Patience = Salvation?
Greetings,
“Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.” 2 Peter 3: 15
So the “Lord’s patience means salvation”? That sounds perfectly right and true to me. Because after all God is Love and according to 1 Corinthians 13 the very first thing love is….is patient. And since “Love never fails”… I imagine that neither does His patience. As a human father sometimes I have lost my patience with my children because of their disobedience, and when that happened I gave them a time out or other Temporary punishment. Father God is perfect and infinite so I believe that His patience is also infinite with us. More and more I am finding it difficult to grasp or believe that a patient and loving, Almighty God would ever sentence any of His children to an eternal punishment or torment. I am not a follower of Universal reconciliation, but I am coming to believe more and more in a extreme perfect grace that is deeper and wider than the human mind can ever conceive or begin to fully contemplate. A Grace that religion will most certainly reject.
“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3: 9
Now the big question is does God always get what He wants and desires according to His own perfect will? His patience means salvation and He is ultimately patient with each and every one of us. He does not desire that anyone of us would perish. He wants us all to repent and follow Him. Just how many chances do we get at this? No human knows the answer to that question. Does total repentance need to occur in our short time here on earth? I know that eventually, that “every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Is it ever going to be too late for us to embrace, receive and follow Jesus? And if it does not happen in this age, is it possible to occur in the age to come? I sure have a lot of questions, but I certainly don’t know many answers at this point in my life.
In times past I used to have God, heaven and hell all figured out and placed in a nice tidy comfortable box that I could manage. However, my journey of faith has imploded that box and now I am content just to know Christ and allow Him to manage all the details. I have come to believe that all Jesus requires of me is a simple and sincere faith that leads to absolutely nothing else than love for God and all others. I don’t understand the timeline of salvation and I no longer desire to. Life in Christ is all about the journey and not any particular destination. I no longer worry about heaven or hell. Today I embrace that journey and am all about loving Him and others along the way. LOVE IS THE ANSWER!
Recently Jesus has been using me often in evangelism. In the last few months more than a dozen folks have come to believe in Jesus via simple conversations with me. Not once was hell ever mentioned in any of those conversations. God is a God of supreme opportunities and never about threats of hell and punishment. Over the last 39 years I have had many of these simple conversations with folks coming to believe and I honestly can’t remember one single time that I used hell to leverage a single person into choosing Jesus Christ. To me that would mean manipulation. The simple message of freedom, grace, truth and love is all I ever share and it most certainly is more than enough. In the end it all boils down to LOVE and LOVE NEVER FAILS.
Love and…..
Kirk Out !
notesfromthebridge 
We’ve come to understand what grace is..
Reposting this series.
Bless you beyond measure, dear brother!
Thank you Mercy, I am very blessed.
Just last night we were across the road visiting a brother & sister. He was concerned that when people give their ‘testimony’ it often equates to relating all the details of their sinister or horrible life before they met Jesus. He felt like our testimony is GOD IS LOVE and the positive things that has accomplished in our lives. And then today you post this….and we will definitely share it with him. You are saying the same thing in different words. The same ‘blood’ of the Spirit certainly flows throughout His body wherever we all may be. Good post, brother. I read it outloud to Ken who was also blessed by it. Love, “BK”
Wow BK, it is always very cool when the Spirit confirms when we are pulling in the exact same directions as others are in CHrist. Thanks for the confirmation!
I do believe in hell,that people will be eternally separated from God who reject Christ,his once for all sacrifice for sin,but the degree and level of torment or details of what that might be like I don’t know. I also think it pleases God when his followers don’t like to think about eternal suffering for others.Sadly, there are some christians who seem to “revel” in others going to hell,modern day Jonahs’. I absolutely agree with what you shared concerning evangelism.Threatening people with hell seems an odd and rarely desireable way to share with others the hope that we have.The worst is when ministers use funerals as “evangelistic opportunity”…and folks who are already grieving,lonely,feeling like “where is God”,or angry at God,..instead of recieving comfort and encouragement from the the scriptures,get a sermon that they are going to go to hell without Christ. Any decisions made that way,are superficial at best,in my opinion. Thank God for his patience with me.
Thanks for sharing your portion daryl. It is much appreciated.
Yes, patience keeps hope alive, yet what must he be patient about? Our continued refusal to obey ( put others above self/ Godly LOVE to serve others.) Perhaps another way to say he must be patient with our endless talk about it.
Wow Rich, I don’t think I understand what you are trying to say. I am all for more action and less talk for sure, but while we are in the process of becoming doers and just just hearers of HIS Word it takes a helluva lot of patience and grace and mercy to get there.
Well, one thing I do know is the last chapter of Revelation, AFTER death & hell are thrown into the lake of fire with the devil and his angels and the beast and false prophet and evil is destroyed we find people outside the city (not very nice descriptions of them i.e. liars, fornicators and the like) who when they get thirsty STILL have the Spirit and the Bride calling to them to come and drink freely of the water of life; and we see the doors of the city still open. Something to think about.
“Extreme, perfect grace that is deeper and wider than the human mind can ever conceive or begin to fully contemplate”. Well said and amen. That’s something to take time and lay before the Spirit for those who don’t believe it is that big.
Thank you, Chris. That was beautiful.
Thanks for sharing your portion BK, it is much appreciated.
Faith, Hope and LOVE!
The Faith of Jesus who died for us. The Hope the Holy Spirit Brings us. And the LOVE of the Father. That is our 3 step Journey into His Everlasting Life. Amen!