Patient & Faithful

Patient & Faithful

Let’s attempt to DEFINE & DEFEND these attributes…

patient Forbearance Long-tempered Long-suffering Able to wait Able to endure Strong-Steadfast

faithful Trustworthy Reliable Dependable Consistent True to their word Unwavering commitment

Patient

When we think of God’s patience, we normally think in terms of His patience regarding human rebellion.

This is a major aspect of divine patience.

However God’s patience really has three important aspects.

First, when we say that God is patient we mean: His divine ability to restrainhimself for periods of time in relationshipto human free will and the course of history.

The main point here is that many times God’s will on earth is not being done as it is being done in heaven…

In heaven, God’s will is being done instantly, perfectly, effectively.

On earth, God’s will is being resistedat every turn by the devil and humanity.

That is; God may desire for certain things to occur sooner or more efficiently but human freedom delays or otherwise obstructs for periods of time.

We know that God’s will cannot be ultimately thwarted or stopped… (Job 42:4)

But it can be delayed or accomplished in less than ideal situations because of human resistance.

And when God does not intervene and ‘force His will’ and allows human freedom to reign as it were in a certain aspect… He is being patient.

Several examples come to mind.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Matthew 23:37

It appears that Israel did not have to experience some of the difficultiesthey endured…

God’s desirewould have been for them to trust and obey…and to respond to the prophets.

However, many times, Israel was unwilling & disobedient.

God’s patience (in conjunction with His promises) is what allowed Him to continue to work with resistant and rebellious Israel.

The Lord said to Moses, “Send men to explore Canaan, which I’m giving to the Israelites… But the men who had gone with him said, “We can’t attack those people! They’re too strong for us!” Numbers 13:1, 31

It appears that God would have gladly given the Israelites the promised land on their first attempt, had they believed Him.

However, the majority of the people were unwilling to believe, which led to years of misery & wandering.

God patiently dealt with Israel during those years and in some ways delayedthe eventual accomplishment of His plan in order to work with them.

And for about the time of forty years suffered He their manners (put up with them) in the wilderness. Acts 13:18

I am not suggesting that in God’s sovereignty He did not foresee and even plan for Israel's rebellion in accordance with the perfect fulfillment of His plan… (Rom 11:25)

We are simply making the point that God’s patience also involves His overarching dealingswith the course of human history as a whole.

This is probably no where clearer than in 2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

It appears that God would like to wrap things up in human history sooner than later.

It appears that God would like to fulfill His promises and send Christ to gather in His church…

But God is patiently delaying the fulfillment of all time, in order that more might repentand be saved.

Second, when we say that God is patient we mean: His divine ability to resistthe urge to immediately punish human rebellion.

This is our most common understanding of God’s patience.

That is; God’s perfect justice & wrath demands for sin to be punished. And it would be acceptable for God to punish all sin & rebellion instantly or immediately.

However, it is God’s patience and forbearance that allows Him to withhold His judgment & wrath against sin & sinners.

If God was not patient and if God was not faithful to His promises...every day could justifiably be a Noahic flood or a Sodom & Gomorrah.

…our fathers, acted arrogantly; They became stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments. They refused to listen, And did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You had performed among them; So they became stubborn… Nehemiah 9:16-17

But You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness; And You did not forsake them. Nehemiah 9:16-17

But He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them; And often He restrained His anger And did not arouse all His wrath. Psalm 78:38

Third, when we say that God is patient we mean: His divine ability to respondgraciously to periods of sinful relapsesand lack of growth in the life of the believer.

God’s patience is also commonlydisplayedwhen He deals gently with a struggling or disobedientbeliever.

We are all not where we should be or couldbe in our walk with the Lord… if we were more resolved, more diligent, more self-controlled.

We all continueto fall short of the glory of God. We each fail to live up to the measure we have already attained (Phil 3:16).

God’s patience is how He graciously continues to work with us and uses us in spite of our failures in the Christianlife.

By now you should be teachers. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the first things you need to know from God’s Word. You still need milk instead of solid food. Hebrews 5:12

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. Psalm 103:8-10

Patient & Faithful