“Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” (1Ti 1:16 AV)
Of the underlined phrase, let me submit some quotes.
“It was shown by his
example that the Lord Jesus could evince any possible degree of patience, and
could have mercy on the greatest imaginable offenders.” – Albert Barnes
“the whole (of His)
long-suffering,” namely, in bearing so long with me while I was a persecutor.” – Jamieson-Fausseo-Brown
“The whole fulness of His
patient, pitying grace was lavished upon him.” – Alexander MacLaren
The context is divine
longsuffering unto salvation. Paul is grateful
God put up with him and brought him to a place of salvation when he considered
himself the least of all creatures to attain it. The purpose, rightly so, for the
longsuffering of Jesus on Paul was so that he could be an example to all
sinners. If Jesus could save him, then
Jesus could save anyone. However, I want
to consider this as a principle of God’s dealing with all men. Not just those who will come to Christ. What I notice is the forbearance of judgment
is an indication of what God knows is possible.
That is, if God is longsuffering with us, He must believe that given
time, we will walk closer with Him.
I know I use this as an example
for a lot of life’s lessons, but it was a major part of my childhood. My father was a self-taught musician. In fact, he was a self-taught individual in a
lot of things. If he wanted to learn
something, he gathered information and sat down to learn it. As a musician, he required all his children
to learn music to a point we could be somewhat proficient, but more
importantly, appreciated music on a level higher than mere entertainment. I began on the piano. We were all required to do so. Then I transitioned to the guitar. Four finger chords were especially difficult
for me. The ‘F’ chord in
particular. B7 also comes to mind. My father was very patient. We practiced and practiced. Our lessons required we learn a new chord or
skill and practice it for one to two weeks depending on the difficulty. Our father would then test our skills with an
exam of sorts. We would play with him
some song of his choosing while he watched our fingering. As is my way, if there is an easier way to do
something, I will find it. He taught his
way of making the ‘G’ chord, which by the way, is the most popular. However, I discovered if you made it a
different way, transitioning to ‘G7’is only a matter of picking up one finger
and putting another down in its place.
His way, all three fingers would be repositioned. In his patience, he allowed that fingering. But when it came to the ‘F’, there was no
bending. He was after me to make that
chord correctly. He never lost his
temper. He never chastened me. But he was after me. His longsuffering was based on his belief that
given enough time and opportunity, I would eventually make that chord
correctly.
God is the same way. We can look at the longsuffering of God purely as an exercise of His grace and mercy. But it is also an exercise of conviction. He knows what we are capable of. He knows that given enough time and opportunity, we just might straighten out. The fact that God has not severely corrected the saint beyond his ability to get right is an indication God still believes getting right is a real possibility. The longsuffering of God is not limited to benevolence. The longsuffering of God is a statement of hope. Hope that we will eventually get it and that God will do a tremendous work of grace in our hearts and souls. So, the next time you wonder why God hasn’t punished you to the extent you would punish yourself, remember He still believes in His ability to change your life. The longsuffering of God is His statement of hope for you!
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