Topic: Kindness of God Leads to Repentance
Romans 2:4 says, “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 5:8 says, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
The kindness of God offers salvation which is the forgiveness of sin and acceptance into the family of God. Salvation is personally experienced upon confession and believing.
God has made it clear that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and that “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Therefore, to confess means to agree with God. For you to personally experience salvation, a confession is required. Confession is a verbal acknowledgement that you are in agreement with God concerning your sin and its consequences.
Confession is accompanied by believing in the resurrection of Jesus. We are to believe that not only did Jesus die on the cross to take the penalty for our sins so that we could be forgiven; but also that He rose again! The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is basic to our faith.
I Corinthians 15:3-4 says, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
Confession with one’s mouth the Lordship of Jesus and believing in the heart the resurrection of Jesus results in righteousness and salvation. Please take notice that both are necessary. One without the other leaves one empty.
Matthew 7:21 says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”
Confession and believing are essential in responding to the kindness of God’s offer of forgiveness and acceptance into His family.
See you Sunday,
Dr. Scott Kallem