What leads men to repentance?

“Do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4)

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”                 (2 Peter 3:9)

“And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.” (John 12:47-48)

God sent Jesus, full of grace, love and truth. He came to save the world, not judge it. The Word will judge those who reject Jesus, in the last day, not before. These truths are ignored by many who run to the Old Testament for their understanding of God. In the rush to attribute plagues to God, they hurdle over Jesus and the New Covenant.

In the so called “gospel of God’s judgment,” where is His goodness, forbearance and longsuffering? Why does His Word say that His goodness leads men to repentance? Why doesn’t it say that His plagues lead men to repentance?

It is apparent that many who claim to be Christians do not have the slightest understanding of the Gospel and the New Covenant. This can be seen by the rush to picture God as the source of plagues, viruses and other calamities for the sake of bringing people to repentance. The revelation of Jesus is ignored along with multitudes of Scriptures that speak of His goodness.

What about the fact that, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation”? (2 Cor. 5:19) Those who attribute plagues to God are saying that He DOES IMPUTE man’s sins, and that the Gospel is not the word of reconciliation but of judgment. Someone is wrong, and I don’t think it is God.

Why does Jesus begin His ministry declaring “the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:19), if we are actually not accepted but instead “worthy of plagues”?

Why are some so quick to attribute plagues and disasters to God? Are we not to go into all the world and bring this message of peace?

The Gospel is not the message of Old Covenant judgments. It is the message of Jesus, of reconciliation, peace and redemption. Those who preach anything else have missed the meaning of the Gospel.

God did not send a virus to bring people to repentance (even though some may repent by fear of death or disease). Viruses bring suffering and death, they are not the image of God’s patience. He sent the Gospel, the Good News, the love of God, the patience and mercy of God, to bring people to Him.