

KING HEROD

Acts 12, King Herod gave a speech, and the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not a man!”
Doesn’t seem that big of deal. Herod simply gave a speech.
Immediately, the text says, an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give God the glory.

I can imagine some scoffers’ response. Are you kidding me! Just because Herod gave a speech, and the people praised him, and Herod didn’t give the glory to God.
Absolutely! Why? Because that is the greatest of sins. Indeed, it’s what all sin has in common — the idolatry of self. 

Okay. So, worldly Herod didn’t give God the glory. But what about those within the church. 

ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA

So what about the church. How about Ananias and Sapphira? You’re familiar with them in Acts 5. People were selling property in order to supply for the physical needs of the brothers and sisters within the church. In fact, one of the brothers, a man named Joseph, received the name Barnabas — which means son of encouragement. Why? Because the name fit. One thing Barnabas did was sell a field he owned, and he brought the money to the apostles and laid it at their feet.

Well, I like to be made much of. What might I do to get recognized too? [Pride]

So, this couple, Ananias and Sapphira, they sell a piece of property too. And together they determine that they will keep a portion of the proceeds and give a portion to the apostles. Nothing wrong with that — except their intention. They intended for people to think they gave the whole of the proceeds to the apostles. They intended a bit of glory for themselves. In reality, their sin was the same as Herod’s. And this is a couple within the church. 

You know what happened to them? The same fate as that of Herod. 

Ask them about God’s forbearance. 

RIGHT EFFECT

But you know the result — the effect their immediate judgment had on the rest of the church and those who heard? Great fear! So that they might not presume upon God’s kindness and forbearance and patience.

Listen. Part of Paul’s point is don’t count on God’s forbearance. God is not obligated to bear with sin — not my sin, not your sin, not any sin.

O in His mercy He often does, but don’t take it for granted. Don’t think lightly of it. Be in awe!

Don’t deceive yourself thinking that because God often and for a long-time bears with sin that He always will. Sooner or later, all sin — all debts are called due. 

POSTPONING JUDGMENT

And yet, God has shown tremendous patience in postponing judgment. Why? Why the delay?
Why a 40 day notice for Ninevah?
Why 120 years for the people in Noah’s day?

Why did Adam and Eve walk out of the Garden on the day they were supposed to die?
I know, some will say that they did die that day. They died spiritually. And that’s true. 

But that wasn’t the fullness of judgment. Instead, another died in their place — an innocent substitute to clothe their sin and nakedness.
Indeed, an unspecified substitute. The text simply says “robe of skin.”

Why didn’t God execute the fullness of judgment that very day?
Why does God exercise His divine forbearance at all?

Well, there’s at least three reasons. 

NOT HASTILY OR IN PASSION

First, God’s forbearance shows that God does not punish hastily or in passion. God is unlike us.
He does not react in fits of passion. He makes no decision lightly.

God waits a full ten generations after Adam is exiled from the Garden before the Flood of His Judgment rains down in the days of Noah and his sons. 

Ten generations after the Flood, God reigns down His judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah in the days of Abraham, the son of Terah. 

It’s another ten generations after God’s judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah before he carries out His judgment upon the Canaanites — and specifically the Amorites — whose sin is finally filled up. 

(Genesis 15. Recall God’s words to Abraham. God waited a full ten generations, allowing the Canaanites to continue in their sin.)

God doesn’t punish hastily or in passion. 

(You can count the generations in Luke 3.)

DOES NOT DELIGHT IN DEATH

Second, God’s forbearance demonstrates that He does not delight in the death of the sinner. 

God warns before striking in order that He may not strike.
And all the while He’s preparing His arrows of judgment,
he looks for an occasion to lay them aside and turn them away. 

Indeed, God publishes His wrath before it is ever executed — and a long time at that. Why? So that He might not have to carry out sentence upon the sinner.

And just consider how long He publishes His warnings.

The people in Noah’s day received a 120 year advertisement before the Flood of Judgment finally came upon them.
Everyday Noah and his sons were felling timbers.
Everyday they were cutting them to size.
Everyday … fitting the timbers in place.
Everyday hammering one board upon another —
nail upon nail driven into the wood. 

And when Noah and his sons weren’t felling, and cutting, and fitting, and hammering the timbers of wood, they were covering them with pitch (whatever pitch is) — literally, covering it with a covering. It’s where we get the word atonement — atoning for it with an atonement.

TO DISPLAY HIS GLORY IN CHRIST

Which brings us to the third reason for God’s forbearance — and that is to display His glory in Christ — the only true atonement for sin.

I know at this rate we’re a ways from the end of Romans 3, but this points to what is perhaps one of the most significant verses in all the Bible, Romans 3:25. 

God put Jesus forward as a propitiation by his blood — an atoning sacrifice — a wrath covering sacrifice — to be received by faith in order to show God’s righteousness. Why? Because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

PASSED OVER FORMER SINS

Remember, Adam and Eve walked out of the Garden. Their sin was passed over. 

Israel — when the angel of death came through and judged the Egyptians, the children of Israel were spared — not because they were sinless — but God was passing over their sin.

Throughout all of history, God’s forbearance seemed to call into account God’s justice. Of course, there is no injustice on God’s part. But the question was, how could God possibly pass over sin? How was God to offer any forbearance at all? Surely the blood of bulls and goats and Passover Lambs weren’t a sufficient substitute for sin. 

The debt of sin still had to be paid. And that debt is costly — infinitely costly. Who could possibly cover it?

Only one could — the God-man — the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world — the eternal Son of God. 

TRULY MAN — TRULY GOD

This is why Jesus had to be truly God and truly man. This is why the doctrine of the incarnation is so important. Apart from a proper Christology, there is no gospel.

Man must pay the debt because it is man’s debt to pay — hence Jesus had to be truly man.
But only God Himself has a life of infinite worth to cover such a debt — therefore Jesus had to be truly God.

When people question our doctrine — rather the Bible doctrine — regarding Jesus being both God and man — it’s important that you know why it matters. Indeed, this is one of the many proofs of the Bible’s veracity. (This is a core apologetic issue!)

BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD

God’s forbearance, rather than displaying God’s righteousness, raised a serious question concerning God’s righteousness.
O the tension. How can God be righteous and pass over any of our sins? 

There is but one answer. Jesus is the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:8; 1 Peter 1:19-20.)

WRATH TURNED AWAY

You see, after the Flood, part of the message found in the Rainbow was that God doesn’t merely look for an occasion to lay His arrows of judgment aside and turn His bow away — He already had a way. 

The rainbow showed that God was willing to pay the consequence of sin in our place. His bow of judgment took aim at Himself. He would receive the piercing we deserve. He would receive the injuries for our sin upon Himself. 

He would pay the debt of sin Himself.

DISHONEST MANAGER – PART 2

Remember the dishonest manager who was fired by his master, so he called his master’s debtors and had them change and reduce their debts that they owed his master. And why did he do this? In order that people would invite him into their houses. In other words, to provide for himself dwelling places. 

God is not like the dishonest manager — who, in order to provide Himself with dwelling places, reduces or changes people’s debts. 

In justice, God cannot simply reduce or dismiss any debt. All debts must be paid in full. 

Instead, God covers the debt Himself with the blood of His own Son — who pays the debt in full — not merely reducing the debt but fully satisfying the wages for sin. 

DWELLING PLACE

And he does that — loved ones — not because He fears that He may become homeless like the dishonest manager did. No. He pays your debt fully for your benefit — that He might take up residency in you — and you with Him.

[Tabernacle]

ADVERTISEMENT OF THE CROSS

If you think God’s forbearance was great in the days of Noah, and that the advertisement of the Ark was something — the cross is a far greater advertisement.

O like the people in Noah’s day, people scoff — Where’s the promise of his coming. And they’ll continue in their sin — thinking lightly of God’s forbearance — His postponement of judgment.

But each hammer blow through Jesus’ flesh into the wood of the cross proclaims God’s loving forbearance — patiently waiting — not wishing any to perish. 

What greater advertisement of God’s mercy and love!
What greater advertisement of God’s coming judgment!
What greater proclamation of God’s forbearance!

And God is still patiently waiting.
But God’s forbearance won’t continue indefinitely. 

DEMANDS A RESPONSE

In other words, the cross demands a response.
And not just a response today — but every day.
Indeed, the cross demands that we renew that response daily.

O Lord, the psalmist says, teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
That we may live in light of your great mercy — rightly interpreting your forbearance as a call to repentance —and to walk in light of the cross.

DO UNTO OTHERS

And if God has shown such forbearance toward us, how then should we bear with the sins of others.
As image bearers, shouldn’t we practice the same?

As the proverb says: It is to one’s glory to pass over an offense — glory, because it images the God who passed over yours.

[Matthew 12:11]

   THE RICHES OF GOD'S KINDNESS

READ (Romans 2:1-5)

THINK LIGHTLY

Last week we looked at one of the most used arguments against God’s judgment — His goodness.
As if God’s goodness assures us of escape from judgment regardless of our response to that goodness.

As we look at verse 4, Paul raises the question: Do you truly understand God’s goodness? Or do you think so little of His goodness that you presume upon it, neglect it, and despise that goodness.

The word the ESV renders “presume” means to think lightly about something — which of course fits perfectly with what Paul has been arguing since Romans 1:18. Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him. That is, they thought little of God, if they thought of Him at all!

RICHES OF GOD’S GOODNESS

Paul uses three terms to express aspects of God’s goodness that fallen man tends to think very little of: God’s kindness, God’s forbearance, and God’s patience.

These qualities, each of them, have been manifested most supremely in Christ, and especially the cross. But we’d be remiss to think that these qualities weren’t sufficiently and abundantly displayed throughout every generation.

What’s more, Paul describes these as riches — the riches of God’s kindness and forbearance and patience. God richly pours out these graces from His own divine storehouse. And as much as He pours out this goodness — these riches are in no way diminished — for they flow from the fount of Himself — they flow from His own infinitude, so that God finds no decrease even as He pours out His goodness in greater abundance.

PRINCE OR RULER

Whereas an earthly prince or ruler may pour out some measure of his riches on his subjects —
he is always restrained by their limits —
he is always restrained by his fears —

Not the eternal God.

UMBRELLA OF GOODNESS

Lest we think lightly of the riches of God’s kindness and forbearance and patience, let’s consider a few ways in which He displays each of these.
This week: God’s kindness.

KINDNESS: ARRIVING AT A MEANING

Kindness is a bit more specific than goodness, although this word is sometimes translated goodness. 

The word, χρηστότης or χρηστός (you might hear the word Χριστός — which means anointed) — the root of this word means useful or beneficial. 

Χριστός as in Christ, means anointed one — but anointed for what? Just as the Old Testament portrayed prophets, priests, and kings as anointed for service — anointed to be useful for service — Jesus Christ is the anointed One in that He is anointed for service — or as Paul writes to Timothy — useful to the Master — anointed for useful, beneficial service.

