But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? Romans 2:3-4 (NASB)
Teachers of the Bible usually teach this passage to mean that God is kind to us so that we will turn from our sinning and accept Christ as our Savior. That's what I was always taught in church. But I believe the context of this passage is entirely different than that teaching. The sinful acts of the person are not the main point. The main point in context, rather, is the person's conception of judgment and the projection of that judgment onto others, including God, and their futile attempt to justify themselves while ignoring their own failings.
Remember, the new covenant biblical word translated as "repentance" is metánoia. It means to change the way one thinks. Our sin-focused and sin-tainted minds have given the word metánoia a non-biblical definition: primarily, stop sinning. When we hear the word "repent," we automatically think "stop sinning." But this is not what the word means in the original, ancient language. The difference in what we think it means and what it actually means is a tragedy of epic proportions. How then, are we able to truly change the way we think? And what are we supposed to think differently about?
It is not sorrow for our sins. It is not a commitment to live better by the aid of the law. It is not even that we should no longer give in to a sin. Metánoia finds its source in the riches of God's kindness and tolerance and patience. And more specifically, it is a revealed gift from God where we finally understand that God does not relate to us based on the law, but rather on the basis of His nature. In other words, God intends to turn the person from living according to the system of the Law, where good deeds are rewarded and bad deeds punished, by showing His kindness, tolerance, and patience. The kindness of God is intended to convince us that our effort to live by a knowledge of right and wrong (do good; avoid sin) is nothing more than dung to God--we cannot earn favor and blessing, ever. He wants us to clearly see that we are only and will only ever be the objects of His rich kindness, tolerance, and patience. He wants us to receive His grace and live in the power of this good news.
We must throw away our scales and weights which we use to measure how well we and others are doing, and instead receive the undeserved and unconditional love and acceptance of an unobligated, unrestrained, giving Lover. His message to the entire world is that each person would receive His gift (fulfilled by Him on the cross) and think differently about Him, living in the richness of His grace toward them. Any change in behavior a person would make outside of this message is a self-attempt to reform. It falls eternally short of the power He has to transform us. Accept His grace and let it transform you and the way you think.
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy