Longsuffering, 2 Tim 3:10

2 Tim 3:10

Longsuffering

EXPLAIN BRIEFLY: Communicable and Incommunicable attributes of God.

Longsuffering as an attribute of God and as a communicable characteristic in mankind is woefully understood. It is often equated with patience as if the two were exactly alike. They are similar but not exactly the same.

Longsuffering is the next character quality in the list we have been working through in 2 Tim 3:10ff. I want to read the context of the word as it appears in the text and then look at the definition, make some exposition of the idea and then talk about some application to all of us. There is application to be made all through the definition and exposition as well.

The text:

1. Carefully FollowedàTo Timothy

¹⁰ But you (Timothy) have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, ¹¹ persecutions, afflictions,

2. Persecutions Endured

which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured.

3. Due Credit for Deliverance

And out of them all the Lord delivered me.

Longsuffering:

Many people look at the compound word and break it into its two parts, long and suffering to conclude the meaning is to suffer with something or someone for a long time. The time being defined according to one's subjective interpretation of what is going on. I have been told three times in the past few years that I have not been longsuffering enough in some situations. It was always brought up by people who did not know all or many of the facts in the situation they were being critical about. And, the definition of longsuffering is more like eternal endurance of people and their sins, rather than the definition we find from the scriptures. The first and foremost definer of what longsuffering is is the longsuffering of God.

Definition:

Please turn to Exodus 34. Let's read from the first verse through the beginning of verse 7.

Exo 34: 1 And the Lord said to Moses, "Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke. 2 So be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself to Me there on the top of the mountain.

        3 And no man shall come up with you, and let no man be seen throughout all the mountain; let neither flocks nor herds feed before that mountain."

        4 So he cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. Then Moses rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him; and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone. 5 Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.

6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin,…

In verse six, notice who says the Lord God is longsuffering. It is God Himself who is speaking. He is reminding Moses of his character. The Lod God says that He Himself is longsuffering. So we had better start our definition with what God means by the word.

What he does not mean: The Lord God does not mean that he will forever hold back his judgment. He will surely act. Look at how the passage continues: 7b …by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation."

The Lord God has not judged the people yet. He knows they deserve it, but he is waiting. And, with his perfect omniscience He knows all of the sins they have committed while in Egypt and during the Exodus. God knows, but he has been waiting. Because he has not judged, it does not follow that the guilty have nothing to worry about. God will not clear the accounts of those who have sinned. He may wait for generations to judge Israel as a people. But, at the time of these experiences in the wilderness as the Law was about to be given again, God withheld his judgment. God was waiting. Using the Old English meaning of the word, he was suffering Israel. He was waiting until the right time to judge their sin, that he said he would judge if they were not obedient to his Word.

There is a hymn written in the mid 17th century that begins with the words, If thou would suffer God to guide thee and hope in Him through all thy ways. He'll give thee strength, what'eer betide thee and bear thee through the evil days. That is the meaning of suffer we find in the word longsuffering. It is to wait in faith for God to act. Knowing, that he will keep his word. It is not suffering as something that comes and acts upon another. Nothing does that to God. He knows all things including what is going to come to pass. Nothing takes him by surprise. He does not suffer, in the other sense, like humans do. It is the old meaning of suffer, to wait to act knowing what one deserves, yet does not give what is deserved to another right away.

God may not judge or chasten for a long time. He may allow someone to store up wrath and displeasure. The Lord God is free to deal with it at any time. And, he will act at just the right time and in the right way for his own glory and to vindicate the promises he has made. This may be towards people who have been contrary, or even towards his own, he suffers long to teach important things.

Exposition:

The first example of God's longsuffering is back in the first chapters of Genesis. Let's turn all the way back there.

Gen 2: 15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

This is before God made Eve. He gave this command directly to Adam. What did Adam do? Look forward to Chapter 3:2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' "

        4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

They disobeyed God's command. The immediate effect was a realization of their sin. But the keeping of the promise of death was put off for a while. Gen 5:1-5 1 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. 3 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters. 5 So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.

It took God 930 years to keep his word. But, he kept his word. He always does. Why 930 years? Why didn't God strike Adam dead right when he sinned? God had other purposes for Adam. In God's plan for the creation of mankind, Adam had to have descendants in order to give us the messiah hundreds of years after the first man sinned. God kept his Word. He had always planned to be longsuffering. It was the character of God from the very beginning. It is a comfort to know we believe in a longsuffering God who doesn't always deal with our sin immediately. But, we must not let that become a justification to sin or one to not seek His forgiveness through repentance that includes turning from sin in order to serve the one true and living God (1 Thess 1:10).

Turn to Acts 5:1-11 1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.

2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet.

3 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God." 5 Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. 6 And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.

        7 Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter answered her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?" She said, "Yes, for so much." 9 Then Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out." 10 Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband.

11 So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these thing

Why did God strike down immediately these two who were part of the church in Jerusalem but waited 930 years to take Adam's life?