This helps us to understand our word — kindness a little better. Kindness is not niceness — which, in our contemporary culture, means polite or agreeable. While often used as synonyms, you can be nice without being kind, and you can be kind without being, what the world would consider, nice. 

So, what does kindness mean in reference to God? Kindness is the expression of God’s goodness in meeting the needs of His creatures — in providing them some benefit. 

In other words, kindness is displayed more tangibly in that which is fit or suitable for use — that which is beneficial and good.

WHAT’S BENEFICIAL FOR HIS CREATURES

How does God express His kindness? And to whom?
Matthew 5:44. He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good. He sends rain on the just and unjust.
Or in Luke’s parallel account, Jesus says, (Luke 6:35). He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

In other words, God displays His kindness in giving those things which are beneficial to His creatures. 

Or as Paul says to those in Lystra: In past generations God allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness — how did God witness to the nations? He displayed His kindness to them — doing good to them by giving them what was beneficial, helpful, of use — giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.

USEFUL FOR WHAT? OUR JOY

Now notice that when we speak of kindness as that which is useful and beneficial, we aren’t speaking pragmatically — as merely giving those things which primarily accomplish a physical end. Notice the rains and fruitful seasons were for satisfying the heart — satisfying your hearts with food and gladness. 

In other words, God doesn’t just give screw drivers and towels for Christmas. He also gives paintings, and fragrant candles, and personalized greeting cards.

1 Timothy 6:17 — In His kindness, God richly provides everything for our joy, not merely for our sustenance. 

I might pick on a prosperity church’s billboard — start enjoying life — but understand, we are not anti-joy. We are about abundant joy, indeed, the fullness of joy.
Psalm 16:11. You make known to me the path of life, in your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

As believers, we’ve just been awakened from our once drunken stupor that sought to find our joy in the things of this world instead of the God who pours out the riches of His kindness that we might know Him.

END FOR WHICH GOD CREATED THE WORLD

Indeed, this is the end for which God created the world — to make Himself known — to display His goodness for the good of His creatures. 

God’s kindness extends and reaches to all the works of His hands.
Psalm 145:17. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.
Or verse 9. The Lord is good to all and his mercy is over all that he has made.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

CREATION

Creation proceeds from God’s goodness. And everything God created was — you know — good. 

Not one thing was created that was without some measure of God’s kindness. All things were good. All things were useful. Useful for what? Useful for displaying something of God Himself. 

It’s important we start here with God’s kindness, because to get this wrong is to get the rest of the story wrong — and particularly the end of the story wrong.

Everything God created was to display something of His goodness. 

Genesis 1:31 — And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good —
So, God rested from all His works that He had done in creation.

GOD’S GLORY MADE PUBLIC

Creation is God’s glory made public.
Psalm 19:1-4..
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard.
Yet, their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

In creation, no creature is silent in displaying God’s glory. 

And this glory made plain by the work of His hands is made legible to all the nations, rendering all without excuse. 

Excuse from what? They are without excuse in failing to acknowledge His glory.

WHAT IS GOD’S GLORY?

But what is God’s glory?
I find Exodus 33:18-19 helpful.
When Moses asks the Lord: Please show me your glory — how does the Lord reply?
Exodus 33:19. I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name “The Lord”. And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 

Please show me your glory.
I will make all my goodness pass before you.

WHAT IS GOD’S GOODNESS?

What is this goodness? 

It’s the train of all God’s lovely perfections that spring from His goodness — the entire catalogue of His kindness, His mercy, His grace, His patience — His justice, His righteousness.

Every perfection flows from this one fount of God’s goodness.

Psalm 145.
All of God’s works, the splendor of His majesty, His awesome deeds, His greatness — they all pour forth the fame of His abundant goodness.

Quoting this section of Exodus, the Psalmist continues.
The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.

CREATION OF MAN

God’s kindness is displayed, not just in creation in general, but in his fashioning of mankind. 

Taking a handful of dust from the ground, God copied some of His own perfection — His goodness upon this lump of clay. 

And think for a second about the body God had formed — every part ordered for displaying God’s glory — God’s goodness — God’s kindness.

EVERY MEMBER USEFUL

Every member of the body purposeful and useful. (Recall, the church — the body of Christ. God’s creation of man translates over to the church.)

This tabernacle of clay, God fashioned with such a variety of members — each in proper place and proportion — according to His wisdom and grace — each part without confusion as to what it was useful for.
(O the distortions the Fall has brought about!)

Each member of this clay tent designed with beauty, made to fit, excellent for use. 

Out of clay, God fashioned a palace of dust in which to house the viceroy of the world!

SOUL AND IMAGE

But that’s merely the body. What is masked within this clay?
A soul endowed with reason and understanding and a will. 

Greater still, and the greatest of these kindnesses in the creation of man is that God created us in His likeness in order for us to know Him and commune with Him. 

PERSONAL KINDNESS

And we could go on about how God shows His kindness in giving us health and wholeness, preserving us in many different capacities, giving us companionship through other image-bearers, granting us meaningful occupation with which to employ ourselves with, and rest — not to mention the innumerable acts of particular kindness God bestows specifically on you.

There is nothing we enjoy that is not some measure of God’s kindness to us. There is nothing man endures or experiences — (apart from final judgment) — that does not include some measure of God’s kindness.

SOVEREIGN KINDNESS

Now, consider the same measure of detail in which God created all things — in His sovereign placement of all things. 

Part of the problem with our judgment of others — is that God has placed all things according to His wisdom — and each as a measure of His kindness.
This includes that difficult neighbor, that defiant child, that overbearing parent.
In all of these — God has poured out a measure of kindness — for your benefit.

Perhaps we’d do well to consider God’s benefit in these. Because what is God’s will for you? Your holiness — or sanctification — and for you to image Him.

How are we to image Him? Matthew 5:45 — as sons of your Father in heaven — in reflecting His kindness to both the just and unjust, the deserving and the not.

Joseph and his brothers — human element to be sure.
But never precludes or works against God’s kindness.
God is sovereign — not man. No one can thwart His kindness. They can, however, despise it.

KIND TO ALL?

But some will argue, “Is God truly kind to all?” Look at the world around us. It’s broken and full of suffering, disease, violence, hatred, harm. Is that truly kind?

First, God’s kindness is not impaired in any way in His allowing or “suffering” sin to enter the world and for man to thereby fall. 

Should God’s kindness be undervalued and despised because man made ill use of His kindness and turned it into licentiousness?

NOT EQUALLY GOOD — BUT NOT EVIL

While God may not have made all things equally good — He made nothing evil. 

He is kind to all, but not in the same degree.
Let me ask you who would judge God concerning His kindness. Do you equally distribute your kindness — your gifts — to all alike?
Or do you offer your grandkids gifts that you don’t give to the server at the restaurant? Do you give to your pets the way you give to your children? 

EQUALLY KIND: ILLUSTRATION

Of course, some would suggest they show the same measure of kindness to all. I had a person recently display their moral superiority in that they gently carry the pests out of their house — supposedly treating them with the same kindness they treat all living things with.

Perhaps that’s what Adam should have done with the serpent — simply pick him up — all nice — and gently sit him outside the Garden. Listen! Even then you aren’t showing the same kindness to the beast, because you are saying you can’t live here. This residence is reserved for others. 

MORALLY SUPERIOR?

As much as man seeks to show himself morally superior to God — which is utterly ridiculous — this façade is so easy to unmask. But only if we know God — if we know Him rightly, and stop trying to align Him to the distorted morals of a fallen society that hates Him.

How pathetic it would be if the all-wise Sovereign of the universe acted according to finite man’s fallen fancies rather than according to His own divine pleasure and wisdom?

FREELY DISTRIBUTES HIS KINDNESS

Is God not allowed to freely distribute His gifts as He pleases? The self-righteous considers him or herself good and yet distributes as he or she sees fit. (What about our government? Equal distribution will never meet the equality fallen man imagines it will bring.)

If God does not give the same measure of kindness to a creature who lacks it by its own fault or demerit, can God be said to wish evil upon it?
Is God not at liberty to deny that kindness to the creature who has forfeited? 

Will you not reckon someone as generous who distributes charity to a great company, even though he rejects some?
Is he deemed less kind because he gives not a penny to those who refuse to address him for such?

Yet, God is so good, He denies not the best good to those who genuinely seek Him — promising them life and happiness. Is He somehow less kind because He will not distribute the same measure of His kindness to those who despise Him?

And still, He sends His sun and rain on the unjust as well as the just, the evil as well as the good. And yet they still think lightly of the riches of His kindness.

ESSENTIAL TO HIS KINDNESS: JUSTICE

But what about punishment? Where’s God’s kindness in that?

God’s punishment of sin is no violation of His kindness. Psalm 119:68. Lord, you are good and do good.Whatsoever God does is good and only good. God’s judgments in the world are a part of the goodness of His nature. 

This is where the man of Romans 2 is self-deceived. Thinking that he will somehow escape the judgment of God when he practices the same things he condemns in others. 

For if you yourself recognize that it is good and right to condemn such practices, how much more should God who is perfectly good condemn you for the doing the same sort of things.

It is good and right for God to condemn and punish sin according to the measure of the crime.

KINDNESS IN THE LAW AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES

Is it not a part of God’s kindness to make laws and add consequences to the breaking of those laws? 

How are God’s laws a kindness? Remember, they are a kindness in their usefulness. What are those laws useful for? They are useful for deterring evil. 

But laws without consequence are merely advice — not law. As such, there are consequences added to the breaking of God’s laws. Like the laws themselves, these consequences — or threatenings — are designed to further discourage wickedness — just as God’s promises are designed to further encourage goodness.

To fail to punish evil would, therefore, be a lack of goodness on God’s part — which cannot be. 

NOT GOD’S PRIMARY INTENT

But understand. Punishment is never the primary intention of God. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. 

Therefore, God, in His kindness, puts up a barricade to evil by His prohibitions and severe warnings — in order that He might by such warnings prevent sin — and consequently prevent any occasion of severity against His creature.

It’s in His kindness that God sends messengers to warn and persuade men and women to turn from their waywardness and return to the good way for which they were created — to reflect Him and His goodness.

Even when God brandishes His sword of judgment, He wishes for someone to stand in the gap to placate His anger that He might not strike a fatal blow. (Ezekiel 22:30)

And even when that fatal blow is stuck, such judgments preserve God’s goodness. For it is a kindness that God gives so gracious a warning to others that they may not venture upon those same crimes.

Don’t be like Lot’s wife! (Luke 17:32-33)

God would rather have the repentance of the sinner than his punishment.

HELL?

But what about hell? Is hell inconsistent with God’s kindness? Not at all. For how could God be good without it? 

WHAT ABOUT THE TREE?

Okay, Josh. But what about the tree. You know, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that if you eat of it, you shall surely die. What was God’s kindness in putting the tree there? What’s our benefit in the tree?

