Romans 2:4 – The riches of his appropriateness

Or are you despising the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, being ignorant that the kindness of God is leading you to repentance?

Let’s try to stick to what Paul is arguing here. In chapter 1 he wrote about the world that is separate from GOD and also demonstrates this in its practices. From chapter 2: 1 onwards, Paul also involves the ‘moralist’: the one who takes judgment over that world that has gone loose, but in the meantime does the same things hypocritically. In fact, this mendacity makes them even more decadent than the world doing these things openly.

The above verse gives a second reason why especially the judgmental human being will not escape GOD’s judgment. That is because one pretends to represent GOD, but actually has no idea of ​​who He really is. One despises the richness of his appropriateness (> kindness), forbearance and patience. One exalts oneself in misplaced pride above others but has no eye whatsoever for GOD’S loving kindness and for everything in which it appears. That too is characteristic of orthodox religion. People like to portray God as harsh and strict, without realizing that He is always love, even in his strictness. Because He eventually brings all his creations home!

Delen: