Romans 2:1-5

Romans 2:1-5 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  We lean into God's grace -- it is the greatest gift that has ever been given.  By it, we who were dead were transformed into those who are alive.  We who were hopeless and lost are now filled with joy and dancing, for we have been found and will live in the light forever.
  Paul is speaking to the Romans, explaining to them that the kindness of God is not intended to give them the ability to judge others.  Instead, the kindness of God is meant to change the way they live with one another -- the grace of God that has been given to them should lead them to love and serve one another.  If the Romans accept God's love and then pass along only God's judgment, they've missed the point.  God's kindness should lead us to repent of our sinful ways and our lives should look different.  When we encounter our brothers and sisters who have sin and brokenness in their lives, we should be compassionate and empathetic, for that is how God treated us when we were sinful.  In all things, we reach out in love, praying that the same love that led us to repent will lead those in our community to repent and allow God to transform their lives.