Well, what of the tree? Was that to be the tiniest of blemishes on God’s kindness? Considering He had given mankind everything else — everything for their possession, everything for their pleasure, everything for their purposes, everything for their dominion — EVERYTHING BUT THE HIGHEST THRONE — the throne of God Himself.

WAS THE TREE GOOD?

But perhaps we should ask: Was the tree a kindness? Was the tree good? Yes.
But what was the tree good for?
(Remember our definition of kindness?) What was the tree useful or beneficial for? 

GOOD FOR FOOD

It was good for food. Eve herself recognized that. But it was not good for her or Adam to physically eat from the tree themselves. The beast could eat from it. But not them.

Moreover, the tree, while not given for them to eat from, it was certainly given for their sustenance.
So long as they refrained from eating of the tree themselves, they’d be sustained in life!

DELIGHT TO THE EYES

The tree was a delight to the eyes. God made the tree beautiful, just as He had made the rest of the trees in the Garden beautiful. 

The tree was also a delight to the eyes in that it was a reminder of the riches of God’s kindness who has so richly lavished us with so much!

The tree was also a beautiful display of God’s sovereignty, God’s authority. 

Mankind was given dominion over all the earth — but how comforting and kind it was knowing that God had not abandoned His throne. He hadn’t left them alone to figure it all out on their own. He was still God and would always be so.

DESIREABLE TO MAKE ONE WISE

And the tree was to desireable to make one wise.
Is that true? 

First, it’s helpful to see that the word desire is also used in Genesis 2:9, in which the Lord God made every tree desirable or a delight to take pleasure in. 

This tree was desirable to make one wise. But how? By refraining from eating from it. This tree served as a beautiful display of what wisdom is.

This tree truly represented the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve would demonstrate such knowledge by delighting in what the tree represented. It was good not to eat and evil for them to eat. 

What a delightful ornament that served to display one’s wisdom — or the lack thereof.

CAN BE LIKE GOD?

Where Eve went wrong was not in recognizing the tree was good for food, or a delight to the eyes, or desirable to make one wise — but in buying into the serpent’s lie that she could be more like God than she already was, when eating would only serve to make her less like God.

But to suggest that the tree was in anyway unkind, would be a distortion of not only God’s character but His purposes for the tree. 

What is sin? Sin is the abuse of God’s kindness. 

DO YOU NOT KNOW?

Which brings us back to our passage in Romans 2:4.

In verse 4, Paul is saying, not only have you missed the point that in your judging of others you condemn yourself, but you also miss the point of God’s kindness toward you. 

God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance — not to the judgment of others.

So, let me ask. Have you actually understood God’s kindness? Have you studied it? Have you thought deeply about it? Or do you simply presume upon it by thinking lightly of it?

Because when you rush into sin, it is evidence that you don’t truly know God’s kindness. O you’ve been the recipient of so much of it. But you don’t know it. 

That’s what Paul hits this man with. Do you not know? You think lightly of God’s kindness, and therefore, you don’t understand it.
Don’t you realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance, not to indulge more and more in sin. 

GIFT EASILY SET ASIDE

God’s kindness to them is like a gift they easily set aside.
They open the gift. Perhaps they offer a few niceties. But their attention is already on to the next gift, hoping for something better. And if nothing comes along from the gift giver, they’ll simply determine their own gift and seek to get themselves or from some other source.  

Now, I understand that some gifts are given that never receive much thought at all from the giver. They simply give a gift as if it’s a duty, rather than a delight. But that’s not at all how God gives.

God knows exactly what is most useful, most beneficial, for the recipient. And He only gives good gifts.

And yet, how many benefactors despise His generosity by setting aside any meaningful response to His kindness because they have already moved on to something else.

KINDNESS IN REDEMPTION

Which brings us to the greatest act of God’s kindness: the Gospel.
God’s greatest act of kindness is seen in redemption. 

This is a far greater act of kindness than that of creation as beautiful as that act of kindness is. But it’s one thing for God to display His kindness in creating that which is useful out of nothing. It’s an entirely different level of kindness that converts enemies — entirely of grace — turning men and women who were pleased in their own misery — those who would prefer hell before God Himself. 

So much greater is God’s kindness in redemption than in creation — because in creation there was nothing to oppose Him, but in redemption, God offers up the greatest of gifts to those set in rebellion against Him.

And yet, fallen man continues to despise even this greatest act of kindness.

KINDNESS IN AFFLICTIONS

Perhaps you look at your life and see it full only of afflictions and hardships. And you wonder how God could possibly be kind in allowing — or better — purposing such afflictions and trials. 

Well, we can’t draw out the fullness of God’s purposes here. But what I can assure you of is this. Every affliction and suffering is no less a part of God’s kindness toward you. Every one of them is intended to point you to a far greater need — and to His greatest kindness of all — the offer of His Son for your sin.

But get this. Because there’s both a promise and a warning here. Everyone who trusts in God’s Son to cover the penalty for their sin (which we’ll look at more closely next week) is promised life — which is a way of describing the restoration of our communion with God Himself. 

THE PROMISE OF THE GOSPEL: GOD HIMSELF

You see. God is the promise of the gospel. Jesus died on the cross in order to give you God — to restore you to God.
1 Peter 3:18. For Christ, also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God…

The gift of salvation is God Himself. That is the greatest kindness anyone could possibly receive — because God is the greatest good — the greatest benefit. For there is nothing good in itself but God alone. 

THE WARNING

But the flipside of this is the severest of warnings. Since sending His only Son is the greatest act of kindness expressible, the rejection of His Son is the highest reproach — the greatest despising of God’s kindness.
O to think lightly of the offer and the cost of salvation held out to you.
O how heavy will the Lord’s vindication be. 

MEANT TO LEAD YOU TO REPENTANCE

God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance — not to a confession of faith — not to religious activity — not to a new standard of outward morality — but to repentance. 

Is your life marked by repentance — by a constant turning toward God. Why constant? Because in this fallen world, in this fallen flesh, our walk is far from perfect. 

So, rather than thinking lightly of these things, we meditate and contemplate, and keep adjusting the course of our hearts ever more toward Christ — until we reach that blessed shoreline on the other side of glory.

Our journey will be marked — the whole of it — by God’s kindness toward us. But what might that kindness look like? Well, different for each of us. 

But to jump ahead to Romans 8:32

He who did not spare His own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, with him, graciously give us all things? What are all things? Well, they are all things which Jesus himself partakes of, which in this age, on this side of glory, includes suffering with him.

As children of God, we are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Loved ones — that is God’s kindness toward us — granting us to know Christ in his sufferings — that we might rejoice all the more in his glory. 

Don’t despise this great kindness. Lean into it, as you lean in to Christ.

But God shows His love — or we might say — His kindness to us — in this, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Pray. 

  The God who Breathes Life (Genesis 2:7)

INTRODUCTION:

As we were celebrating some birthdays this morning, I asked myself, how often we celebrate that of our new birth. You know, the Holy Spirit is responsible for both.

So, preparing for today’s message, I’ve been asking myself the age old question: What is the meaning of life. Before we can answer that, though, we really have to ask ourselves some other questions.

What exactly is life?
What makes something alive versus dead?
When and how does life begin?
How much of it do we truly grasp?
 - answer: mysterious

DEAD ENGINE

Is life kind of like that of a machine? Because many will suggest life is nothing more than chemistry and electrical charges.

When our car or lawnmower won’t run, we says it’s _____ dead. Right. So, when it runs, it obviously has some sense of life, doesn’t it?

Is that what our life is like? How different are we really from a machine that runs on electrical charges? What gets us going — what makes us alive? Is it like pulling the string on a mower, turning an ignition switch, pushing a power button? 

With AI, how many people wonder if we aren’t truly all that different from a machine. At what point will we begin to suggest that AI is no longer artificial. So many sci-fi movies. Anyone remember Short Circuit’s Johnny 5?

Our topic is very relevant.

LIFE IN DIFFERENT SIZES

First, there are varying degrees, or better, different senses of life.
- animation and movement
- biological
- spiritual

NICENE

One of the older Christian creeds — The Nicene Creed — says this about the Holy Spirit:
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
  the Lord, the giver of life.
 He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
 and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.

Whatever life is, it is a gift that comes through the Holy Spirit who is the Giver of Life.

So, it’s no surprise that our understanding of life, especially due to the Fall, is a bit blurred. Life is as mysterious as the Spirit who gives life. 

SERIES: 

The Holy Spirit and Discipleship
We’re not going to get very far with the idea of discipleship this morning. Today, we’re looking at something more foundational — something that must proceed any discipleship — and that is life — or more specifically, receiving NEW LIFE. Before anything else, that is our first need — it’s everyone’s greatest need.

So, we’ll begin this morning with THE GOD WHO BREATHES LIFE.

READ: Genesis 2:4-7 and John 7:37-39

TRINITARIAN ASPIRATIONS

When considering this theme for our FDC, I thought I had narrowed it down quite a bit from going with the larger theme of the TRINITY. I mean, I believe I cut my material by a third — or so I thought. 

But we can’t really have a discussion on the other members of the Godhead without their reference to the Holy Spirit.

Here, we don’t overly focus our discussions on the Holy Spirit. It’s not that we neglect Him. But often times, He sort of hides in the background unseen. 

But He isn’t unseen in Scripture. In fact, the Spirit shows up in the second verse of Genesis 1. 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

That’s the opening 3 verses of the Bible. And if you’ve been a believer for any duration, you’re likely familiar that all three persons of the Trinity come on the scene rather immediately. God, the Father creating. God the Spirit hovering. God the Son as the Word by which everything comes into being. 

WHO IS US?

Later in chapter 1, God will say, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” The first-person plural conveys more than one person. So, the seeds for the Trinity are right here in the opening verses of Scripture. 

Of course, by itself, our finite minds would never come to that conclusion, especially since the rest of the Old Testament hammers home the point that God is One.

But here’s the thing about interpretation. By itself, Genesis 1:2 only tells us so much, in the sense that the interpreter has no other context. But Scripture doesn’t find its meaning by one’s own interpretation, but in the divine Author’s intent. 

As such, we must allow God Himself not only interpret for us but to teach us how to interpret the whole of Scripture — even where immediate direct explanation isn’t provided. 

We know that “us” in Genesis 1:26 is plural — Let us make man in our image — refers to the entire Godhead. But at a minimum, Genesis 1:2 provides a second referent — another person — besides the referent of God in verse 1. 

In other words, when taken with verse 26, we can recognize verse 2 as another divine person — the divinity of the Spirit — before we even move onto chapter 2. 

AGENT OF CREATION

The Holy Spirit is revealed as the Agent of Creation.
We see that in Psalm 33:6
 By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 

The word is רוּחַ (RUACH) — most often translated as spirit, wind, or breath. (A couple other Hebrew terms convey the same idea.)

