The Blessing of God's Patience

“And count the patience of the Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him…”

(2 Peter 3:15)

The fact that Christ has not yet returned is often used in an effort to discredit him. We tell ourselves that this is a promise he’s failed to keep. The fact that we remain in this world, full of evil and sin, is our justification for unbelief.

Peter, in the above passage, says something very different. He tells us to count that patience of the Lord as salvation. In other words, the fact that Christ has not yet returned is a display of his grace.

God is patient with us. And this is a tremendous blessing. If he were not patient, we would have suffered his judgment long ago. If he were not patient, mankind would have been destroyed in centuries past.

If God were not patient, he would’ve destroyed Adam and Eve when they first sinned. If  he were not patient, he would not have spared the world through Noah at the time of the flood. If he were not patient, he would have destroyed Israel when they first grumbled against him in the desert. If he were not patient, he never would've sent Jesus into the world to save us from our sin. If he were not patient, he would have given up on us before we had the opportunity to repent and to receive his promise in faith.

Although we long for the return of Christ, and although we know the blessing this will mean for us, we also gratefully welcome his patience. We recognize that, without it, we would not have received his grace. We recognize that, without it, we would be forever lost.

Knowing the great blessing his patience has been in our life, we also welcome it for others. We are gladdened because others have a continued opportunity to receive the grace of God. We are content to await his return, rejoicing in the fact that others are still afforded the prospect of his salvation.

Yes, the patience of God means that we must continue to live in this world of sin and death. It means facing the ongoing suffering of this life. However, in light of the blessing the patience of God means for us and others, we welcome it gladly.