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Tag: Repentance

Not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in Matthew, What’s new?.

Why did Jesus say, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:13)?

When the Pharisees saw Jesus eating and socializing easily with tax collectors and sinners in Matthew’s home, they were scandalized. They questioned why Jesus would hang out with the most despised “lowlifes” of society. According to their self-righteous standards, no truly godly teacher would fellowship so intimately with the world’s “scumbags.” Unashamedly, Jesus responded to their hypocrisy by saying, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matthew 9:12–13, NKJV).

Jesus presents Himself as a doctor and healer of those who are spiritually sick (the unrighteous sinners of the world). God loves sinners (Romans 5:8) and sent His Son into this world to save them (1 Timothy 1:15). Repentance is the treatment plan, and forgiveness is the cure Jesus offers. “Those who are well” or “the healthy” (NIV) don’t need a doctor. Jesus’ critics thought they were healthy and saw no need for a doctor, but, in reality, they were deceived. Jesus is not implying that the Pharisees were righteous. Removing all sarcasm and irony from Christ’s statement, the verse might read, “I haven’t come to call on those who think they’re righteous, but to treat those who know they’re sinners.”

Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6—“I desire mercy and not sacrifice”—as an indictment against the Pharisees. They do not understand the verse’s true meaning and therefore do not perceive their own spiritually reprobate condition. The Pharisees observe the letter of the law perfectly. They are flawless in their execution of religious rituals and sacrifices. But, if they were truly righteous, they would appreciate the spirit of the law by demonstrating God’s kindness, compassion, and mercy toward the outcasts of society.

When doctors call on sick people, they must get up close and personal with them to have any hope of helping and healing them. So, too, Jesus calls sinners to Himself. His love for the lost compels Him to come down to where they are and get mud on His feet with them (Hebrews 2:9; Philippians 2:7; 1 John 3:16). “The Pharisees prove their religion by keeping clean. Jesus proves his love by getting dirty” (Knowles, A., The Bible Guide, Augsburg, 2001, p. 419).

Jesus came “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). He did not leave heaven to pat self-satisfied religious people on the back and ignore everyone else who fails to measure up to the Pharisees’ meticulous standards. Jesus came to call “all who are far off” (Acts 2:39) and bring them near by His blood shed on the cross (Ephesians 2:13).

Tax collectors and sinners know they are spiritually sick. They long for God’s healing forgiveness. They are “the poor in spirit,” “the meek,” and “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:3, 5–6). On the other hand, the Pharisees are blind to their own neediness. They think they are healthy but are instead “blind fools” (Matthew 23:16–17, 23–24; see also Luke 6:41).

Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” The “righteous” are respectable people in the eyes of the world and those who are righteous in their own eyes. “Sinners” are the outcasts of the world. If we are to follow in Christ’s footsteps and not be like the Pharisees, we will get our hands dirty, too. We will reach out to the rejected, the homeless, addicts, prostitutes, criminals, afflicted, diseased, abused, and marginalized in our society. We’ll love the unlovable, dine with the undesirable, and befriend the forsaken of the world. Like Jesus, we’ll have compassion for the single parent, the widow, the divorcees, and the elderly (Matthew 9:36)—compassion that moves us to act on their behalf (Matthew 15:32; Luke 7:11–17). Like the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37), we’ll show mercy with deeds of kindness by walking “in the way of love, just as Christ loved us” (Ephesians 5:2).

Goodness of God leads to repentance

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in Romans, What’s new?.

What does it mean that “the goodness of God leads to repentance” (Romans 2:4)?

In Romans 2:3–4, the apostle Paul addresses a Jewish audience (see Romans 2:17), cautioning them against hypocrisy and judgmentalism. He points out that their condemning of the Gentiles for sins they also committed showed contempt for the patience, tolerance, and goodness of God that they themselves had received: “And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (NKJV).

“The goodness of God” simply refers to His kindness. In the original Greek, the term translated as “goodness” (KJV, NKJV) or “kindness” (NIV, ESV) means “the quality of being warmhearted, considerate, humane, gentle, and sympathetic.” Paul often spoke of the Lord’s extraordinary kindness toward us and how the goodness of God ought to motivate us to be kind to others (Romans 11:22; Ephesians 2:7; Titus 3:4).

King David observed how God’s people have long celebrated His “abundant goodness” (Psalm 145:7; cf. Exodus 18:9; Isaiah 63:7; Psalm 27:13). Because of His goodness, God made an everlasting covenant with Israel, saying, “I will never stop doing good to them” (Jeremiah 32:40). God blessed Israel with rich physical and spiritual resources. He gave them a “good land” flowing with milk and honey (Deuteronomy 8:7; see also Exodus 3:8, 17; 33:3; Numbers 13:27; Deuteronomy 26:9) where He promised to shepherd, protect, and care for them (Psalm 23; 28:9; 121:3–5). In His goodness, God laid out the law so that, through obedience, they “might always prosper and be kept alive” (Deuteronomy 6:24).

God established the tabernacle (and later the temple) so His people would have a tangible reminder of His presence (Exodus 25:8; 33:9–10; 40:34–35). He gave them a system of worship and the priesthood to make atonement for their sins (Leviticus 9:7). All these Old Testament blessings pointed to God’s Son, the Messiah, whom He would send as Israel’s Savior—the ultimate demonstration of God’s goodness and kindness (Acts 10:38; Hebrews 9:11; 2 Corinthians 9:15). Even though Israel rejected the Messiah and crucified Him, God continued to give them every opportunity to be saved, pouring out His grace and delaying His judgment (John 1:16–17).

It is not fear of judgment or punishment that leads people to repent of their sins and be saved, but the goodness of God and “the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us” (Ephesians 2:7, NLT). God is not a heartless dictator but a merciful, forgiving, loving God (Psalm 25:6; Daniel 9:9; Ephesians 2:4; James 5:11; 1 Peter 1:3). He is patient with sinners who deserve judgment because He “wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4, NLT; see also Isaiah 30:18; Ezekiel 18:23, 32; 33:11; 2 Peter 3:9).

God’s children—those who know and have experienced the goodness of God—must never forget to show His kindness and mercy to others. Jesus said, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged” (Matthew 7:1, NLT; see also Romans 14:13; 1 Corinthians 4:5; James 5:9). Jesus wasn’t suggesting that we ignore immorality in others (see Matthew 18:15–18; Hebrews 3:13). Both Jesus and Paul were speaking against the self-righteous, hypocritical tendency to point the finger at someone else and not realize that three fingers are pointing back at us.

Believers can evaluate the character and actions of others and recognize sin. But whenever we confront sin in someone else, we must remember that God’s goodness leads people to repentance. As we attempt to bring correction, healing, and restoration, we must maintain an attitude of love, gentleness, and humility, carefully keeping an eye on our own spiritual state (Psalm 141:5; 1 Corinthians 4:21; Hebrews 12:13; Galatians 6:1–2; 2 Timothy 2:25; James 5:19–20).