Misunderstanding God’s Patience

“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” –Luke 23:34

“But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.” (Romans 2:4-8)

It is sad that people misunderstand God’s endurance of evil. But Paul is clear; He is patient and tolerates the wickedness of this world to give opportunity for repentance. God shows Himself absolutely merciful. God could have righteously destroyed all those who are vessels of wrath without giving them any opportunity to turn from their sins. God is obligated to give mercy to no one (take the example of Edom, for instance). God causes rain to fall on both the righteous and the wicked. That He gives life, breath, and every good thing to all men (Acts 17:25) absolutely shows His kindness and mercy; mercy which was not free, but was bought by the blood of Christ. In the end, all of these blessings will come back upon the heads of the wicked like hot coals. They have rejected God’s mercy and have chosen their sinful ways to their shame. They will have all of eternity to contemplate this fatal error.

The wicked misinterpret God’s patience. It seems that when God is patient and enduring their wickedness that He is in support of their offenses. God is not giving them an opportunity to live in sin and enjoy the lusts of their sinful flesh for this season upon earth until they enter heaven where they have to be good forevermore. They misperceive what seems to be God’s laxity as either His acceptance of their wicked schemes or else that there is no just and avenging God. Such is foolishness (Psalm 14:1; 53:1, Nahum 1:2-8). God is patient to give mankind a chance to turn their deeds from wickedness to righteousness, that man may receive eternal life. For God “will render to each person according to His deeds.” Those who are in Christ will endure in doing good and will receive eternal life, as their works justify their faith before God (James 2:24). However, those who continue in selfishness, seeking their own covetous desires (which is idolatry (Colossians 3:5), who do not obey the gospel of God but rather live in their own unrighteousness, who do not live as members of the kingdom of God, they will receive God’s wrath and His righteous anger, abiding upon them forever.

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness.” God is patient in enduring evil for a reason: He “is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9). Whether the “all” and “any” here refers to all of God’s predestined saints or to every individual, this fact remains: God’s patience has given an opportunity to those who are not predestined to be His own. Those who will not even come to God are given the opportunity to repent. They will, however, choose not to come to God through Christ. This is shame upon them. God shows Himself merciful, giving them seventy, eighty, even ninety years to forsake their wickedness, yet they never do, and of course they cannot do so since they have fleshly minds (Romans 8:6-8, 1 Corinthians 2:14). They miss their opportunity. So do the generations of their children, whom are also given generation after generation to repent, yet never do. Rather, they spit in God’s face and give Him obscene gestures. May God, out of His mercy, grant them repentance and faith and forgive their sins.

In light of this time that God has granted the wicked, this time in which we currently live, as members of the covenant community, as heirs of Christ and the ambassador’s of the Kingdom of God, we must warn the wicked of the coming judgment and plead with them to repent and receive God’s grace and mercy in Christ Jesus. Only through the preaching of the gospel, the Word of God, does the Spirit work. We must tell them Jesus is Lord, the Kingdom of God has come and is yet to come at Christ’s return, and that they must live worthily in light of this. If we do not, who will? If we do not, we will be judged with their blood upon our hands. May God be merciful to us and grant us zeal in doing this.