Last September, my wife’s car needed to pass the emissions test, but just before the due date for the test, her car had a check engine light go on. I ran the codes, and there was a small leak in the EVAP system. This system is not something that would affect the operation of the car, but it would prevent it from passing the emissions test. I tried some of the obvious, like replacing the gas cap, but none of that worked. I took it to a mechanic, and they replaced a leaky valve and solenoid. The light went away and the car passed the test. Unfortunately, about a week later, the light came back on. Again, I ran the codes and saw a small leak of the EVAP system. It was annoying, but I wasn’t too concerned because it shouldn’t affect normal driving. So, I left it sit. On Monday, my wife left work and stopped to get gas on the way home. After she filled up, she tried to start the car, but it wouldn’t start. She called AAA and they came and helped her get it started and she made her way home. Later that night, I ran the codes to see if anything was there. Lo and behold, there were more warnings. There were four confirmed codes and a few pending. I’m not saying that leaving the original issue cause the rest, but it did hide the rest. It made it difficult to realize that there was a greater issue. The car worked fine, until it didn’t. It started up more times until I was able to get it to the mechanic to get it fixed again. Our passage today is like that. Paul has shown us that it is easy to see the obvious issues that are in other people. In this passage Paul turns the focus inward and says: what if the issue isn’t just what’s obvious…what if there’s something deeper going on underneath? What if the fact that everything seems to be “running fine” has actually made it harder to see what’s really there? Looking beyond that, what if the time you’ve been given, where nothing seems urgent, isn’t proof that everything is okay? What if it is God’s kindness giving you time to deal with what’s hidden? Because Paul says in our passage today, “God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.”

In the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he very directly pointed out the sin problem. He wrote, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1:21) People knew about God. They recognized his existence and couldn’t deny it, but they did not regard God as God. They didn’t glorify him or give thanks to him for what he has done. In fact, they criticized God for hardship and questioned his love. Their thoughts became futile, and their hearts became darker and darker. So God gave them over to their darkness and let them fail. Paul directed this mostly to those who are not believers. There is truth here, but the natural response from believers is nodding our heads in approval about how corrupt and dark those retched sinners are. We think or even say, “Thank God that we know better. Thank God that we have seen the light. We don’t give in to our selfish desires. We have the high ground.” It is easy to think that.

However, Paul has words for us, too. Our passage starts out, “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” (1) Morality sounds good on paper, but there is a great danger to it. It is very easy for the moral to be judgy. When we don’t have a struggle with something, we can think, “What type of person acts like that?” We look down on others who do not act like we do without thinking about who they are and what circumstances led them there. Paul writes that when we judge someone like that, we actually condemn ourselves. You see, no matter how moral we might be, we, too, are not perfect. We do many of the same things, just in secret. When we talk about sin, it is easy to see it in others, but we become blind to it in our own lives. I firmly believe that when the Bible talks about sin, it is not an invitation for us to point out the sin in other’s lives or in the world in general, but it is an opportunity for us to look inwardly at our own sin.

Paul continues, “Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?” (2-3) God’s law is an absolute. It simply says what is right and wrong before God. Those of us who believe in God have the benefit of recognizing right from wrong more than those who do not. Yet, knowledge of good and evil does not mean that we are able to steer clear of it. The original sin was disobedience of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Once people did that, people didn’t stay away from evil, their eyes were opened to the opportunity. The first sin was simple disobedience, then second one mentioned in the Bible was murder. After Adam and Eve’s disobedience to gain knowledge of good and evil, they were not better off. They were on a slippery slope. Knowing what is good and what is bad is not a guarantee that you will do good. Paul writes later in this letter, “For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting.” (Romans 7:7-8) When we were at our Easter retreat, the camp told us to not go in or near the barn. I am assuming it is for some safety reasons, but immediately people were joking about wanting to see what was in the barn. Being told not to do something makes many people want to do it. That sinful nature in us wants to use the knowledge of good and evil to satisfy itself. So when we pass judgment on others, we stand judged ourselves because we do so many of the same things. Sometimes we project our hearts on what others are doing. A selfish person thinks that a person setting healthy boundaries is being selfish. A person who is often dishonest becomes highly suspicious of everyone else’s motives and assumes others are lying or hiding things. We do these things a lot, but we stand judged before God, nonetheless.

It is not knowledge that is the issue. I’m going to jump ahead a bit to verse 12 and 13. They say,” All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.” Knowledge is not the issue, it is obedience. Even those without direct knowledge about God know about what is right and wrong. As Paul continued, “(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)” (14-15) The end of the first chapter was about the Gentiles. They do not know God’s law. The Jews do. However, they still had innate knowledge of what is good or bad. All you have to do is see that there are common laws in the world, even outside of Judeo-Christian cultures. We innately know that things like theft, murder, and harming others is wrong. It is written on our hearts. Therefore, it shows that we have a form of the law written on our hearts. There are times that we do something that is wrong, but we defend ourselves, making excuses to justify what we have done. If we didn’t think it was wrong, then why do we have to make excuses for it? If it is right, then we don’t need to justify it. Humanity’s issue is not a lack of knowledge. It is an issue that something deeper is broken within us.

