The goodness of God leads to repentance.

Believers, believe right. Right living is a fruit of right believing. By Grace, let's not be found believing that "do good, get good; do bad, get bad" and "neither cold nor hot" doctrine that is prevalent in many places of worship. This wrong doctrine is logical to the world and to those who depend on their own obedience to the law to be made right with God and to have eternal life. But in Christ, we are righteous apart from works and in Him, we get the good that we don't deserve because He got the bad that we deserve. This is the message of the cross. It seems foolish and illogical to even many who profess Christ,

"For the message of the cross is foolishness [absurd and illogical] to those who are perishing and spiritually dead [because they reject it], but to us who are being saved [by God’s grace] it is [the manifestation of] the power of God.... 21 For since the world through all its [earthly] wisdom failed to recognize God, God in His wisdom was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached [regarding salvation] to save those who believe [in Christ and welcome Him as Savior]." 1 Cor. 1:18-21.

To the human mind, here is nothing foolish or illogical in "do good, get good; do bad, get bad." But in Christ, we get the good that we do not deserve because Another, our Saviour Jesus Christ, got the bad that we deserve. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says of our Abba Father: "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

His gift of everlasting righteousness to all who believe is not so that we should go on sinning sprees as many religious people say, but because the goodness of God leads to repentance. But many preach this backwards, saying repentance (usually interpreted as human effort at obeying the law and doing right) is what makes God bless us with His goodness.

Judas repented after he betrayed Christ, even tried to do restitution to make things right, but he died. See Matthew 27:3-5:

"3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself."

See the Amplified version: "3 When Judas, His betrayer, saw that [Jesus] was condemned, [Judas was afflicted in mind and troubled for his former folly; and] with remorse [with little more than a selfish dread of the consequences] he brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 Saying, I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. They replied, What is that to us? See to that yourself."

This Judas kind of repentance (aka wash yourself clean and make yourself right with God first then come to Christ, or else you will burn in hell) is how many view repentance, but it is not true repentance. It is borne of selfish fear of judgment and not love for God. We see true repentance in the Parable of the Lost Sheep. True repentance is consenting to be carried by our Saviour Jesus Christ, just like the sheep in the story. It is a gift that is borne of the goodness of God.

We see how the goodness of God leads to repentance in the life of Peter who, like Judas, also betrayed Christ but by denying Him thrice because he was afraid of the Jews. But unlike Judas, Peter waited on the Lord to make him right with Himself. The same Peter, transformed by the Holy Spirit, went on to preach a sermon in full glare of the same people that he was afraid of and 3,000 people got saved. Christ gave charge of His sheep to this same Peter (John 21,) the disciple that we see as "failed the most." He was also the first among the remaining eleven disciples to see the risen Christ (Luke 24:34, 1 Corinthians 15:5.)The goodness of God leads to repentance (a change of mind from wrong believing about God which leads to right living.)

This is the gospel: justification by faith. The Lord who transformed Simon (meaning reed, easily swayed by the elements) to Peter (meaning Rock,) He will transform you too.

Right living is a fruit of right believing. Believe Right and you will Live Right!