4 Or do you think lightly/ have contempt of the riches of His kindness and forbearance
Descriptive genitive anoch anoche forbearance How would you define forbearance?
This Greek word means to bear with, suffer, forbearance, indulgence, holding back, delay
Here it refers to holding back of Divine judgment, to allow everyone the time & opportunity to receive His kindness, by believing in Jesus Christ as Savior.
Forbearance is directed toward human race in the continuation of history.
Rom. 3:25 whom God displayed publicly Christ on cross as a propitiation in His blood through faith.This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;
that is He did not judge them but withheld judgment that all mankind through history could respond to His Kindness of the cross.
Now you should understand the forbearance of our God.
And every time you see evil prevailing in history, past, present or future, you remember you are seeing the forbearance of our God. Give thanks, not for the evil but for His forbearance.
The fact that multitudes reject Jesus Christ as Savior, does not diminish or destroy the opportunity of others to believe in Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ died for all
& God does not destroy all humanity just because some members of human race reject Christ, He holds off on judgment to give rest of humanity the opportunity to believe in Jesus Christ. This is the forbearance of God
The Forbearance of God is the reason why history continues in spite of rejection of the being of God at God consciousness
The Forbearance of God is the reason history continues even in periods where maximum number of people reject the gospel.
When paganism thrives, when Idolatry thrives etc. even in these periods of history…you are seeing the forbearance of God. Never forget this, and remember to praise Him and give thanks for the forbearance of His love.
Or do you have contempt of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience,
We now come to the third dynamic of why history continues, in spite of man’s rejection of God, Jesus Christ & of the Gospel.
And patience makroqumia makrothumia compound: makros long thumos wrath, anger- to suffer long, longsuffering, as opposed to hasty anger or punishment; restraint before proceeding to action
Lets translate this: longsuffering
There are two other essential passages where this word appears:
It is used here of God: God’s longsuffering in holding off judgment of mankind.
It is used of the first dynamic effect or impact of description of Spiritual Love.
1 Cor. 13:4 Love is longsuffering, love is kind
& it is used of the dynamic of fruit of Holy Spirit
Gal. 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;
There are 2 words translated patient one is used here: makrothumia
The other is hupomone
What is the difference between these two words:
makrothumia deals with patience in reference to people therefore impact of Spiritual Love—Spiritual Love is directed toward others
Hupomone deals with patience in refer to circumstances.
In fact we will have hupomone in our context: Rom. 2:7
But here in vs 4 we have makrothumia- longsuffering describing God in withholding of judgment against the human race due to the longsuffering of His Love!
Or do you have contempt of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and longsuffering,
not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
not knowing Present Active Ptc. agnoeo neg. alpha + verb to perceive, understand, + neg. not to know, not to understand.
What we do not know about God can be detrimental to us.
This is the desire of God –
to bring all men to Repentance
Not knowing that the kindness of God leads to repentance
metanoia compound meta + noeo mind/thinking
Now, meta can have different meanings generally it is taken for change—changing /mind; Repentance is change of mind/thinking
But meta also means after so Repentance means after thought
Doctrine of Repentance
1. Repentance occurs in the mind. It is an activity of the mind.
2. A very important point about Repentance is that repentance has to do with the past, it has nothing to do with the future.
This is where most people are confused on the word repentance, whether in Greek, Hebrew or English. They think it has to do with future, that if one repents that means that he will not do whatever he repented of, & then when they do it again, they become angry, but you repented…I do not believe that you really repented.
3. But if we look at the Greek word: repented: metanoeo meta-to change, noeo –the mind, thinking = to change one’s mind or thinking
This occurs after the sin or after examining whatever is under issue; like thinking about Jesus Christ.
Ex. You sin—then repent –change your mind concerning that sin.
Or: you have an attitude concerning God or Jesus Christ as Savior then you change your thinking concerning Jesus Christ.
The problem is that repentance has only to do with the past & not the future. Because one repents or changes his/her mind concerning something does not necessarily determine what they will do after repenting.
Or we can take the other way of looking at the Greek word:
Meta –after noeo – thought: after thought so, this translation again emphasis what occurs after a sin, or thought about God, Jesus Christ etc.