OVERFLOW OF HIMSELF

Out of an overflow of who God is — namely life itself — God creates and gives Himself to His creation and His creatures — filling it all with His very breath. By the breath — the ruach — the Spirit of his mouth, God made all the hosts of heaven.

As we turn the page to Genesis 2, the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

LIFELESS CLAY?

How does man become a living creature? It’s not merely his being formed, as intimate as that picture is. At that point, mankind is simply a clay sculpture.
No. It’s only in the Lord breathing His very breath — His Spirit — into mans nostrils that the man becomes a living creature. What happens at that moment is God breathes Himself into the man.

God animates the clay — the Adamah — that’s where Adam’s name comes from. He’s a clay figurine. Apart from God’s breath — God’s Spirit within him — Adam’s no more than a lump of clay. 

God animates the clay with His breath — His Spirit. And the lifeless clay comes alive. 

ALL OF CREATION

But it’s not just true of mankind. We’re told all living creatures are alive because they have the breath of life within them.
(That’s made clear in the flood, after the Fall — when God cleanses the earth, and everything on dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. 

Ecclesiastes 3:19-21 — because of the Fall, the same fate — that of death — happens to all — both man and beast. They both have the same breath — the One Spirit. 

Psalm 104. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.

God’s Spirit animates, not just man, but all of creation.
Now, not all of creation is alive in the biological sense as the living creatures. But all of creation is animated by the Spirit in the sense that creation moves — just as the wind moves the atmosphere and trees and the waters. 

This is a God who moves solar systems and galaxies. 

UNSEEN YET SEEN

But here’s the thing. You can’t see Him. You can’t see the Spirit — only His work. But His work is evidenced everywhere — in everything that moves — because He is the Divine Mover.

SIN’S INCOMPATIBILITY WITH LIFE

But with sin — God’s Spirit no longer abides in man — not in any lasting sense. Man who was created to dwell with God by His Spirit forever, now dies and returns to the dust from which he was made.

Sin is incompatible with life. How? Because sin, in one sense, is rejecting the very Spirit of life, the breath of life, given to reside within.

We don’t have life in ourselves but depend entirely on the Spirit. When Adam and Eve turned away from God in the Garden, they turned away from life itself. On the day you eat, you shall surely die. 

INSANITY OF PRIDE

All because of this prideful creature called man desired to be autonomous. Just think of how absurd and insane sin is. Out of his desire for autonomy this creature who is utterly dependent for his every breath longs to sever himself from the only source of life there is. 

SEEING THE UNSEEABLE

[It might be helpful to pause and recognize that Scripture uses several images to portray the Spirit who is unseen. A few important ones: wind, breath, fire, water, fountains, anointing oil, dove and eagle.]

NEED FOR NEW CREATION

With the Flood, most of life on earth would come to an end. But not all. Where the flood waters swept away every living creature with the breath of life, Noah and those with him on the ark were spared.

Noah had found favor in the Lord’s eyes. Noah’s name means “rest.” When Noah was born, it was said of him, this one shall bring us rest.

Noah and the ark would come to rest atop the mountains of Ararat, as the flood waters gradually subsided.

And Noah would send out a dove, which found no place for her foot, for the waters were still over the face of the whole earth. (You should hear echoes of Genesis 1 and picture the Spirit hovering over the waters of the deep.)

(We know the literary link of the dove and the Spirit from Jesus’ baptism.)

7 days later — an olive branch.
Another 7 days, the dove does not return.
Creation 2.0 has begun. But it’s not long before sin reveals itself again. So much for any Sabbath rest Noah.

REDEMPTION CONTINUES

The story of redemption continues through Abraham and Israel with God calling a people to Himself.

The Exodus is described in terms very reminiscent of Creation and the Flood. 

The waters are parted by a strong east wind / Spirit.
Israel is brought through the waters like Noah.

Exodus 19:4 — the Lord’s recounting of the event
You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles wings and brought you to myself.

Deuteronomy 32:10-11 describes the Lord encircling Israel — caring for him as the apple of his eye — Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters / hovers over its young, spreading out its wings…

Same word as in Genesis 1:2.

Just as the Spirit hovered over creation, here the Lord hovered over His people, who are as His offspring. His outstretched wings overshadowed them. He shades them under the protection of His wings. It’s a picture of the Spirit overshadowing this new creation.

It’s not enough for God to create — nor to give life. Why? Only God has life in Himself. As such, He must sustain and protect the life He has filled His people with if they are to thrive, much less survive.

DEFINING LIFE

Which brings us back to what exactly is life?
Is it movement? Intentional self-movement?

Scientists describe biological life as that which is marked by metabolism, growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction.

Philosophers define life as the aspect of existence that processes, acts, reacts, evaluates, and evolves.
Not very exciting is it. (And that’s why we have poets.) Life is certainly more than the scientist or philosopher conveys it to be.

MEANING

The popular question: what is the meaning of life? Has been answered many ways. But most often, it is answered by those who don’t even know the origin of life. It’s helpful to know where life comes from and why one has it if we are to answer such a question.

But when humanity denies the source of life, it’s no surprise that we have so much confusion as to who we are, much less the meaning of life. Why was I born this way? Was I born in the wrong body? These types of questions arise out of a denial of life’s origin. But get the origin right, these questions quickly go away.

BREATH OF ALL MANKIND

Remember, there are different senses of life. At a minimum, there’s animation, biological, and spiritual. Each of these are dependent on the Holy Spirit.

In that sense, all of creation and all persons participate to some degree in the Holy Spirit. This includes unregenerate persons. Those who aren’t believers are dependent upon the Holy Spirit for their every breath. He is the source of all life. There is no life at all apart from the Spirit. 

Hence, Paul has no problem speaking to unbelievers in such a way. Acts 17 at the Areopagus — The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to ALL MANKIND life and breath and everything.

Paul goes on to say that God is actually not far from each one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being. 

And it makes perfect sense, that God the Holy Spirit, who is omnipresent, fills creation, including unbelievers. 

REDEMPTIVE FOCUS

But usually, when we’re speaking of being filled with the Holy Spirit, Scripture doesn’t have biological life in mind, but spiritual life. Only believers — only the regenerate have the Holy Spirit in a redemptive sense.

SPIRITUAL LIFE

So just as the Spirit is the source of life and generation of biological life in creation, He is also the source of spiritual life and its preservation. 

SPIRITUALLY DEAD

While the Exodus was meant to portray new life and new creation (baptism through the Red Sea) — by the time we get to the prophets, it’s clear that the people of Israel are dead — not biologically dead — but dead in the sense that matters— they are spiritually dead. 

THE LIFE THAT MATTERS

[And why does spiritual death matter more than biological death? Because we are spiritual creatures. We have a body and a soul / spirit. What makes up our lives is not so much the physical. The physical, more than anything else, is so we can, as finite physical creatures, comprehend something of the spiritual. But the material — the physical — is all going to perish. It benefits us very little to seek to preserve that which can’t be preserved. But it matters eternally seeking to preserve that which remains forever. 

Bodily training is of some value. But godliness is of value in every way. For it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. Yet how much of our focus is on that which will perish.]

DEAD WORSHIP

Anyway, Israel failed to attend to that which held the infinitely greater value — their spiritual life. Even possessing the oracles of God and His instruction — they held little regard for the God who was their life. Instead, they wanted to be like the nations and worship false gods — statues in which there wasn’t any breath — statues that were less alive than they were. And as the psalmist wrote, those who worship them become like them. 

They exchanged the fountain of living water and worshiped that which was dead and became dead themselves.

DRY BONES

Just how dead was the house of Israel? They were like dry bones. But God’s plan of redemption is to breathe life into that which is dead.

Ezekiel 37. You know this account — the valley of dry bones.

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. Bones … many bones, and they covered the surface of the valley — literally, the face of the valley. 

CAN THEY LIVE

And the Lord said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live? 

Ezekiel’s response: O Lord God, you know.
If life comes from God and only from God, unless He gives these bones life, no way can they live. But the God who breathes life into clay can certainly breath life into dead dry bones.

So the Lord commands Ezekiel to prophesy over the bones. Say to the, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

NOT WITHOUT BREATH

What makes the bones come alive? It’s not with the sinews and flesh and skin. But the breath — the ruach — the Spirit.

Ezekiel prophesies, and the bones rattle and come together, with sinews and flesh and skin, but so long as there’s no breath in them, they remain dead. Just as in Genesis 2, forming the body isn’t sufficient. They need to be filled with life — with the One who is life — with the Spirit Himself.

Then the Lord said to me,”Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.

And the bones lived.

What do the bones represent? We’re told they represent the whole house of Israel, whose bones are dried up, all hope is lost.

I mean, being dead is about as hopeless as it gets… But God. Isn’t that Ephesians 2. But God.

MY SPIRIT

So, again, the Lord instructs Ezekiel to prophesy. Say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves… and I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live. 

GREATER SON OF MAN

Isn’t it interesting that Ezekiel’s title is Son of man. 93 times Ezekiel is referred to as the Son of man. Of course, this is Jesus’ most used title for himself — over 80 times in the gospels he refers to himself as the Son of man. (Daniel 7, I know. But don’t discount the allusions to Ezekiel. Ears to hear — 12:2.)

It is when the true Son of Man comes prophesying — speaking the Word of the Lord to the dead — that they will come alive. 

O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

John 5:25. And when the dead hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 

THE SON GIVES LIFE

Jesus says, just as the Father gives life (John 5:21), so the Son of God gives life to whom he will. How can the Son give anyone life? Because he has life in himself. (John 5:26) For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.

Just as Ezekiel, as the shadow of the son of man prophesied to the breath to fill the dead corpses, Jesus, the True Son of Man speaks to the Spirit — come four winds — a picture of the Spirit’s omnipresence. Jesus sends the Spirit to fill us who were dead.

ALIVE TO GOD

Of course, Ezekiel 37 goes with Ezekiel 36.
(36:25) I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanesses, and from your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put MY SPIRIT within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

The Spirit doesn’t simply make alive biologically speaking but spiritually. The deadness is expressed in the people’s heart of stone — our heart of stone. We were dead and unfeeling as regards God! (That’s what we’ve been covering in Romans 1. Although they knew God…)

AWAKENED TO GOD

The Spirit awakens us not so much physically but to God Himself.

This is the new birth that was promised throughout the prophets. We just looked at one. And this is the new birth Jesus is referring to when Nicodemus comes to under the cover of darkness in John 3 — and he tells Nicodemus, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus doesn’t know what to do with this. How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb?

Truly, I say to you, Jesus says, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

WHERE THE WIND BLOWS

Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.

Nicodemus is lost. How can these things be? He is Israel’s teacher — emphatically, he is the teacher of Israel, and he doesn’t understand the teaching about the New Birth and the Spirit’s role in it. 

CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM

But that’s part of the point. Nicodemus too needs to be born again, or literally, born from above if he is to see — understand — comprehend the kingdom of God. 

