Chris Tomlin sings an awesome song called “Kindness”. The first line of the chorus comes from the end of Romans 2:4 “…not realizing that God’s kindness leads us to repentance”. I’ve always looked at that sentence with a curious eye, as if I have not yet completely understood it. Not doubting it at all, but rather, I knew that there was a lot more to it than is initially seen.
I looked at my own life and found that there have been definitely times when the Lord had shown me kindness, which in turn brought me back to Him. Times when I was going away or astray, and instead of beating me over the head with conviction that I must change, he blows my mind with his love.
More often, however, I’ve seen that it was discipline or His heavy hand that had brought me crawling back to repentance. A lot more times I found that it took God to shake my life for me to turn back to Him. It took the Lord to move me to an uncomfortable position, or to take away something that was important that got me looking towards His direction.
In all this, it seemed the fullness of the verse escaped me. How is God’s kindness leading me to repentance when He is rebuking me? How can discomfort or discipline be called kindness? Was I missing something?
Then God finally revealed it in such a marvelous way. I realized His kindness has to deal with His deep patience and longsuffering. That even in discipline He is being kind. Even in introducing discomfort or correction He is showing great kindness because He is ultimately staying His hand of judgment from me. Not only keeping from me what I fully deserve, but holding me close so I don’t fully fall off the edge.
The realization of the fullness of God’s mercy was the key to unraveling this amazing thought. Where in reality, I rightfully deserve, in my disobedience and sin, to be judged and have my sin be fully counted against me. That in His kindness, God chose to treat me like a true son, and through discipline, correction, and rebuke, which is designed to transform me, He is changing me to the image and likeness of His Son. That is kindness that is immeasurable.
That is the most amazing thought of all. And this type of unaffordable love is what draws mankind to a full, authentic repentance. A repentance which, from being completely aware of the alternative and the present condition, causes men to hate their sins and turn towards a gracious God who deserves to be worshipped for His kindness.
God bless
March M. Villareal
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