Romans 2:4 Or despise you the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering… "God is love"; consciously to know this is life. "He that loveth is born of God." "Not knowing" it, the mind "despises" all the manifestations of God's goodness which are adapted to lead to repentance unto life. In what way, then, shall we get an influential conviction of the Divine love which tends to produce repentance? The love of God towards us, as spiritual beings, is manifested — I. IN THE CHARACTER AND OFFICE OF CONSCIENCE. Conscience is not a guide infallible. It is empowered only by faith in God, and it is true only by belief of the truth. This fact is one of the strongest testimonies for the necessity of revelation. With revelation conscience is — 1. Moral admonition. When any sin is contemplated, it whispers, "Do not that wickedness and sin against God." 2. Moral impulse. It points to the path of duty and says, "That is the way, walk ye in it." "You have sinned, arise and go to your Father." Now the design of God is seen in conscience as clearly as the design of the maker in the regulator of a watch. The regulator was placed in the watch to govern its movements and keep the watch right. So was conscience in the soul. God in conscience shows His goodness by placing a power in the soul to deter us from known sin, and to lead us to repentance. Despise not His goodness! The best friend, though he follow the sinful many years, will turn back if his counsel be persistently rejected: so the voice of conscience will abate in the soul if we continue to resist its admonitions. II. IN THE CHARACTER AND DESIGN OF DIVINE REVELATION. The true test of benevolence is its design. What, then, is Revelation designed to accomplish for man? The greatest — 1. Individual good. To love God and man is the soul's highest good here and hereafter. 2. Social good. Suppose a family obeyed the laws of God — "Husbands love your wives"; "Wives love and reverence your husbands"; "Children obey your parents in the Lord" — who will doubt but that such a family would experience the greatest good? 3. Universal good. If I loved others as myself, I should rejoice in their good as much as my own; and every blessing bestowed upon them would he bestowed upon me, and my blessings upon them. III. IN THE MOTIVES HE PRESENTS TO INCLINE US TO REPENT AND OBEY. The character of any mind is known by the character of the motives that it presents to influence other minds. Now, in the New Testament, the evil of sin and its final curse are presented to our fears to arrest us in the highway to hell. The purity and glory of heaven are presented to our hopes to induce us to repentance and faith. The heart is appealed to by infinite love. From the Cross the suffering Saviour cries, "Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die?" IV. IN THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST. A revelation of law does not lead us to love the law that we have transgressed; but a revelation of love, which offers pardon, leads us to love the lawgiver, and thus to honour and obey the law. "What the law could not do," etc. God could not make a law which would allow a single sin. But we are all sinners, and in our evil and helpless state Christ offers Himself "a propitiation for the sins that are past," "that God might be just and the justifier of him that believeth on Jesus." "In this was manifested the love of God" (1 John 4:9). V. TO LEAD US TO REPENTANCE BY THE MERCY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT'S OPERATION. He convicts "the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment," i.e., He shows them their sin, points to the true standard of righteousness, and admonishes them of judgment, in order thus to lead them to repentance. Then, in the heart of Christians, He "takes of the things of Christ and shows them" (John 16:14); and as the Christian sees, he repents, worships, and rejoices. In the conviction and indwelling of the Spirit are the love of God manifested to lead men to repentance. (J. B. Walker, M. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? |
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