Just and Longsuffering
Session 4: Just and Longsuffering
We have studied the fact that God is good in our last session. We determined God’s goodness is more about who He is rather than what He does, which is true to many of the attributes of God. His actions toward us are covered in his characteristics because that’s who He is on the inside not just the outside. In that same way we will carry that mindset over into this session when learning how God is “just”. It has a lot more to do with who He is instead of His actions toward us, although his actions also speak volumes to His characteristics and attributes. To really get a good idea about exactly what “just” means let us take a look directly from the Oxford dictionary. A few other similar words to describe “just” would be unbiased, impartial, honest, moral, trustworthy, or incorruptible just to name a few. Now insert “God is” in front of all of those synonyms of “Just”, and really let that permeate.
God being “just” does not only refer to what many consider to be nice or gentle. Sometimes it takes the form of punishment or wrath. Hard lessons learned from others in the bible for us to also learn from ourselves.
- Read Romans 1:18-21:
For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse. For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened.
- Read Romans 1:24,26, and 28.
Take notice what happened to these people. God delivered them over to their sins. Tony Evans also states “This is the passive wrath of God at work in history. He lets you experience the built-in negative consequences of living independent of him.” Why would it be so important to deliver them over to their sin? Wicked living turns others away from the truth God wants everyone to know. Notice in verse 18 it says their unrighteousness suppressed the truth; God will not be suppressed. Because He is “just” He will send His wrath onto those people to stomp out evil. Because He is impartial, honest, moral, trustworthy, and incorruptible He will not tolerate anything or anyone who is knowingly turning others away from Him and even celebrating it as good. So YES, God being “just” can take many forms to keep us on the right track and establishing a personal relationship with Him. In Romans 2:7-11 it says, eternal life to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality; but wrath and indignation to those who are self-seeking and disobey the truth but are obeying unrighteousness; affliction and distress for every human being who does evil, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. There is no favoritism with God. We cannot examine God’s character without also looking at His patience or “long suffering”. It is easy to look back into our lives and find ways God has been patient with us. We are flawed creatures, and He is not, so it is only reasonable to believe we will not always walk the straight and narrow. God has always known we are flawed. In Romans 2:10-18 it says, There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away; all alike have become useless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they deceive with their tongues. Vipers’ venom is under their lips. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and wretchedness are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. These verses were making a point that both Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) were equally sinful and that we don’t even fully understand how unrighteous we are. |
God knows exactly how flawed we are which is exactly why He provided Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins. We could never escape our sin nature on this earth until death if we are saved. We cannot just “do good” our way to eternal life in heaven; there is a heaven and there is a very real hell, WE MUST be saved by the blood of Jesus alone. God wants us to all come to Him, He provided a way for us and just wants us to take it. If you have read any of the chapter of Revelations, then you know God will one day send Jesus back for His people. We don’t know the day or hour, but we know it will happen and we should always be ready. That being said, there are many people who still do not believe in God, or the salvation provided by Jesus. You MUST believe with your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord in order to be saved (Romans 10:10). Since God sincerely wants everyone to come to Him and receive salvation His patience becomes very prominent. Many people believe Jesus is coming back for His people very soon, and that’s how we are supposed to live…..always ready. The Bible sheds some light on the fact that God’s hesitance to send Jesus for His people has a great deal to do with giving unbelievers a chance to be saved and repent.
2 Peter 3:8-9
Dear friends, don’t let this one thing escape you: With the Lord one day is a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day. The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all come repentance.
He does not want ANY to perish. His delay is purposeful to allow people to change and come to Him; not because He is unable or incapable in any way. In 2 Peter 3:15 it says,” Also, regard the patience of our Lord as an opportunity for salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him.” Do not take God’s patience for granted, we do not deserve it, yet He has given it and still gives it every single day. Our days are all numbered on this earth, our earthly bodies can only withstand so much, but our spiritual bodies live forever. We all are given the choice exactly where we will be, heaven or hell. (we will talk more about salvation in our next lesson) We don’t know how much time we have to bring in people to know Jesus. We are required as saved individuals to spread the gospel and tell anyone and everyone about Jesus. We are to be fishers of men always ready to tell others, even when it is uncomfortable. Remember God does not wish any to perish and all to come to repentance.
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Hebrew/Greek Context:
JUST (tsaddiyq; tsadaq)- 1. Righteous 2. To be or make right LONGSUFFERING (arek aph)- 1. Slow to anger 2. Patience (long breath) |
“Just” meaning: Based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair. -Oxford Dictionary |
“That phrase appears here three times, and it shows God taking his hand of restraint off, essentially saying “You want to do life without me? You’ve got it”. -Tony Evans |
God’s patience means God’s goodness in withholding of punishment toward those who sin over a period of time. God’s righteousness means that God always acts in accordance with what is right and is Himself the final standard of what is right. -Systematic Theology |
Justice, when used by God, is a name we give to the way God is, nothing more; and when God acts justly He is not doing so to conform to an independent criterion, but simply acting like Himself in a given situation. As gold is an element in itself and can never change nor compromise but is gold wherever it is found, so God is God, always, only, fully God, and can never be other than He is. Everything in the universe is good to the degree it conforms to the nature of God and evil as it fails to do so. God is His own self-existent priniciple of moral equity, and when He sentences evil me or rewards the righteous, He simply acts like Himself from within, uninfluenced by anything that is not Himself. -A.W. Tozer |
COMMENTARY: God understands time much differently than man. From man’s viewpoint, Christ’s coming seems like a long time away (Ps 90:4). From God’s viewpoint, it will not be long… God has an immense capacity for patience before He breaks forth in judgement (Joel 2:13; Luke 15:20; Rom 9:22; 1 Pet 3:15). God endures endless blasphemies against His name, along with rebellion, murders, and the ongoing breaking of His law, waiting patiently while He calling and redeeming His own. It is not impotence of slackness that delays final judgement; it is patient. In addition to what he has already explained in 2 Pet 3:9 about the Lord’s patience being the reason He delays judgement, here Peter adds that during the time of God’s patience, Christians should engage in seeking the salvation of souls. -John MacArthur Commentary |
Meet Hannah
Hannah is a wife and mother of 3. You may see that she looks a lot like someone else I have introduced on this blog. She happens to be the twin sister of Megan who is featured in our homesteading section. Hannah is a hard working stay at home mom, who also enjoys gardening and is an amazing baker! Through much prayer and direction from the Holy Spirit, she agreed to co-author this study with me. This section she wrote and did an amazing job. I am thankful for her heart to serve the Lord, and for her obedience to use her gifting for this section. I pray it blesses you, and gives deeper knowledge and understanding of who God says He is according to His Word.