Most of the time, we see sin as the things that we do wrong. We see the angry actions, the lustful actions, the things we do in pride and fear, and judge those who do them, like if they just stopped doing those things, then they would be all better. However, there is a deeper issue.  Those actions are just symptoms of sin, and its root lies deeper in our heart. Those actions are just the reactions of a sinful heart. Getting rid of the actions does not get rid of the sin. Let’s think about this in terms of a disease. If you have a cold or flu, most of the treatments deal with the symptoms: the runny nose, sneezing, and fever. You can take medicines to manage those symptoms, but that medicine does not cure you. You are still sick. Honestly, you are still contagious, but you feel better. In the same way, looking at actions of our sins and taking care of them does not get rid of the problem. It can mask the issue, preventing you from getting the real cure.

Paul works with this idea, “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” (4) God is very kind to us. The sin in our hearts is a disease that threatens our souls. It leads to separation from God and death, but there are so many times that we think that if we do not see any consequence of our actions, we got off scot-free. We’re like a kid that did something wrong, but since we weren’t called out on it, we think that got away with it. But that is not what is going on. God knows everything that we do. He sees it all, but he is patient with us and doesn’t punish us immediately. Instead, he withholds his wrath and gives us time to see the deepness of our sin and repent. God is kind towards us. The punishment for sin is death, but he doesn’t punish right away. If he did, we’d all be dead. We shouldn’t take his delay like it gives us permission. We shouldn’t take his silence as approval.

The patience that God has for us is mercy to us, and that mercy is meant to lead us to repentance. God is giving us time to think about what we did, so to speak. He is delaying his wrath, not because he approves of what we do, but because he loves us and gave us a way back to him. We just need to take the opportunity to realize just how sinful we are and how much we need God and his cure. We have to feel the weight of our sins in order for us to came back to him. If we ignore those warning lights, the problem doesn’t go away. Our lives can work, until they don’t.

If we misinterpret God’s kindness, then the truth will catch up to us. “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.” (5) Ignoring the point of God’s kindness to us keeps us away from repentance. When we refuse to repent of our sins, we are storing up God’s wrath. Without repentance, God’s wrath grows against us. When we don’t take the cure for our disease, then we get worse and worse. Then we are given over to our sins, just like those non-believers. Our hearts become darkened and hardened. We become calloused and unconcerned, and empathy becomes apathy. We don’t care, but that doesn’t solve anything.

As Paul continues, “God ‘will repay each person according to what they have done.’” (6) How we feel is not indicative of how God deals with us. God’s judgment is not based on feelings but based on what we have done and the heart behind it. He judges according to truth. “To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” (7-8) Our society has increasingly told the story about how we are supposed to look out for number one. We have to seek for ourselves, because no one else is looking out for us. We are pushed to see personal gain as the ultimate goal, but a self-seeking nature only leads to more wrath. We start to do anything to make ourselves look good. Most of the successful people on social media portray a fake life. It’s all curated to make themselves look better. They endorse products because they are paid. We put others down to make ourselves look better. Yet, when we seek God and glory and honor, then we are given eternal life.

“There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.” (9-11) Your cultural background does not exempt us from our motives. We are all held accountable based on our own hearts. God doesn’t show favoritism. Someone who stands up here isn’t given more grace or less grace than someone else. They are not better than anyone else. Whether on the pulpit or down a dark alley, we all stand before God and need to give an account for what we have done. The story of our lives will be an open book and every hidden thing that we have done will come to light. As it says in verse 16, “This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.” Every shameful thing that we have tried to hide, will be laid bare. There will be no excuse that we can use, nor will there be any place we can hide. We will all be held accountable.

That’s a scary thought, but it is true. God’s kindness to us is not weakness. It is not him letting things slide. It is not approval for our actions and hearts. It is a way for us to realize that we have sinned and need to repent and take the cure. We can’t deal with just the symptoms in life, but we need to get down to the root cause and pull out the sin in our hearts. The cure, as we have said, is Jesus. It’s the gospel message. We can’t solve the sin problem on our own. We can deal with the symptoms, but that can only mask the real issue. We are sinners. It is a part of our core. Having knowledge about what is right and wrong does not keep us from doing wrong. In fact, it can encourage us to do evil. Yet, that doesn’t mean that we get away with murder, so to speak. He is giving us time that we need to accept the truth, that we are in need of his help. It must pain him to do that. I can only think, as a parent, how difficult it is to allow your kid to fail, sometimes, because there is no other way for them to learn. When you see someone you love make the same mistakes over and over while being silent, it can feel like torture, but God does that with us each and every day for each one of us.

God is always doing the hard thing for us because he loves us. He sent is Son to this earth to forgive us and lead us to new life. Jesus died on the cross to take that wrath that was due us. When we repent, we see Jesus on the cross and know that he is taking the punishment that we are due. All that wrath that we have talked about, well, when we repent, Jesus takes that wrath. It moves away from us onto him. He takes it for us all the way to death. The punishment for sin is death, but Jesus died in our place as a sacrifice. Yet, Jesus did not stay dead. Jesus rose from the dead to put death to death, and he give us new life. This is where God’s kindness leads. It leads us to repentance and then to new life.

We cannot show contempt for God’s kindness. We cannot mistake it for weakness or approval. It is intended to get us to come back to him. Our sickness is more than just symptoms. The root lies deeper than we expect, and God is giving us the time we need to realize that root. Sin lies in our hearts. There isn’t a band aid that we can put on our hearts to fix it. It requires something drastic and deep. It has to cut us to the core to remove the disease. When we hum along in life, it can be easy to think that everything is all right. We are not living in a disaster, so we must be good, but that is not the case. There are warning lights in our lives and we shouldn’t ignore them. We can’t let our lives become catastrophic. We should turn to God and repent of our sins. Real healing happens when we do so.