Faithful, Longsuffering
We have been considering in recent issues the divine attributes of God, that is, those attributes exclusively His own, such as being eternal and omnipotent. Now, the fact that God is eternal and infinite, possesses all power, knows all things, and is present everywhere does not in itself say anything about the moral character of God. It is theoretically possible that one possessing these divine attributes could be a cruel, oppressive ruler who devotes all of His divine powers to making men miserable or aggrandizing self at man’s expense. Happily, this is far from the case, for in our studies of the divine attributes of God we have noted many ways in which these powers are dedicated to bring blessing to man.
In this issue we begin our study of God’s moral attributes. In the course of this study we will find that He is a loving and merciful God as well as a holy and righteous God. We will find that all of His moral attributes are in perfect balance and harmony with one another. So, for instance, in His holiness He hates all sin and disobedience, but in His love He has found a way to show mercy to and righteously pardon the sinner.
We will also discover that God shares these moral attributes with His children and thus encourages us to manifest them as well, through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Our study of the moral attributes begins with a consideration of the faithfulness and longsuffering of God.
Faithful
God is true to His Word and to all that He is and stands for. He is faithful to fulfill all that He has promised, both to His own and to those who persist in rejecting Him. Let us examine the testimony of the Scriptures to the faithfulness of God.
He is faithful to reward appropriately both those that love Him and those that hate Him. "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them" (Deut. 7:9,10). "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war" (Rev. 19:11).
He is faithful to keep His promises concerning David and his seed. "I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever; with my mouth will I make known Thy faithfulness to all generations. … I have found David My servant; with My holy oil have I anointed him. . . . My loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer My faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My lips. Once have I sworn by My holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven" (Psa. 89:1,20,33-37; see also 89:2,5,8,24).
He is faithful in showing mercy. "It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning:great is Thy faithfulness" (Lam. 3:22,23).
He is faithful in chastening His people. "I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are right, and that Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me" (Psa. 119:75). However, He will not chasten them more than they can bear. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10:13).
He is faithful to keep His people unto the end. "Our Lord Jesus Christ. . . shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful" (1 Cor. 1:7-9). "I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it" (1 Thess. 5:23,24).
He is faithful to forgive us when we sin. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
Surely the faithfulness of our Lord gives us great peace, for therein do we have complete assurance concerning the Lord’s coming for us and our blessings with Him for eternity.
Just as God is true to Himself and His Word, so are we_ the children of God_enjoined to be faithful to Himself and His Word as well as to be true to our own word, that is, our promises and commitments to others.
We are to be faithful in delivering messages and proclaiming the truth. "A faithful witness will not lie" (Prov. 14:5). "A wicked messenger falleth into mischief; but a faithful ambassador is health" (Prov. 13:17; also 25:13). But at the same time, we have the privilege of saying nothing if it will make for peace or protect another’s reputation. "A talebearer revealeth secrets:but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter" (Prov. 11:13).
We are to be faithful in reproving our friends when this can be done to their benefit. "Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful" (Prov. 27:5,6).
We are to be faithful to do what our Lord wants us to do until He comes back for us. "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing" (Matt. 24;45,46),
We are to be faithful to the Lord in our use of the material possessions with which He has entrusted us. "He that is faithful in that which is least [that is, worldly goods] is faithful also in much [that is, spiritual possessions]. … If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?" (Luke 16:10,11).
We are to be faithful to the Lord in our use of the spiritual gifts with which He has entrusted us and our sharing of His Word with others. "Well, thou good servant:because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities" (Luke 19:17). "The things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2).
Finally, we are to be faithful and true to our own word and promises to others. "Lord, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? … He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not" (Psa. 15:1,4). "When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for He hath no pleasure in fools:pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay" (Eccl. 5:4,5).
Longsuffering
God is not only faithful to His Word regarding the blessings that are to come to those who trust and love Him, but He is also longsuffering_that is, has a long temper–toward the unfaithful, offering repeated opportunities to turn to Him to enter into His blessings.
Perhaps the most familiar verse concerning the long-suffering of God is 2 Peter 3:9:"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." In a similar vein, the apostle Paul writes to the Gentiles, "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 longsuffering of God was likewise very much in evidence to His chosen people of Old Testament times. "And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth" (Exod. 34:6; also Psa. 86:15). A short while afterward, Moses remembered this proclamation of God’s attributes and pleaded the Lord’s longsuffering and great mercy as the basis for pardoning Israel’s sin (Num. 14:15-19).
We, God’s people, are likewise enjoined to be longsuffering in our relationships with one another. We are to manifest that agape love that is God’s very nature; and one of the characteristics of this kind of love is that it is longsuffering (1 Cor. 13:4). Similarly, one fruit of the Spirit_that is, a manifestation of the Holy Spirit indwelling and controlling the believer_is longsuffering.
As we endeavor "to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" we will need to learn to manifest "all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Eph. 4:2,3).
As we minister God’s Word to others, we are to "reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine for teaching]" (2 Tim. 4:2).
Let us then meditate upon the longsuffering of God and praise Him for both bearing with our waywardness and keeping the door of salvation open long enough for us to be saved. Then, as we grow in our appreciation of His great longsuffering toward us, it will become increasingly easier for us to manifest longsuffering_a long temper_toward our brothers and sisters in Christ, our parents and children and other relatives, and our neighbors, friends, co-workers, and schoolmates.