Well, in order to sin the way they did, they had to already have a defining set of sins. They had a low view of God. They did not understand God's omniscience and omnipresence. God knew from before the point they planned this deception what was in their heart. God knew they were liars--they did not tell the truth to the Apostles. God knew even if the Apostles didn't. God knew they were covetous--the money was free for them to keep. Their sin was to misrepresent it. They were proud--they wanted to look better in the eyes of others, so they represented their gift as being all of the proceeds, rather than some. It was such a stupid sin. But, a sin nonetheless. All of these previous sins of commission and sins of intention and sins that defined their character--besetting sins had God's longsuffering manifest among them. The integrity and holiness of the body of Christ, the church in Jerusalem was at stake. For the reputation of the Lord Jesus Christ among believers and all who would hear through all of the ages, including us, and for the good of the purity of the church in Jerusalem and beyond, and to manifest his glory among the believers that they might fear God properly, he struck them down. Annanias and Saphira, like all sinners, deserve to experience the displeasure of God as soon as they sin any sin. But God doesn't work that way. He is forebearing, he is patient, he waits, he suffers long with sinners. His longsuffering is one of the great motivations to repentance along with his goodness. People ordinary attribute the good in their life to something other than the real source, God. 

God is especially longsuffering towards those who believe. The verse in 2 Peter that is often misused in order to teach a doctrine of hypothetical universal salvation or a universal saving will, it actually teaches about the longsuffering of God towards believers. Turn to 2 Peter 3.

Verse 9 is the one used to teach a doctrine of hypothetical universalism or a universal saving will of God.

2 Peter 3:4 4 and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."

5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.

        7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved [longsuffering?] for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

        8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise [what promise? That Christ will return and that judgment will come upon the earth due to the sin of mankind], as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. [For what? Having forgotten the Word of God that produced unbelief]

What God has promisedà10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

What application should we makeà11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.

God is longsuffering as he waits to bring about the end of this age in judgment upon the old creation and the unbelief and unbelievers--that would be easy to show from other places. But, in this age, the gospel goes forth. The conflagration will not happen until all the elect have come to believe and all who believe are sanctified to the point God has purposed. Then the end will come. It won't come prematurely by any human device. The worst that we see or experience in this world is but a microcosm of what the end will be like. An earthquake here or there, a war in one place or another, a famine that affects a lot of people in one geographic place, are only a foretaste of what will happen after God's longsuffering is done.

Application:

Always repent!

If you are not a believer, now is the day of salvation. Today is the day to repent. You don't know how long God will let you live. I know a family that almost lost a son due to a burst appendix that went undiagnosed. The son has a high tolerance for pain. He didn't complain very much initially. Eventually, the poison from the burst appendix got to him. It took many doctors and tests and hospitalization to take care of the problem. There were times when his parents thought he would pass away. Thankfully God was longsuffering towards all of them.

But, all of our days are numbered. We don't get more or less than what God has already planned. His longsuffering with sinners will one day be no more. You don't know when that day will be. I don't know when that day will be. I only know with great certainty that that day will come. The Bible says it is appointed unto men once to die in Hebrews 9:27. Do you know what comes next? 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,

Don't assume you have plenty of time. You do not. God's longsuffering has an end to it. We don't know when that will be. Your only hope to make it through death successfully is to have faith, real faith, faith that holds onto Jesus with all of your might. A faith that makes you want to show your love to Christ by following his word. Pray to him for mercy. Ask him to soften your heart. Stop trying to please him through your occasional good works. They are not enough. You must trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. He will give you repentance to turn from your sinfullness and seek his forgiveness and he will give you faith to trust and hope in him. Don't put it off. Do it soon. Do it in the quietness of your own mind as you pray. If you aren't sure what to do, seek out someone who believes and that you trust. They can help you by pointing you to Jesus, who alone can save your soul.

For the believer there is great comfort to knowing our God is longsuffering. He doesn't zap us for our mighty sins until it is for our good and his glory. He is good and knows the most efficient way to act upon us for our good. All things work together for our good, to those who love God and are the called according to his purposes.

Yet, if there is any sin in your life that keeps you from close fellowship with your Lord and Savior, go to him, confess it and forsake it. Do not tempt God's rod of chastisement. Instead submit to his outstretched hand inviting you to closer degrees of fellowship with him. Go to our gracious God. Think often of his undeserved grace and that he did not give you what you deserved when you were in your sin. He gave you something elseà his indescribable love wrapped up in the greatest gift given among men and women. That gift is the Lord Jesus Christ.

All of us deserved his wrath. All of us deserved the sentence of death. TO some, praise His name, he gave eternal life.

Does that stir your heart to thanks for his underserved grace. He has given to the likes of us, God's Riches at Christ's Expense. Never take it for granted or think lightly about these eternal realities.

Children, thank God that your parents believe and that they bring you to here the words that can save your souls. You are young and bored by these things. But, these issues are the most important things you will ever have run through your minds.  Think about these things. Think about your own sin. Think about God's remedy--believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The best human illustration may be that of fuses. A short fuse makes an explosive go off quickly. A long-fuse takes a measured amount of time before it goes off. As people, dealing with others, even our children, there are times when our actions are needed quickly. You don't wait for a child running in a parking lot to stop. You yell at him or her as soon as possible because of the danger. But, there are times when a long fuse is needed. Think of long suffering as having a long fuse and not being quick-tempered. Then look to the scriptures to let God define what it means. Twice Jesus was provoked to chase the moneychangers out of the Temple. Yet, with his disciples, he was long-suffering, even with that impetuous Peter. Let's always seek to show forth the character of God as he gives it to his people. After all, it is one of the fruit produced in us by the work of the Spirit--gal 5:22-23.

AMEN!