“Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 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;” (Romans 2:4–5, KJV 1900)
The heart is the central organ of the body, essential for life for it is necessary to pump blood to the rest of the body containing everything needed for life. If the heart stops, so will the life. Cardiomyopathy is a disease that hardens the heart muscle. Left unchecked it can lead to cardiac arrest and death. One of the treatments in the most severe case is a heart transplant.
Paul here is speaking of the goodness of God and the hardness of man’s heart. Yet here he is not speaking of Cardiomyopathy of the physical heart, but something just as deadly, perhaps we might call it Cardiomyopathy of the spiritual heart.
As I mentioned yesterday, it seems that Paul is speaking of the self-righteous who judge others, while committing the same acts. These are the hardened of heart. They may make a presumption about God’s kindness, but fail to get the main point. God’s kindness and forbearance and patience, are designed to give time and lead people to repentance (2 Pet 3:9). However, those with the condition of the hardened heart, fail to see the need for repentance and are storing up wrath for themselves on the day of God’s judgment.
What the unrepentant needs is a transformed heart. Unless the hardened stony heart is removed and replaced with a heart of flesh, they will perish. This was the message the Lord gave to Israel speaking of a New Covenant (Ezek 22:26-27; Jer 31:31-34). The Spirit of God has the power to regenerate the hardest heart. Pray for those self-righteous people who refuse to respond to the goodness of God and repent. Do not grow weary in your prayers for them, for nothing is impossible for God.
Renewing the Heart 