196. Concerning The Forbearance Of God.

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. - Romans 2:4.

IT is an instance of divine condescension that the Lord reasons with men and asks this question and others like it (Isa. 1:5; 55:2; Jer. 3:4; Ezek. 33:11).

God not only acts kindly to sinners, but when they misuse his kindness, he labors to set them right (Isa. 1:18; Hosea 11:8).

It is a sad thing that any who have seen God's judgments on others and have escaped themselves should draw from this special mercy a reason for adding sin to sin (Jer. 3: 8).

From the Lord's earnest question, let us learn wisdom.

I. LET US HONOR THE LORD'S GOODNESS AND FORBEARANCE.

A reverent sense of it will be a sure safeguard against despising it.

1. It is manifested to us in a threefold form ---

· Goodness which has borne with past sin (Ps. 78:38).

· Forbearance which bears with us in the present (Ps. 103:10).

· Long-suffering which, in the future as in the past and the present, is prepared to bear with the guilty (Luke 13:7-9).

2. It is manifested in great abundance: "riches of his goodness."

· Riches of mercies bestowed, temporal and spiritual (Ps. 68:19).

· Riches of kindness seen in gracious deliverance, measured by evils averted which might have befallen us, such as sickness, poverty, insanity, death, and hell (Ps. 86:13).

· Riches of grace promised and provided for all needs.

3. It is manifested in its excellence by four considerations ---

· The person who shows it. It is "the goodness of God" who is omniscient to see sin, just to hate it, powerful to punish it, yet patient towards the sinner (Ps. 145:8).

· The being who receives it. It is dealt out to man, a guilty, insignificant, base, provoking, ungrateful being (Gen. 6:6).

· The conduct to which it is a reply. It is love's response to sin. Often God forbears, though sins are many, wanton, aggravated, daring, repeated (Mai. 3:6).

· The boons which it brings. Life, daily bread, health, gospel, Holy Spirit, new birth, hope of heaven (Ps. 68:19).

4. It has been in a measure manifested to you. "Despisest thou?".

II. LET US CONSIDER HOW IT MAY BE DESPISED.

1. By allowing it to remain unnoticed, ungratefully passing it over.

2. By claiming it as our due and talking as if God were bound to bear with us.

3. By opposing its design and refusing to repent (Prov. 1:24-25).

4. By perverting it into a reason for hardness of heart, presumption, infidelity, and further sin (Zeph. 1:12; Eccles. 8:11).

5. By urging it as an apology for procrastination (2 Pet. 3:3-4).

III. LET US FEEL THE FORCE OF ITS LEADINGS. The forbearance of God should lead us to repentance. For we should argue thus—

1. He is not hard and unloving, or he would not have spared us.

2. His great patience deserves recognition at our hands. We are bound to respond to it in a generous spirit.

3. To go on to offend would be cruel to him and disgraceful to ourselves. Nothing can be baser than to make forbearance a reason for provocation.

4. It is evident from his forbearance that he will rejoice to accept us if we will turn to him. He spares that he may save.

5. He has dealt with each one personally, and by this means he is able to put it, as in the text, "God leadeth thee to repentance." He calls us individually to himself. Let each one personally remember his own experience of sparing mercies.

6. The means are so gentle; let us yield to them cheerfully. Those who might refuse to be driven should consent to be drawn.

O sinner, each gift of goodness draws thee to Jesus!

Forbearance would fain weep thee to Jesus!

Long-suffering waits and woos thee to Jesus!

Wilt thou not turn from sin and return unto thy God, or "despisest thou the riches of his goodness?"