All of his vast education mattered not. He could memorize the Scriptures, but apart from being born of the Spirit, the things of the kingdom of God were but a fog. 

SKEPTICAL TEACHERS

Every now and then, I’ll read some of the skeptical scholars. It’s amazing how many unbelieving professors there are that teach theology — that teach the Bible. They aren’t believers, and yet they study the Scriptures far more than your average believer does. 

I’ll come across something they have written on this or that passage of Scripture, and they’ll interpret it. And at one level, they understand the passage. They know the meaning of words. They know their Greek and Hebrew. They trace out the historic background. And for the most part, what they have to share is what you’ll find in the notes of the average Study Bible. 

WHAT ARE THEY MISSING

But like Nicodemus, they are missing it. They are missing the spiritual emphasis. They’re missing the glory and the beauty. Their unbelief leaves them blind to seeing the truth of the text. Why? Because they haven’t been born from above. They can’t see the kingdom of God for what it truly is. Because they have no taste for it. And because they have no taste for it, they will not enter it.

It’s not accidental that the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom. Just as our new birth must take place from above — so to our redemption. The two go hand in hand. There are no resources here below. No physician, no education, no health regiment, no workout plan, no diet, no science, no machine, no magic drug, nothing that can make you spiritually alive but the God who is Spirit. 

Because every one of us, since the Fall, have been born dead in our trespasses and sins — and we walked in that deadness. 

We were all dry bones — dead and hopeless. How dead? Dead to the point we didn’t even realize we were dead.

It’s no surprise that there’s so much confusion as to the meaning of life. You can’t see it, you can’t grasp it, unless you are born from above. 

One must have life before they can grasp the meaning of it. 

But we can’t make ourselves alive. It must come from above.

THE SPIRIT AND CHRIST

So, where does our new birth and new life come from? The God who became man, taking on the very likeness of our flesh, relied on the same Spirit all humanity was to rely on. 

When Jesus came, he came in the sense of Genesis 1:2. Remember what the angel Gabriel says to Mary? The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. The Holy Spirit would hover over Mary like a dove. And she would conceive and bear a Son who would be filled with the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus would know life as we were to know it — filled with the same breath of life, the same Holy Spirit, the first Adam was filled with. And on the cross, Jesus would breathe his last and give up that Spirit in order to restore life and the Spirit to us.

A NEW NOAH

When Jesus begins his ministry and is baptized through the waters, it’s no surprise that he comes as one who is filled with the Spirit, upon whom the Spirit rests like a dove. He comes as the one promised in Isaiah 11:2, upon whom the Spirit will rest and thus able to give rest to his people. In other words, a new Noah has come on the scene. Jesus comes and gives us the rest that Noah’s name pointed to.

RIVERS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Jesus comes as the one who will pour out the Spirit without measure. 

That’s why we read from Ezekiel 47 at the beginning of service. This is what’s Jesus is referring to in John 7. 

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now, this he said about the Spirit with whom those who believed in him were to receive. For as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

The wording can go two ways. The question is, out of whose heart will flow this river of living water? Most of our translations seem to suggest it’s the believer. But it is very likely that Jesus is the antecedent in the third person, because he is referring to what the Old Testament Scriptures have long pointed. Ezekiel 47 is just one.

THE TRUE TEMPLE FROM WITH WATERS FLOW

This helps us to understand better how we are to handle those final chapters in Ezekiel. Rather than expecting a physical brick and mortar temple to be erected in Jerusalem in the last days, Jesus inaugurates the last days with his coming. He comes as the temple. And it is out of him, the true temple that these living waters flow, giving new life to all creation.

Jesus is the temple from which the rivers of living water will flow in the giving of the Spirit to everyone who believes. 

COME FIND REST

Let me ask. Have you believed? Have you been born from above?

The Spirit in you may be unseen, but His work in you should not be. It should be evident.

If you haven’t received this new birth, then receive Jesus’ words and respond today. 

Come to me, and I will give you rest. The New Noah upon whom the Spirit rested, from whom life itself flows, invites you to come to Him and receive rest. 

Because as long as you are seeking rest anywhere other than in Christ, from whom the Spirit flows, you won’t find rest. You will only wear yourself out. Why? Because you’re searching for life and seeking to sustain and preserve life apart from the One who offers you the life itself from His very Spirit. 

Instead, simply receive the gift that Jesus holds out with outstretched arms. Just as he told the woman at the well, he has living water. What is this living water? It’s the Spirit. 

WATER AND SPIRIT

Remember Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus. Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 

There’s actually no definite article in front of Spirit. It would be better translated, unless one is born of water and spirit, or even, unless one is born of water and breath. 

Jesus is likely using two words to address the same thing, in order to cover the Old Testaments different ways of conveying the giving of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is represented by both water and breath — living water and the breath of life. Being born of water and spirit here are one and the same thing. 

And when Jesus dies on the cross, and they pierce his side, what does John say flows from Jesus’ side? Not just blood, but water. Living water falls upon the thirst ground as a picture of the Spirit Jesus is about to pour out. 

Likewise, after the resurrection, Jesus breathes on his disciples saying what? Receive the Holy Spirit. This also points to the Spirit Jesus will pour out from on high after his ascension at Pentecost — and to every believer who comes after.

Have you receive the Spirit? Those who have receive the Spirit in this age, receive new life now. You have new life now. 

HOPE

But we also have the hope, the sure hope, that when we breathe our last on this present earth, just as Jesus breathed his last — see, following our Lord, means following our Lord. These present bodies will die and rot in the ground. But not our spirit. 

And one day, those bodies will be raised anew and filled forever with the everlasting presence of the eternal God — forever filled with the Holy Spirit.

Matt Smart

   Judgment According to Truth (Romans 2:1-2) 

INTRODUCTION

Who am I to judge. It’s not my place to judge. 

These are common phrases. We all know them. Some of us have used them. 

But most of the time, these phrases come bearing judgment disguised in my own personal opinion. Of course that opinion stands against the other person’s decision and action. But we somehow think we’ve softened the idea of judgment by portraying it as a preference rather than a judgment.

Aren’t we crafty!

In our society, tolerance and acceptance are the new standard of righteousness. And the greatest sin of all — according to public opinion — you guessed it — judgment of another. 

And yet, that itself is a judgment. We pass judgment on those who would judge another. 

This is actually a portrait of Paul’s very argument he opens with in chapter 2. O the irony!

The list of vices, the dishonorable passions, the lusts of the fallen human heart is not our problem. They are a problem. They are God’s judgment upon a fallen humanity for exchanging God — for giving Him up for lesser things — infinitely lesser things, because everything else piled together is infinitely less than God.)

But our greatest problem is our stance toward God Himself. What we think of God and our finding Him unworthy of our honor, unworthy of our thanksgiving, unworthy even of our acknowledgment. 

So, in chapter 2, Paul addresses the individual who has listened to Paul’s case against humanity in the second half of chapter 1, and somehow missed Paul’s point — that Paul must be referring to others — but certainly not me!

The person who seems to be in agreement with Paul, that humanity is filled with those who are depraved, debased, and dishonorable. But thank God, I’m nothing like that!

Well, chapter 2 is for those who somehow think in chapter 1, Paul wasn’t referring to them.

READ: Romans 2:1-5

LOVING CHAPTER 1

I imagine Paul has in mind, someone having just read the first chapter of his letter to the Romans, and before turning to chapter 2, they find themselves in hearty agreement with him. 

Perhaps Paul’s letter is being read out loud to the congregation in Rome, and you have that person on the front row with his loud “Amens.”

The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. AMEN!

For God’s invisible attributes… have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world… So they are without excuse. AMEN!

For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him. AMEN!

They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images. AMEN!

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator. AMEN!

They  did not see fit to acknowledge God. AMEN!

They were filled with … full of … they are … AMEN!

They not only practice such things but give approval to those who practice them. AMEN!

And the reader pauses between chapters. And the guy is like: This Paul fellow is good! These people are rightly condemned! They know God’s righteous decree, so they are justly deserving of the condemnation that’s coming. Amen Paul!

We’re loving the second half of chapter 1. Can’t wait to hear chapter 2!

MISSING THE POINT

Many seem to hear the second half of chapter 1 and commend Paul. They feel as if they have passed the test — that Paul’s indictment against humanity somehow excludes them.

“Wait a minute,” says Paul. You obviously missed something. You see, the second half of Romans 1 encompasses all of us — including me — and including you. You, my friend, are guilty too.

I’m not sure where we got off. What you failed to grasp. Is it that you’re heterosexual? So, you think you can cross off verses 26 and 27 of chapter 1 as if they don’t apply to you?

[As we covered two weeks ago, those verses are about all of us — because they aren’t so much about sexuality as they are about the dishonorable and disordered affections that are grounded in an excessive love of self — of sameness — of self-worship.]

You’re claiming to know God and His ways, doesn’t excuse you. Because you don’t live out what you know to be true, any more than those in chapter 1 fail to live out what they know to be true.

You wield God’s law as a mallet to whack others into line when your ways are every bit as crooked — and worse — you somehow think they’re not — because your assessment of yourself is based on a distorted standard. 

Which takes us to No Excuse 2.0.

NO EXCUSE 2.0

Therefore, you have no excuse o man, everyone of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.

Notice the therefore at the beginning of verse 1. Therefore, given the argument of the second half of chapter 1 that you find yourself supposedly in agreement with, you have no excuse. 

1:20. Just as everyone is without excuse for suppressing the truth God has made plain to them — here is Paul’s “No Excuse 2.0.” 

You prove that you know God’s righteous decree every time you pass judgment on another and hold them to standards you yourself fail to live by — standards of ought which reveal that you know the eternal law of God — with or without Scripture. You apply God’s righteous decree to others while failing to apply it to yourself.

APPROVING AND DISAPPROVING

You see what Paul did? In 2 verses, he covered everyone’s stance toward sin. The last verse of chapter 1 deals with those who approve of other people’s sins. And the first verse of chapter 2 deals with those who disapprove of other people's sins. 

If you approve of their sins, you are condemned with those in verse 32. If you disapprove of their sin, you condemn yourself. 

Do you approve of other people’s sin? Oh no, I don’t approve of their sin.
So, you disapprove of their sin. Yes. That’s me. I disapprove of their sin. Then you are self-condemned. 

Well, then, I’ll just be indifferent — I’ll ignore the whole world. Let them live how they want.
Well, that’s a type of approval. 

But the bottom line is, we all actually find ourselves on both sides of these two verses. Sometimes we do approve of the wrongdoing of others. And sometimes, we disapprove of the wrongdoing of others. 

Everyone falls on both sides of this. And that’s part of the point.

DRIVING THE POINT

We could simply look at how most of us respond to other people’s driving, and how we ourselves drive. 

Some car flies past us. O he’s going way too fast. He’s going to cause an accident.
Or you get behind someone driving too slow for your taste, and you become impatient. 

