The Riches of God's Kindness

God’s Kindness is Meant to Lead Us to Repentance

Paul confronts his readers with a striking question: "Do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering?" In other words, do we take God’s patience for granted? It is easy to assume that because God has not yet judged sin, that He never will.

But Paul reminds us that God’s goodness has a purpose. He is patient, not because He overlooks sin, but because He desires that we turn to Him in repentance. His kindness, His mercy, and His long-suffering are not signs of weakness but of His great love. Every breath we take is an opportunity to respond to Him in faith and repentance.

The Danger of a Hard Heart

Paul warns of the consequences of rejecting God’s kindness: "But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart, you are treasuring up for yourself wrath." A heart that refuses to repent is like hardened soil—resistant to the seed of God’s Word. The more we ignore His call to turn from sin, the more desensitized we become to His voice.

Hardness of heart is not always dramatic rebellion. Sometimes, it is quiet resistance—justifying sin, delaying obedience, or assuming we have more time to get right with God. But each day we refuse to repent, we store up judgment rather than grace.

The Reality of God’s Judgment

Paul does not soften the truth: those who persist in sin and refuse to repent are "treasuring up wrath in the day of wrath." There will come a day when God’s patience will give way to His righteous judgment. He will not be mocked. The sin that people refuse to deal with now will be fully exposed and judged.

But the beauty of the gospel is this: for those who turn to Christ, God’s wrath has already been poured out—on Jesus. At the cross, Christ took upon Himself the punishment we deserve. His sacrifice provides the way of escape, the hope of salvation, and the assurance of forgiveness.

A Call to Respond

This passage is both a warning and an invitation. Do not despise God’s kindness—embrace it. Do not delay repentance—run to Christ today. He is patient, but His patience is not without end. The door of grace stands open now, but it will not always remain so.

May we be quick to confess our sin, to turn from hardness of heart, and to rest in the kindness of our Savior, knowing that He alone is our refuge from the judgment to come.