Unlimited: Showing Contempt For God

Unlimited: Showing Contempt for God

May 10, 2022 1205

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience (Romans 2:4a).

Here is a startling truth. Every time you pass judgment on another you are showing contempt for the riches of God’s grace. That’s probably something you had never thought of before, yet it is precisely what Paul is saying here (compare with verse 3).

The reason is simple: because through his sacrifice at Calvary, Christ has judged every person as forgivable and redeemable. The judgment of the Cross is a judgment of salvation. Through it, God has placed an eternal value on every life.

Every time you pass judgment on another you are showing contempt for the riches of God’s grace.

When we judge others, notice the aspects of God’s character for which we are showing contempt. Paul says that we despise his goodness, which refers to God’s gentleness and kindness. We despise his forbearance, which refers to his toleration and withholding of judgment. We also despise God’s long-suffering, which refers to his patience. Aren’t these all qualities that we would like to develop in our own characters?

We should also consider that when we pass judgment on another as being of less value to God than ourselves, or more worthy of condemnation than we are, what are we saying about his sublime sacrifice at Calvary? Do we dare elevate our own opinions above the judgment of the Cross, and in this way show contempt for the grace of God?

Spiritual Application

In some way, we all show contempt for the riches of his kindness toward us, in a million ways, every day. It is something of which we should repent. Can you think of how this is true in your own life?

– Eliezer Gonzalez

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