But let me ask. Are you ever the slower car? On a two lane road, do you ever find someone tailgating you? Does your speedometer ever crack the posted speed limit? It’s not a suggested speed. It’s not how fast you’re supposed to drive even. It’s the fastest you are permitted to drive. 

Listen loved ones. I’m guilty. My speed will often be a couple, if not a few miles over the limit. And I consider myself I fairly safe — law-abiding driver. But do you know what that means? What I’m really saying is, “Well, I don’t break the law to the degree she breaks does!” So, is that supposed to make me somehow innocent of breaking the law?

COMPARATIVE RIGHTEOUSNESS

Paul’s point is, in our passing judgment on others, we condemn ourselves because we are guilty of the same sort of things. And yet, we somehow have this standard of comparative righteousness, as if my righteousness, at least externally, appears to be a little more righteous than another’s, then I’m supposedly innocent. 

But that’s not how justice works. 

The judge doesn’t take up your case and then weigh it based on the other defendant he’s heard so far that day and those he anticipates hearing after you and say — Well, based on Tommy’s heinous crime, I’m going to declare you innocent. What sort of justice is that?

ACCORDING TO TRUTH

VERSE 2. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Literally, God’s judgment is according to truth.

God doesn’t judge the world on a curve. He judges rightly. He judges righteously. God judges according to truth.

Yet, in our mind, if we lined every person who ever lived according to their own personal righteousness, we would tend to set ourselves as the standard needed to be right before God.

Well, I’m not as bad as Hitler. But I’m no Billy Graham either.

Lord, I think we should draw the line here — somewhere just below where I stand. This group I’m in goes to heaven. The rest, do to them as You see fit. 

That is how most of the world understands righteousness. Sadly, that’s how most of the church understands righteousness. 

But the standard isn’t your neighbor, and it certainly isn’t you. The standard is Christ. Jesus’ righteousness is the only standard sufficient to save oneself.

NOAH, DANIEL, JOB

Picture in Ezekiel 14: The Lord pronounces unstoppable judgment on the house of Israel and Jerusalem. 

Son of man, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and break its supply of bread and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast, even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord. 

… even if these three men were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters. They alone would be delivered, but the land would be desolate.

Four times the Lord makes this pronouncement:
… even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither son nor daughter. They would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness.

INSUFFICIENT RIGHTEOUSNESS

Now, what the text is not saying is that these men were sinless. Noah got drunk. Job accused God of being unjust toward him. Daniel confessed his sins along with the sins of his people. These men weren’t sinless. They were men of faith — faith which, like Abraham’s, was credited to them as righteousness.

But their righteousness was insufficient to save anyone else. Their righteousness, even their collective righteousness was insufficient to save their own people — not even their own sons and daughters.

So, what would make you think your righteousness, that’s supposedly a bit more righteous than the person next to you, would suffice to save yourself. 

There is but One, whose righteousness is sufficient to save, not only Himself from the grave, but to save and gather together all the children of God. And that’s the Son of God, Jesus Christ. 

Only one person, due to His own righteousness, stands innocent of Paul’s charges against humanity — and that’s the Lord Jesus Christ — who was counted guilty — condemned even — not for any sin of His own — but for the some total of humanity’s sin.

LET’S GO TO THE MOVIES

Here’s the thing. We watch the movies and read the stories. What does the bad guy generally thing regarding his own morality and righteousness? Most often, he thinks he’s in the right. He doesn’t believe he’s actually done anything wrong. Any harm he causes to another, he feels they somehow deserved it, and that he was justified in his actions. 

Well, that’s not just the movies. That’s real life. I’m fairly confident that Hitler didn’t see himself as evil. And we can use plenty of examples today, but I’ll refrain. You can speculate.

The point is, that’s how disordered our own faculties are. We tend to think our evil actions are good — at least good for us. That’s what eating the fruit has led to. We seek to determine good and evil for ourselves, according to our own standard. 

Because we have rejected the God who is TRUTH as our standard of righteousness, we privately feel our actions are not all that bad — that they are justified. Otherwise, we wouldn’t do them.

The one who murders feels justified in doing so. Likewise, the adulterer. Proverbs 30:20. This is the way of the adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, “I have done nothing wrong.”

We tend to have one standard for ourselves and another standard for others — Proverbs 20:10 —We use differing weights and measures.

PRAISING GOD FOR SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS

And we even praise God for our own comparative righteousness. 

Luke 18:11. Lord, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even this tax collector.

As Paul writes to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 10:12): When we measure ourselves by one another and compare ourselves with one another, we are without understanding.

And even then, we fail to assess ourselves rightly. Just as the Pharisee thought he was the one who was justified, when it was actually the penitent broken tax collector.

Because here’s the thing. We don’t even live up to the standards we set for others. How much less God’s standard.

ALIGNED WITH GOD’S JUDGMENT

It’s right to disapprove of what God disapproves of. But disapproving along with God doesn’t make one right with God. So, long as we practice the very things God disapproves of, we are under the same judgment.

And humanity proves more often than many would like to admit, just how often we all disapprove of the things God disapproves of. 

AHAB’S RELEASE OF BEN-HADAD

Samuel read for us the account of Ahab releasing Ben-Hadad and making a covenant with him — an enemy of God’s people whom the Lord had given into Ahab’s hands for destruction. 

One of the prophets secretly confronted Ahab, disguising himself with a wound and a bandage. He cried out to King Ahab. Your servant went out in the midst of the battle, and behold, a soldier turned and brought a man to me and said, “Guard this man with your life.” But your servant was busy here and there, and the man was gone.

Ahab, like many of us, had a quick response. So, shall your judgment be. You yourself have decided it. So, the prophet hurried and removed the bandage and Ahab recognized him. And the prophet, announced the Lord’s judgment upon Ahab — the very same judgment Ahab had pronounced against the prophet for his story. 

In judging others, we condemn ourselves, for we practice the very same things.

DAVID REBUKED

Well, the most well known example is perhaps that of King David after he takes Uriah’s wife for his own and has Uriah killed in battle. Nathan presents David with the account of a rich man and a poor man. And a traveler came to the rich man. But the rich man was unwilling to depart with any of his own for the guest who had come, and instead, the rich man took the poor man’s sole ewe lamb and prepared that for the traveler.

The account is enough to make any of us furious at such injustice. And that was exactly David’s response. David’s anger was kindled against the rich man, and pronounced his own judgment against him. The man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.

And Nathan’s response to David. “You are the man!”

Loved ones. If the man after God’s own heart was blind to his own sin — willfully blind because he suppressed the truth of just how abhorrent his actions were before the Lord — what makes you think that you see your own sin so fully and clearly?

But here’s the thing. Once David was convicted, he immediately repented. I have sinned.

And Nathan follows up with these words: The Lord has put away your sin.

Loved ones, if we but repent, those words are for us. The Lord has put away your sin. But so long as you think Paul’s case against all of humanity doesn’t apply to you — so long as you see in yourself nothing of which to repent — your sin remains yours to cover.

JUDAH AND TAMAR

My family is working through Genesis. And just this week, we saw how Judah was ready to have his daughter in law, Tamar, burned for her sexual immorality because she was pregnant but her husbands, Judah’s sons, were dead. And everyone knows you don’t get pregnant by accident. So, there must have been some promiscuity on Tamar’s part.

As Tamar was being brought out to be burned, she sent word to her father-in-law. “By the man to whom these items belong, I am pregnant.” What were the items? They were Judah’s own signet, cord, and staff — the pledge that Judah himself gave her to sleep with her.

We don’t have time to cover the eye-opening transformation this had on Judah, who had sold his own brother into slavery in Egypt, but listen to Judah’s words here. She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.

She is more righteous than I. That, loved ones, is judgment according to truth. But how often we fail to come to that conclusion. But this is the turning point in Judah’s life. Before, he saw himself as justified in his sin. But this is the Judah who will now go on to offer himself in exchange for his brother Benjamin, the younger brother of the one he sold into slavery.

NOT ACCORDING TO TRUTH

The problem with our own judgment is that it is not according to truth. Our vision is impaired by our own sin.

This is why Jesus himself warns against judging others. 

Matthew 7:1-5. Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” when there is a log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

This is likely one of the most misinterpreted and misapplied passages in Scripture. Jesus is not giving a blanket statement against judging. He’s pressing the fact that in our fallen nature we fail to judge according to truth. And until our sin is confronted and dealt with, we are unfit to judge rightly.

But that this is an all out prohibition against judging is not what’s being expressed. 

JUDGING ANGELS AND OTHER MATTERS

Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! (1 Corinthians 6:3)

Jesus is addressing hypocritical judging. We see that in the passage itself. Jesus is warning against passing sentence on someone when you harbor those same sins inside yourself. 

They are in need of the same mercy you need. The reason we expose sin for what it is, is so that it can be nailed to the cross — so they might know repentance — so they might be restored. 

We don’t expose sin for another’s condemnation. We’re not equipped to pronounce such judgments. Because only God can see the heart. And only God knows the end game for each individual.

Leviticus 19:15. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor. Jesus didn’t come to contradict Scripture but fulfill it. Jesus never teaches anything that is out of line with the rest of God’s Word. Rather, he communicates the fullness of what was always intended.

What Jesus is saying, is that before you can judge rightly to help your brother, you first have to judge yourself rightly. You first have to be able to rightly assess your own sin, before you can help your brother with his. 

BEAM OF TIMBER

But notice the contrast. The word “log” or “plank” is that of a beam of timber that supports the house, such as a joist or rafter. The comparison is that of a great beam of timber verses a splinter.

First take the beam of timber out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the splinter that is in your brother's eye (Luke 6:42).

I'm often blind to my sin, not because it's not right before my eyes, but because I don’t want to see it. I'd rather suppress the truth and think more highly of myself than I ought. 

Notice that the point of Jesus' parable is not to ignore my brother's splinter. It'd be foolish to think my brother enjoys having a painful splinter in his eye. But he's been just as blind to his splinter as I have been to the beam of timber in my own eye. Love insists that I care for my brother in the best way possible. The question is, "How?" 

Jesus' parable is clear. I must first recognize just how much my own sin impairs my vision, making it difficult if not impossible for me to be of any assistance to my brother in helping him with his own. 

Only in seeing just how great my sin within is — how it far surpasses any outward sin I could ever see concerning my brother — am I then able to gently, lovingly, and with humility help my brother with his splinter by pointing him to the same care I so desperately need — a great Physician who heals our impaired vision by being nailed to the very beam of timber that once blinded me from seeing God rightly for who He is — that blinded me from seeing His perfect goodness and love.

TABLE OF JUDGMENT

It’s imperative that we learn to assess ourselves rightly — to judge ourselves by God’s standard. 

At the communion table, Paul addresses this very issue with the church in Corinth. (1 Corinthians 11:31.)
If we judge ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned with the world.

