Wickedly man has turned against the Creator denying "His eternal power and Godhead" and "… glorified Him not as God, neither were thankfull (Rom 1:18-21)." Therefore, God gives sinners up to a reprobate mind and allows their wickedness to increase until the day of destruction (Rom 1:24-32). Every fruit of sin and outward perversity from homosexuality, to murder, envy, mercilessness, fornication, pride, and taking pleasure in the wickedness of others, can be traced back to the seed of suppressing what is known about God. Yet, in wisdom and to the praise of the glory of His grace, He has also chosen to bring sinners to repentance by restoring and exalting His despised Character as the very means of our salvation. God's chief aim is not the restoration of sinners into a happy condition. God's chief aim is the restoration of sinners into a holy condition through which His happiness flows. Legions of unsaved religious moralist talk of a god of mercy and grace, yet there is no true knowledge of God apart from His revealing Himself in the Cross. God's righteousness unto sinners is an outside of you righteousness in Christ's obedience, and only through Him is the revelation of God's Character savingly glorious unto you. Therefore, He restores Himself in our sight through the Gospel as the Gentle Sovereign, the God who Forbears through His Son's Blood, and the Longsuffering Lord who endures the greatest wickedness of His elect until delivering us according to His promise.
The providential gentleness of God is kind even unto the wicked that perishes (Luke 6:35), yet the saving gentleness of God transforms wicked rebels into His holy servants. The broken and contrite have the spiritual humility of a little child, confess their sinfulness, and learn that Christ is bringing sinners to saving repentance for no other reason than His own gentleness. He takes the spiritual child into His arms, teaches him of perfection in His imputed righteousness, and patiently brings forth righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Yes, the Sovereign King of Eternity exercises absolute dominion over all things and rejoices that He is hidden from the wise and prudent (Matt 11:25-27). (He never prayed or desired the salvation of a single soul that was not given to Him in the covenant of Grace.) Yet, He bids the heavy laden to surrender unto His Lordship and find rest for your soul. He says, "For my yoke is kind, and my burden is light" (Matt 11:30). Brethren, our great problem is not our sinful deeds; it is our slowness to believe the goodness of God. We think His yoke harsh, without pity, and requiring something from us. Then, our failures only make the burden worse. Yet, the psalmist wrote, "It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect… and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great" (Ps 18:32, 35).
In forbearance, God holds back His wrath and passes over the iniquity of sinners through His remembrance of Christ shed blood. We often wonder how God can deal graciously with us in the light of what we have done. It doesn't matter to saints whether or not someone else has seen our failure. We worship God in spirit and in truth, and when our hearts are convicted of unbelief, pride, and disobedience, we grieve. Yet, sadly and far too often, we look for grievous chastisement rather than forgiveness. Our conscience cries out, 'How can God be just and forbear afflicting me?' Paul writes, "…through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth
God is even longsuffering to those who sin against His forbearance. The world understands that they haven't received in this life what their sins deserve; and yet, they refuse to repent, will finally exhaust His longsuffering, and shall ultimately suffer His eternal wrath. O, May God convince you to flee while He is still bringing sinners into the refuge of Jesus Christ. Yet, our Father is longsuffering with His elect and He shall put up with our rebellion until at last delivering us through true repentance. Believers clearly see "And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is our salvation…" (II Pet 3:15) Our salvation is entirely through His promise. "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (II Pet 3:9). We, like the entire world, have rejected the eternal power of God (even though His Lordship is gentle); We have also refused Him glory for His forbearance (thinking that our merit held back His anger); and we like the perishing, have not been thankful. Yet, God has promised us eternal life and secures us into Christ who bore the wrath we've rightfully kindled. "… when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved through water" (I Pet 3:20). In Genesis 6, the earth is cursed with the impending flood, "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen 6:8). He refuses to destroy us. His longsuffering overrules the grossest iniquity of our sin, and He waits that He might be gracious. God says, "For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace…" (Is 57:17-19).
His longsuffering beyond forbearance is not cold and begrudging; it is the product of His gentleness/goodness put into action; it is the straw of grace that breaks the camel's back of sin compelling us to return unto Him in the surrender of faith. "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance" (Rom 2:4)?"
The Gospel Church of San Jose, Calif.
72 North 5th St. at Santa Clara St
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