So, either way: repentance – change of mind or thought
Or after thought – deals with past, not future.
4. Repentance is concerned with the past, what one does with or after repentance is not given in the word repentance. It does not mean that after repenting about Jesus Christ that he will believe in Jesus Christ. Or after repenting concerning a sin, that he will not commit that sin again.
5. People have the wrong view of repentance:
Luke 17:
After once—easy to forgive …then 2, 3, & after 4 times we doubt the sincerity or truthfulness of their repentance & refuse to forgive; well, we are NOT to judge another’s repentance! No where are we to judge another’s repentance, yet Christians love to judge whether a person truly repented or not by whether or not they ever do it again!
But repentance does not mean that you will not do it again
& repentance does not mean one will necessarily believe in Jesus Christ.
Repentance deals with the past.
6. So, why does the bible beckon to repent? There are those who place a great deal on confession, like RCC & some Protestant movements. But there are far more vss related to both Sal. 1 & Sal. 2 with the word repentance and only one related to confession. For this reason there are those who make repentance as important as others make confession the issue for spiritual recovery from sin, as well as the means of Sal. 1.
Matt. 3:2; 3:8-fruit of Rep. is faith 4:17;
Mark 1:4; 6:12;
Luke 3:3; 5:32; 13:3-5; 15:7 & 10 24:47;
Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 11:18; 17:30; 26:20—fruit of Repent. -faith
2 Cor. 7:9-10; 20:21;
2 Peter 3:9; Rev. 2:5—faith
So here are a multitude of vss that emphasized Repentance, yet there are those who place little to no importance on Repentance, & yet place a great deal of importance on confession, & this based primarily on one vs & that one not properly understood as to context. (1 Jn. 1:8-9)
But the question arises: Why this emphasis on repentance?
Since we are not saved or restored by repentance, why this emphasis on repentance?
The answer is best expressed in the 8 vol. Theological Dictionary of /N.T.
repentance summons to faith.
Repentance is not faith: repentance = metanoeo faith pistis/pisteuo
They are two different words…two different meanings
& we are saved, restored by faith, not by repentance;
but repentance is a step in the process that leads to faith.
& repentance summons to faith
A normal process:
1. consciousness of sin or thought of God;
Jesus Christ; the Gospel or sinful state, or
the Holy Spirit.
2. in some cases a sorrow about one’s state.
3. Repentance – change of mind; after thought
Repentance summons to faith
4. Faith in Jesus Christ; faith in Holy Spirit;
5. Salvation or deliverance, restoration-by God
based on faith not repentance.
Repentance does not save
Repentance does not restore from sin
Faith saves, faith restores
Faith in Jesus Christ saves; faith in Holy Spirit restores.
7. In every Lexicon I looked –they all include in their discussion of repentance the idea of regret. Repentance with regret
Regret of the sins of which you repent;
Regret of thinking of God, of Jesus Christ.
A change of mind, after sin; after thought with regret
Regret of the sin, regret of the thought & changing of the mind, after thought, summons to faith
8. Repentance does not save or deliever or restore, faith does.
Repentance is not the last stop:
2 Tim. 2:25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, that is gospel
Heb. 6: 1 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
Acts 19:4 And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus." Faith is still needed, required.
Acts 20:21 solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Mark 1:15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."
Here in Mark 1:15 it is clear that repentance & faith are two different steps, two different acts.
9. Repentance has no power!
To think that if or since one repents of a sin, he will not commit that sin again, is to give power to repentance.
Repentance has no power, the power not to sin is in Holy Spirit, not repentance!
Saying that if or since a person repents they are saved, is to give power of Salvation to repentance & the power of Salvation is in person of Jesus Christ & the only way of receiving that Salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ, not repentance.
Repentance has no power!
10. Summary:
Act of Repentance looks to the past, not to the
future.
Repentance means to change ones mind in
regard to past, as an after thought, with regret.
Repentance summons to faith
Repent. has no power: no power to save or
restore
We are not to judge another’s repent. if they
repent, you forgive.
The issue in Repentance. is what you do after you change your mind!