The Lord’s Supper …

The only way we’ll be able to judge rightly — to judge ourselves according to truth — is in seeing our sin nailed to the beam of timber that once impaired our vision — seeing the grotesqueness of sin for what it is — seeing the necessity of our sin being judged, and not just judged but fully judged — and that the penalty — how horrific — the fullness of what death is — a full and utter separation from the lovingkindness of the Father and all His goodness. 

That’s what the Son of God endured for your sin. 

Jesus’ payment on the cross isn’t a license for us to continue in sin, for how can we continue in that which caused our Lord so much pain and grief.

MIRROR

So, here’s a challenge. Any time you notice another person’s sin, imagine there’s a mirror pointing right back to you. And before saying a word to them, ask yourself how might your sin be like theirs … 

Peter’s sin and restoration — went on to write powerfully and with humility. He was able to judge according to truth because he was confronted with his own sin — and was welcomed and embraced by the nail scarred hands he had once betrayed and abandoned. 

That didn’t mean Peter walked in perfection. But he walked differently. He walked according to truth. 

Go and do likewise.

  God Gave Them Up: Unfit Mind (Romans 1:28-32)

INTRODUCTION:

Ecclesiastes 1:7. All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.

The Great Lakes — fascinating system.

Rain, when it falls, the water descends until it reaches the lowest point. Dams may restrain the water from descending further — for a time. But as the water builds, it either overflows the dam, or it is released to continue its downward descent — until it reaches that next gracious restraint and overflows yet again.

We’re continuing to walk through what might be referred to as Paul’s exposition of the Fall of Mankind. And the question we might ask ourselves: Is there an end? Is there a bottom, a lowest point to man’s depravity?

Is there a point at which man has reached or could reach in the depths of his sin, in which he will go no further?

In other words, is there an end to fallen man’s corruptness?

I have a utility trailer I use for work. And I’m often fighting against rust. If the rust is left unaddressed, eventually, it will eat through the metal in its entirety, until the whole trailer, the entire vehicle is useless — unfit for anything good.

Our corruptness isn’t rust. It’s sin. And it needs to be addressed before it permanently destroys us. But before the remedy, we have to come face to face with the problem. That’s what we’re looking at as we wrap up Romans 1 this morning.

READ (Romans 1:18-32)

DOWNWARD EXCHANGE

Paul has been walking us through the downward trajectory of the exchange of God — highlighted by a threefold series of exchanges. We’ve noted the 3-fold exchange over the past few weeks. Now, we’re going to look at how this 3-fold exchange is presented as a downward trajectory.

FIRST

First (v23) we have the exchange of glory. Manind exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for that of the corrupted glory of copies of images. Rather than content to be the glorious image of God, mankind fashioned their own images in which to portray God — images fashioned after themselves. 

SECOND

Second (v25) is the exchange of truth and worship. They exchanged of truth of the One who is the foundational reality of everything else. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie — and in turn, they worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.

ONE STEP FURTHER

But Paul takes his argument one step further. This great exchange wasn’t some unconscious decision on the part of God’s image-bearers. This wasn’t some accidental oversight in which man was confused as to just who God is. And it wasn’t some mere temptation that drew us away from God to worship something else.

The climax of this exchange — or rather, the anti-climax — is that mankind actually tested God — examined all that could be known about God — and did not like what they found. So, they determined God to be unfit to even have in their knowledge. 

ΔΟΚΙΜΆΖΩ

The Greek word is δοκιμάζω — which means to approve of something after testing. It’s the idea of examining something to reveal its true worth, as when one assays metals — often through fire — to judge its quality and value. Is the gold or silver pure? 

MARKET PLACE

In the market place, merchants and moneychangers would examine or test coins to see whether or not they were genuine, as well as their value. And then they’d either accept them as payment or not — they approve of their value or not. 

CANDIDATES

Similar to our election process, the candidates for the Roman senate would be tested, examined, scrutinized as to whether they were fit for public office or not. (Consider our process. We have candidates who are so obviously unfit, and yet, we give them our stamp of approval. But that’s verse 32.)

SCRUTINIZED GOD

Well, in a similar fashion, God has been scrutinized and examined and found unworthy of even our acknowledgment. Fallen man disapproves of God, and hence, bans God from his very knowledge. It’s this disapproval of God that has led to the exchange of worship, and thus the exchange of glory.

DISAPPROVING GOD

Our first parents looked at the fruit. But in considering the fruit, they also considered God. Didn’t God say.

Well, I don’t approve of God’s decree. Likewise, I don’t approve of the God behind the decree. So, they ate.

CONSTANT SUPPRESSION

Of course, it takes a constant suppression of the truth because one cannot rid God completely from their worldview, try as they may. That’s why, no sooner did Adam and Eve eat, they hid. They could only suppress the truth for a time — just long enough to give into their true desire. But the reality of God is always there. So, they sewed together fig leaves — in an attempt to hide their obvious guilt.

INTENTIONALLY ATHEISTIC

Apart from Christ, this is all of our condition. While there is no genuine atheist in that everyone actually knows — all of humanity is intentionally atheistic in their worldviews as regards the God who is — in that they don’t approve of having God in their knowledge. 

This is why idols and false gods are simply another way of hiding from God. They can’t displace the reality of God. So, they fashion false gods according to their own liking. 

NO PRACTICAL DIFFERENCE

But there’s no practical difference between professing to be an atheist or an agnostic and that of worshiping idols. Because to believe and trust in false gods is to believe and trust in gods who are not. The reality of one’s condition is the same. They are without hope and without God in their own little world or worldview which they seek to craft for themselves.

DOWNWARD CORRUPTION

This downward exchange of God leads to a downward corruption. Paul’s 3-fold exchange of God is followed by a 3-fold God giving humanity up to their exchange. And just as Paul lays out this exchange in a downward trajectory, we are to see God giving them up in a similar downward trajectory. 

UNREGULATED DESIRE

First, God gave them up to unregulated desire — in the lust of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves.

DISHONORABLE DESIRES

Second, God gives them up to dishonorable desires — passions in which there is an obvious corruption of the natural order. This is most obviously displayed in same-sex relationships. But homosexuality is not the lowest bar of corruption. 

DEBASED MIND

Third, God gives them up to a debased mind. Their very mental faculties are corrupt — approving that which is clearly evil as good.

The word is the same root at the beginning of verse 28, where man tested God and did not approve of Him, So God gave man over to an unapproving mind. Or to follow more closely to the ESV, since mankind didn’t see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to an unfit mind to do what ought not to be done.

EXCHANGE AND ITS CONSEQUENCE

So, to follow the exchange and the consequences:
They did not honor God, so God gave them over to dishonor.
They exchange the worship of God; God gave them over to unholy worship.
They exchanged the truth about God; God gave them over to false practices.
(Same-sex unions are a fiction — impossible. They are an exchange of reality — obvious reality.)

Finally, they did not find God fit; God gave them over to an unfit mind. An unfit mind is the fruit of seeing God as unfit. To disapprove of God necessarily entails a disapproval of all who God is and stands for. 

In other words, image-bearers who were created to reflect God, instead are given over to do what ought not to be done. 

FUNDAMENTAL SIN

It’s important for us to recognize, before we look at Paul’s list of sins — 21 vices in verses 29, 30, and 31 — that the fundamental sin is not lust or sexual immorality, nor is it homosexuality, nor is it this list of 21 vices found in the following verses. 

The fundamental sin is a failure to worship God in truth by honoring Him and giving thanks to Him. Every other sin is a consequence of this one! All other sin is an outworking of mankind’s idolatry, which in judgment, God gave them over to.

The fundamental reality in all the universe is who God is, and what is expected of mankind in knowing who He is. 

Because they did not think God was fit to be known, God gave them up to an unfit mind so that they now do those things which are unfitting.

VICE LIST

This list of 21 vices is by no means meant to be exhaustive. There are approximately 30 such lists in the New Testament, none of them identical. They are meant to capture — not so much the specifics of each individual sin or sinful tendency — but the comprehensive nature of sin in that the who person is unwell — the whole person is unfit to do any good whatsoever. 

Where they found God to be unfit — they are unfit to image Him.

This list serves as a general wide-ranging depiction of an unfit mind that is so unfit that it finds the Creator — from whom they enjoy their every good — as unfit. What could be more astonishing!

But listen loved ones. Outside of Christ, that was me. That was all of us! It’s not that society is as bad as it could be, nor that every vice describes every individual.
Yet, to the extent one finds God unfit in their mind, their mind is thus unfit. As such they will either approve of the evil or the evildoer. 

THREE DIVISIONS

This list is divided into three groups, in a sense, to match the ever-deepening corruption. They have been filled; they are full of; and they are.

Remember. This is God’s judgment on a people who have found Him unfit. In finding God unfit, they are filled with the opposite of godliness.

HAVE BEEN FILLED

First group. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil covetousness, malice. 

Where mankind was created upright. A rejection of God leaves a vacuum of ungodliness. No corruption is off the table here. But the passive nature of the verb suggests that they aren’t filling themselves with these things. There being filled with this 4-fold representation of ungodliness is a consequence of disapproving of God.

These are the opposite of good. And that’s the point. That’s what abandoning God for the fruit has led to — and must inevitably lead to. To abandon God is to abandon that which is good — the greatest good.
As such, sin is an ever-increasing decline.

FULL OF

The second group is the result of that vacuum of ungodliness — that which they are full of. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They aren’t just wicked but full of wickedness. 

In one sense, absent of knowing God, there’s an emptiness within fallen man in which nothing else can fill. And yet, here, Paul is stating that mankind is actually full of something — full of those things that in actuality are empty.

Think of envy. Envy is absent of love, joy, gratitude. Murder is absent of life. Strife is absent peace. Deceit is absent of truth. Maliciousness is absent grace, kindness, goodness. 

Rather than full of life, they are full of that which is empty and dead. 

ENVY

Envy, for example, finds no joy in another person’s privileges or pleasures. Where another’s hoppiness should cheer us, mankind’s debased mind brings them misery instead. Envy cannot bear to witness God’s favor toward another. 

(Consider the Jews of Paul’s day. That hated the idea that the gentiles could be included in God’s plan of salvation. As such, the vast majority of them rejected the gospel precisely because of their envy — that God might wish to do good to them too.) 

But listen loved ones. That’s us. Our fallen nature has the same tendency. Just consider how you respond in here (in the heart) when you here of someone else’s goodness — especially if that someone else is someone you don’t particularly care for.

THEY ARE

The last group, the longest of the three, goes from being filled with, to being full of, to simply they are. Each of these last 12 are in the accusative case. They are these things. 

This last group could probably be further subdivided into 4 smaller groups — 2, 4, 2, 4.

SPEECH THAT TEARS DOWN

They are gossips and slanderers. Both deal with speech, but not just any speech. Speech designed to ruin another’s reputation — designed to tear down.

