Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
The issue in Romans 1–3 is how one can escape God’s wrath in this life. See especially Rom 1:18-32.
In Romans 2, Paul discusses the moralist, including the moralistic Jew. The moralist thinks he will escape God’s wrath in this life because of his splendid morality. But Paul tells him that he is sorely deluded.
Only justified people can escape God’s wrath, and even justified people must walk according to the Spirit to do so (see Romans 6-8). Believers who walk according to the flesh experience God’s wrath here and now.
Romans 2:4 does not deal with justification before God. It is dealing with either experiencing or escaping God’s wrath. God’s goodness should lead the moralist to repentance. As Ezekiel famously wrote, “Turn and live” (Ezek 18:32; see also Ezek 33:11, 19). Repentance is the remedy for temporal judgment.
Hodges made this excellent comment on Rom 2:4:
The idea of repentance here, of course, refers to the need the moralist has to turn away from his own sins to avoid the “wrath” that God exercises against such things (1:18). It has nothing to do with Paul’s doctrine of justification. Indeed, this reference to repentance is the only one in the entire book of Romans. Moo (pp. 134-35) writes: “Repentance plays a surprisingly small part in Paul’s teaching, considering its importance in contemporary Judaism.” But Paul cannot be correctly understood when he is read, as many do today, as though he reflected the thinking of “contemporary Judaism.” On the contrary, his gospel came directly “through the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Gal 1:12) (Romans, p. 59).
Paul made clear in Rom 3:21–4:25 that justification is by faith alone. It is not by faith plus repentance. The book of Galatians is Paul’s defense of his gospel of justification by faith alone, yet he never once mentions repentance in that letter. The Gospel of John presents Jesus’ evangelistic message and never mentions repentance.
How many preachers say that if you believe and repent, you’ll be justified? Most say that. A clear message of justification by faith alone is rarely preached today. Even people who might say the words justification is by faith alone often turn right around and say, “So if you repent and believe in Christ, you’ll be justified.”
Scripture blesses us when we properly interpret and apply it. Keep grace in focus so that you can correctly understand and apply God’s Word.
