The Longsuffering of God and The Wrath of God
The Long-suffering of God & the Wrath of God
The Long-suffering of God includes our punishment first as the verses below reveal:
“By which also He (Christ) went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” (1 Peter 3:19 – 20, KJV)
Till their “sometime were disobedient” stint “ends”.
And yes, the longsuffering of the Lord is “Salvation” in the “End” after Judgment as Generalised in 1 Peter 4:5 – 6 too.
That’s the “literal” meaning (above).
In parallel, apostle Peter offers a allegorical meaning to what happens “Now” (please note this word in Greek) with regards to the above, where “both” meanings are “true”:
“The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:” (1 Peter 3:21, KJV)
As KJMckenzie Writes:
“GOD IS LOVE. JOHN 4;8
LOVE NEVER FAILS 1 COR 13:8
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3-4).
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).”
Please notice the phrase “ALL” should come to “Repentance” and the phrase “will have ALL men to be saved”—> “live to God in the spirit” (in 1 Peter 4:6). Verses agree Beautifully.
P/S: Further Discussion
(i) What is the meaning of God’s Love?
“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6 – 8, NASB)
(ii) But can God’s Love Save from His Wrath?
Yes, because His Love is Greater than His Wrath:
“Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Romans 5:9 – 10, NASB)
(iii) But doesn’t the verse above apply to “we” (Christians ONLY)?
Yes, because Christians are Saved without experiencing the Wrath of God in Judgment, i.e. “no” Judgment (John 5:24):
“‘Verily, verily, I say to you — He who is hearing my word, and is believing Him who sent me, hath life age-during, and to judgment he doth not come, but hath passed out of the death to the life.” (John 5:24, YLT)
The others will experience the wrath of God to the “age” ONLY in ‘that Day’:
“and to you who are troubled — rest with us in the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with messengers of his power,
in flaming fire, giving vengeance to those not knowing God, and to those not obeying the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ;
who shall suffer justice — destruction age-during — from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of his strength,
when He may come to be glorified in his saints, and to be wondered at in all those believing — because our testimony was believed among you — in that day; ” (2 Thessalonians 1:7 – 10, YLT)
(iv) So, how will the others be saved then?
Believers receive ‘reconciliation first’:
“And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (Romans 5:11, NASB)
Does it end there? No!
Apostle Paul explains next in ‘subsequent verses’ how His Justification will apply to “ALL men” (not ‘those who believe only’) beyond the ‘Wrath of God’ (punishment ‘first’ to the age as other verses describe, quoted earlier):
Yes, please note the word “ALL men” in each verse below which defines the SAME “ALL men” (defining context absolutely in these related, almost consecutive set of verses from this SAME chapter):
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to ALL men, because ALL sinned— ” (Romans 5:12, NASB)
“But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one THE MANY died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to THE MANY.” (Romans 5:15, NASB)
How about ‘the many’?
In Greek, it’s “the many” (specific) and not “many” (not necessarily specific) as found in Romans 5:15 and Romans 5:19. Also, the literary style points to BOTH of “the many” in each verses to have “died & received Grace which abounded” (Romans 5:15) and to have “been made sinners & will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).
For example, this means that the SAME “the many” that were ‘made sinners’ is the SAME ‘the many’ which will be ‘made righteous’ as ‘it is written’:
“For as through the one man’s disobedience THE MANY were made SINNERS, even so through the Obedience of the One THE MANY will be made RIGHTEOUS.” (Romans 5:19, NASB)
There is ‘no’ confusion, manipulation of twisting of any kind against ‘what is written’. To further prove that the above is ‘true’, the ‘other verses in this SAME chapter (surrounding it) speak of “ALL men” too thus sealing this meaning as claimed conclusively, please consider:
“The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification.
For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
So then as through one transgression there resulted CONDEMNATION to ALL MEN, even so through One Act of Righteousness there resulted JUSTIFICATION of LIFE to ALL MEN.” (Romans 5:16 – 18, NASB)
Yes, in the last verse above (Romans 5:18), we see that CONDEMNATION to ALL MEN will be followed by the ‘free’ Gift of (undeserved, unearned, unmerited, Romans 5:16) leading to the JUSTIFICATION of LIFE to ALL MEN.
We further know that it is “ALL men” simply because the condemnation due to Adam’s sin refers to ALL men or “the many” and in each set of these verses (Romans 5:12, 15, 18, 19) and this SAME “ALL men” or “the many” (by this inherent definition) is said to be ‘Justified’ by His Gift of Life eventually in those same verses too!
Apostle Paul is using a few literary styles to present this Remarkable Truth and is emphasizing it in a few different ways highlighting different aspects of condemnation vs justification in each case as he also did in other letters of his such as the ones listed below too (agreeing to all these as ‘it is written’):
“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a Man also came the Resurrection of the Dead. For as in Adam ALL DIE, so also in Christ ALL will be made ALIVE.” (1 Corinthians 15:20 – 22, NASB)
Yes, the distinction between ALL and “All those who believe” is clearly shown in verses below too & God Justifying & Saving All is proven here too at the ‘same time’:
“Even the Righteousness of God which is by Faith of Jesus Christ unto ALL and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:” (Romans 3:22, KJV)
“For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the Living God, Who is the Saviour of ALL men, specially of those that believe.” (1 Timothy 4:10, KJV)
Conclusion – this ‘Afterlife’ Hope is True and does NOT disappoint
“and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5, NASB)
“If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:19, NASB)
God Never Changes & His Gifts are Irrevocable (Romans 11:29):
“For the Grace of God has appeared, bringing SALVATION to ALL men,” (Titus 2:11, NASB)
“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL men to Myself.” – Lord Jesus Christ (John 12:32, BSB)
Yes, NO one “remains banished”:
“We will certainly die and be like water poured out on the ground, which can’t be recovered. But God would not take away a life; He would devise plans so that the one banished from Him does not remain banished.” (2 Samuel 14:14, HCSB)
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