Repentance in Romans 2:4

1       Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

2       But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

3       And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

4       Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

5       But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

Subject Called to Repentance:   "O Man."  (vs. 1)  The subject is a hypothetical audience, wherein Paul is able to address men who judge others.

Object of Repentance:        The object of repentance is not expressly stated.  Since repentance means "a change of mind," we can only inferentially determine the object of repentance by identifying the thinking of those who are called to repentance.  There are three words in the context that relate to the thinking of the subject who is called to repentance . . . "judgest" (vs. 1) and "thinkest" (vs. 3) and "despiseth" (vs. 4).  Of these, the thing that is "inexcusable" and said to be the basis for "condemnation" is the act of judging another for that which the subject himself does (vs. 1).  The judgment of the subject on other sinners is held in start contrast to the "riches of [God's] goodness and forbearance and longsuffering"  (vs. 4).  Consistent with his "judging," the Man also "thinks" that he will escape the judgment of God even though he does the same things.  Again, this is self righteousness.  He sees himself as "good enough" to avoid God's judgment.  Finally, rather than being moved by God's forebearance, the self righteous "man" "hardened" (entrenched) in his self-righteousness.  Rather than interpreting God's forebearance as God's grace, and an example for him to follow, the self-righteous man sees the forebearance of God as evidence of his (the man's) intrinsic goodness.  In a more abstract sense, this is simply self righteousness.  Like the passage in Luke 13:1-5, wherein certain Judeans believed that only the worst sinners were judged (and believing they were not among the worst sinners, and therefore, not worthy of God's judgment), the man in Romans 2 is similarly trusting in his own self righteousness as a vehicle for avoiding God's judgment.  Quite simply, the man is trusting in morality to save him.  And he must repent, and rely on God's grace for his salvation.  If he relies on himself as his own savior, he will perish.

Consequence of lack of repentance:    The context is plainly soteriological.  The subject who fails to repent "condemns [him]self" (vs. 1), secures "the judgment of God" (vs. 2 & 3), "wrath against the day of wrath" (vs. 5), and "the righteous judgment of God" (vs. 5) if he fails to repent of his unrighteousness and reject the grace of God.

Repentance in Romans 2:4