The Longsuffering of God
A Sermon on Romans 2:2-3
Originally preached Oct. 19, 1956
Scripture
2But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. 3And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
Sermon Description
There is no way to escape the judgement of God. Sometimes people laugh and joke about sin, but judgement is coming and so Christians must warn others about the condition of their souls. Paul warns both the Jews and the Gentiles that there is no excuse and all are under the impending judgement of God. In the sermon “The Longsuffering of God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explained how in Romans 2:2–3 Paul preached directly to the Jews to warn them of how sin was blinding their view. Not only does sin blind, it gives a false sense of security and causes the sinner to take God’s goodness for granted. The Romans gave many arguments for why God’s wrath was not coming but Paul refutes each one. One of the biggest arguments against God’s judgement is that God is good. Dr. Lloyd-Jones tells that God is indeed good in the fact that He does not immediately strike the world dead for sin, but He must condemn sin because He is also just. In this sermon on longsuffering, Dr Lloyd-Jones explains that God is longsuffering and exhibiting great forbearance in terms of human sin. He is slow to anger and is not willing for anyone to perish. This is the exact reason why God sent His Son into the world to save those from this impending wrath. He alone is the atonement for sin and none should ignore His warning.
Sermon Breakdown
- God's judgment is always according to truth against those who sin.
- Men think they can escape God's judgment through various arguments and excuses.
- One argument men use is that God is good, merciful and forbearing so He will not judge them.
- But using God's goodness as an excuse to sin is despising the riches of His goodness, forbearance and longsuffering.
- Those who continue in sin while talking of God's goodness show they have never really studied or understood God's goodness. They take a passing glance and rush on to sin.
- God's goodness refers to His general kindness. He sends rain and sun on the just and unjust. But sinners never stop to consider this.
- God's forbearance refers to His patience in bearing with sinners and not punishing them immediately. His forbearance is rich and abundant.
- God's longsuffering means His forbearance continues for a long time. It is why the world still continues and God did not destroy it long ago. His longsuffering is rich.
- We must study God's goodness, forbearance and longsuffering and not take forgiveness lightly or heal ourselves too quickly.
- We must be concerned for those outside who despise God's love by their glib talk of it while continuing in sin.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.