StudyNotes on Romns 9:22-24

HCSB Romans 9:22-24
And what if God, desiring to display His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience objects of wrath ready for destruction? And ⌊what if⌋ He did this to make known the riches of His glory on objects of mercy that He prepared beforehand for glory — on us whom He also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

Are you a patient person? We all know how frustrating it can be when our patience runs thin. Not only does it cause us inner conflict but those around us get to experience our wrath when we are on edge because our patience has run out. What causes us to lose our patience? I’m not talking about surface issues. I want us to see that when our lives are transformed by the Spirit and we begin to live a life committed to the imitation of Christ, we can develop the very attributes that He possesses. In Galatians 5:22-23 Paul says: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” There is one fruit of the Spirit, with many dimensions. The first facet of this fruit that Paul mentions is love. If we meditate on the list that follows, we see that in one sense each virtue produces the next. Loving loyalty to God produces joy at his victory. This enables us to live at peace with others since we know how things will turn out. Peacefulness enables us to be patient.

Patience is also translated “long-suffering.” It has to do with our ability to endure with other people for the long haul. Our love for others carries through “for better and for worse, in sickness and in health.” Few people seem to have this ability to persevere in adversity. Escalating divorce rates even among believers show how sadly lacking we are in this fruit. Yet, this kind of patient long-suffering works in us the virtue of true kindness.
There are many times when Paul refers to patience as a human virtue. Interestingly there are only two places in Paul’s writings when he speaks of the idea of God’s Patience. Those verses are Romans 2:4 and Romans 9:22. In order to fully understand the context of Rom. 9: 22 we need to take a close look at these verses.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version
Romans 2:4 (NKJV)
“Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”
It is true that God shows patience to the wicked only to allow the sins of such persons to accumulate so that he might more fully display his wrath and power in judging them at last. That is one of his purposes in showing patience to the wicked. However, that is not the only purpose. The patience of God is also displayed so that those whom God is calling to faith might have the opportunity to repent. In Romans 2 Paul is writing of God’s righteous judgment on those who consider themselves to be better than other people but are actually doing the same things and are committing the same sins. Paul asks “Do you think you will escape God’s Judgment?” (v.3), since you “show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience?” (v.4). But notice now what Paul adds “not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance.” This is an indirect clause, showing what God’s kindness, tolerance, and patience are for – they are intended to lead sinful men and women to repentance.
Now, let’s look at II Peter 3, which is an important chapter for learning about the patience of God. Peter is here dealing with a problem caused by scoffers posed by the delayed return of Jesus Christ who were saying “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (v.4-8). But then Peter comes to his most important argument – “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (v.9). Some people understand this verse as if it were denying the doctrine of election, but that is not it’s meaning. Peter is speaking to the elect in this passage – He says “patient with you.” If that is not the case how could Peter go on to write in verses 15 & 16 “and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.”

Now, it’s interesting to note that Peter refers to Paul as having written of “these things”. But since Paul has only written twice of God’s patience and since Romans 2:4 is easy to understand that only leaves Romans 9:22 since Peter says “in which are some things hard to understand”. Interestingly though, while Paul’s teaching is hard to understand Peter tells us exactly what they mean. They teach that “the Lord’s patience means salvation.” The verses do not say only that God is longsuffering with the wicked so that he may judge them more severly in the end, thereby displaying both his wrath and his power. They also teach that God is patient with sinners so that they may be led to repentance.

If you are having trouble accepting this teaching let’s look at another verse that Paul uses that speaks of God’s unlimited patience to himself. In I Timothy 1:15, 16 Paul says “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.”
So, if God’s patience means salvation for his own, how does that come about?

How Repentance is Produced
IT IS A DIVINE GIFT.
Acts 11:18—“Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.” 2 Tim. 2:25—“If God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.” Acts 5:30, 31. Repentance is not something which one can originate within himself, or can pump up within himself as one would pump water out of a well. It is a divine gift. How then is man responsible for not having it? We are called upon to repent in order that we may feel our own inability to do so, and consequently be thrown upon God and petition Him to perform this work of grace in our hearts.

That sin exists on earth and causes such horrible consequences is not evidence of God’s desire to see sin abound, but of His patience in allowing more opportunity for people to turn to Him for salvation. Thus we can determine that God’s purposes in permitting evil are always good. A tension will always exist between God’s sovereignty and man’s will; therefore we should not try to resolve it by modifying what He says about either reality. God is sovereign, but He gives us choices. And it is in His sovereignty that He commands us to pray, “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

Have you developed a hatred for sin? Does God grant you repentance often?

Food forThought!

Rick