Do you see how these fall in with the previous 5. People gossip and slander because they are full of envy. They gossip and slander seeking to destroy another person, even if only reputationally — hence they are full of murder. 

They gossip and slander because they are at strife with one another. 

Gossip and slander is a form of deceit. Even if true on the surface, the reason one shares such is to give a more negative impression of reality to one’s disfavor. (Isn’t that what the serpent did in his deceit. He sought to use truth deceptively. Think of how he quoted Scripture in Jesus’ wilderness temptation.)

And gossip and slander are most simply a form of maliciousness — an attempt to bring evil upon another.

[And if I inspect — examine my own heart — I’m greatly convicted. Because loved ones, I’m guilty of all of these. O nothing like 15 years ago, when I began to follow Christ. But O how far I still have to go. What about you?]

SINS OF PRIDE

The next four focus particularly on pride. They are haters of God, insolent, haughty, and boastful. These display pride of the most corrupt kind — beginning with their hatred of God.

Followed by insolent or ὑβριστής or our English term, hubris, meaning excessive pride and self-confidence.

Next we have haughty or ὑπερήφανος — which literally means a hyper-showing or shining forth of oneself. This is one who has to be in the spotlight. Hey, notice me! 

And I’m not talking about the child craving daddy’s attention. No this is the person who needs to be the center of attention at the cost of everyone else. Don’t pay attention to them but to me. (O how social media feeds this disordered craving of fallen man.)

The last of this subset is boastful. This is the one who brags he can do or has done many things which he hasn’t or can’t — at least not to the proficiency of which he boasts. 

You see. Each of these sins of pride can only come about when one sets aside God. Because when one acknowledges the immensity of God and that any gifting we have comes from Him, the idea of any sort of boasting just seems absolutely silly.  

But in their pride, they found God unfit and have sought to fill His place. How absurd.

WATER-FALLS

Water actually serves as a beautiful illustration of humility. Waters descend lower and lower and lower. 

Well, I don’t want to be like such a stream. I want to be like the mountain, not the stream that descends to the bottom of it. 

But what happens to that stream when it reaches the bottom? The glorious brilliance of the sun shines on the waters as they gather with the rest of the waters. And that water is exalted high above the mountains in clouds of witnesses to God’s glorious design.

SET ASIDE ALL AUTHORITY

The last two subsets could be presented as they are — partly for a rhetorical flourish — the first two being a pair of noun adjective, noun adjective — and the last four ending with a flourish of assonance — each beginning with the same sound.

That said, we shouldn’t think that rhetoric is the extent of Paul’s purpose. 

We have the setting aside of all authority — no bounds to one’s wickedness. They are inventors of evil and disobedient to parents. The most basic authority structures in life are set aside, so much so that they look for ways to do that which is evil.

Isn’t that what took place in the garden. It wasn’t enough to know good. They wanted to know evil too. Hence, they rejected the authority of the God who fashioned them. 

Inventors of evil. Is there a point beyond which fallen man will not go? Does such exist? Only by God’s gracious restraint society’s not more corrupt. 

But here’s the thing. The judgment is not that God is restraining man’s corruptness but has given man over to their corruptness.

ABSENT

And the final four — no, not basketball. They are foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 

Each of these begin with what’s called an alpha-privative — which, sort of like our prefix “un” means they are not the quality of the root word. For example, one who is unhappy is not happy. 

Likewise, the alpha privative negates or expresses an absence of the root. Rather than understanding, they are absent understanding — or as the ESV translates it, they are foolish. 

The NIV, captures the feel of the Greek words — instead of the same prefix, simply adds the same suffix.
Senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 

Or we could say, they are absent understanding, absent of trust, absent affection, and absent of mercy. 

The theme again is that of emptiness. A rejection of God, leaves one empty of godly qualities.

VERSE 32

Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

THEY KNOW 

Now, Paul began this section, back in verses 18-21 stating how man suppresses the truth about God that is plainly displayed for all humanity to easily comprehend — that everyone knows that God is — and that His very attributes are clearly displayed. And yet, as we come to verse 28, the case Paul has made up to this point is that mankind examined God and found Him unfit.

Well, here Paul wraps up this portion of his case by stating, not only does everyone know God, but they know what God expects from them. They know God’s righteous decrees and found those decrees unfitting.

WITHOUT SPECIAL REVELATION

Paul isn’t referring here to special revelation, as if everyone has a copy of the Ten Commandments. No. Paul is saying that everyone without exception — whether they have been graced with special revelation or not — everyone knows God’s decrees, and they know the judgment for going against those decrees — death. Everyone knows they deserve death for the way they have lived out their lives. They know. 

As we’ll see later in chapter 2, the law of God had been written upon every human heart. Because of the fall and our sin, that law is severely marred, but it’s nonetheless there. 

This is why, everyone is without excuse. It’s not simply that they look at creation and deny God the honor and gratitude He deserves. They know how they are to live as image-bearers and instead have chosen to live contrary to the One whom they were fashioned after. 

HEARTY APPROVAL

And just when you think mankind couldn’t sink any lower, Paul hammers home the extent of our depravity with these words — they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

He uses the same root word that he kicked off verse 28 with. They did not approve of God, they approve of those who are in blatant rebellion against Him.

Because they did not think God was fit to be known, God gave them up to an unfit mind to do that which is unfitting. (But get this.) Not only do they do that which is unfitting, they deem those who do such things as fit. Where they didn’t approve of God, they approve of those who are godless to the core. 

(Same root word)

This is the decline of a society — where disorder and ungodliness is the norm.

O the pride it takes to know God’s righteous decree and the penalty for breaking such and yet proceed anyway. This is the epitome of pride — the very depths of our depravity … almost. But we can go a step lower still. And that is giving hearty approval to those who are in rebellion against God, doing these very things they know ought not to be done.

CHEERFUL ADVOCATES

O you have those who want to put on airs as if they are righteous, so they almost seem not to fall into this list of vices. And yet, these who are too timid to sin so boldly themselves, are the ones who cheer on those who do. 

O the advocates for such corruption, such as murder. I would never kill my own baby. But I support those women who do. I mean it’s their right. Listen, the one who approves and offers support of sin, is no more innocent before God than one who committed the act.

At Pentecost, Peter, addressing the Jews in Jerusalem, does not hesitate to say, “this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now, let me ask, were they the ones who crucified Jesus? Not directly. But they gave their hearty approval to those who did. As such, they were guilty. And they recognized that they were guilty. When they heard this, they were cut to the heart. 

Paul, likewise, recognized his guilt in approving of wrongdoing. Acts 20:20. When the blood of Stephen was being shed, Paul said, I myself stood by approvingly watching over the garments of those who killed him. Paul saw himself as sharing in the guilt of shedding Stephen’s blood. How? In his approval of their sin in shedding it. 

Not only do we commit such sinful acts — we sanction evil and evildoers. 

THE GOAL

The goal of revealing and exposing our human condition with such force, rather than tiptoeing around the issue, is to humble us. 

It’s not simply that we were naïve or deceived. We were not okay, nor those who made or make a few mistakes here and there. We know through and through. Yet we suppress, and blatantly rebel. And unless we come to admit just how horrendous our fallen nature is, we’ll never come to Christ as our Savior. 

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO

O when we think of just how far we have fallen, the depths of our rebellion, I often wonder, just how low our depravity can truly reach. 

You want to know the answer? Not as low as the Son of God condescended to rescue us from it.

A CRY FOR HELP

This second half of Romans 1, cries out for help, cries out for a way out of this downward spiral, cries out for good news. Why? Because the picture doesn’t get any bleaker than this. It’s seemingly hopeless — for those who have made such a grave exchange — which is the entire human race. 

O to be clothed in such unrighteousness — such an unfit mind and unfit lifestyle. 

In Paul’s words from Romans 7, who will deliver us from this body of death?

We need a covering — an atonement.

We need repentance. Romans 1:18-32 is Scripture’s plea for man to repent. These verses display the horrific portrait of mankind without God — as if there were no God. (Of course, things are not even close to as bad as they could be. And that loved ones is sheer grace — the merciful restraint of a loving God.)

STARTING POINT FOR THE GOSPEL

In the midst of this horrific downgrade, there’s actually some good news in this case Paul lays out against all humanity — and that’s the starting point of the gospel.

The fact that everyone knows means you don’t have to convince anyone of something they already know to be true. O they suppress the truth to be sure. But everyone is well aware of their condition and dreadful predicament. 

This means that we can speak about the salvation Jesus offers, knowing that everyone is aware of their guilt before their Creator. This is why we can share the gospel with any and everyone regardless of cultural background. Romans 1:18-32 is the inroads, the common point of connection.

O we won’t persuade anyone with our crafty arguments. It takes something far more powerful — supernatural — than that. It will take nothing less than the Spirit of God to open the eyes of those who are willfully blind. 

Still, it’s good news that we don’t have to search for a starting place to share the gospel. It’s already there. You don’t first have to get to know someone, or their lifestyle, or worldview, or culture. Everyone has this starting point.

TRIUNE COST

Well, because we have a three-fold “God gave them up.” We should probably consider the three-fold Triune remedy for our condition. 

The first week we looked at the Father giving up His Son for us all. 

Last week we looked at the Son giving himself up for us. 

This week let’s close with the Spirit. 

The death of Jesus as recorded in John 19. 

After this, Jesus knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his Spirit.

THREEFOLD SEVERING

When I think of what it cost for God to save us from this horrific exchange we had made…

Ecclesiastes 4:12 speaks of how two are better than one, though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him — a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

O the strength in unity. And we see in the tower of Babel, and in Psalm 2, and at the cross, and here in our passage in Romans 1, and throughout Scripture that all of humanity has arrayed themselves together against God — against the Triune God. A threefold cord is not quickly broken. And yet to save us, that is exactly what had to take place — nothing less than the severing of the inseparable Trinity. (Of course, we’re looking at this through the incarnation. But that doesn’t discount what took place.)

The Father gave up his only Son. The Son gave up himself. And the Son gave up his Spirit.

But not only did Jesus give up His Spirit in order to save us, in order to cover our sin. He gives us His very Spirit, pouring it out on us so that our corrupt hearts and minds might be renewed from the inside out. 

RENEWAL

Because the only cure for an unfit mind is a renewed mind. Romans 12 is a reversal of Romans 1:28.

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

While everyone knows, the suppression of true has corrupted that knowledge. We can no longer trust our feelings or our hearts or our unfit minds. They need to be renewed in order to approve that which is approvable and disapprove of that which is unbefitting of image-bearers.

Where we once found God unfit to even acknowledge, with a new Spirit breathed into us, we can now fulfill Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Paul’s prayer, as recorded in Philippians 1:9-10. That your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.

So, at the end of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, as Damian read for us:
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Only the work of the Spirit in renewing our unfit minds can overcome his deep-seated depravity found in all of us. And little by little, the Spirit of the Lord does just that. (Exodus 23).