The Charter of the Church (8)

Therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord, exhort you to walk worthily of the calling in which you were called, with all humility and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love; being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3

Long-suffering – What comes to mind when you think about long-suffering? Did you think it is only about putting up with it all? Is it just the virtue of patience? Well, you’re half right. But it’s the other half that tells the story.

The Greek word makrothumia combines the words makro (meaning “large or long”) and thumos. It is thumos that will surprise you. Thumos is the Greek word for “anger” and “wrath.” Together these two words convey the idea of withholding anger for a long time. But here’s the surprise. The assumption behind these words is that the anger is reasonable. The person who is long-suffering has the ability to punish and is justified in doing so but decides not to exercise that right. This is a person who refrains from doing what any other normal person would do. In other words, makrothumia describes the choice not to exercise what you are entitled to.

Now we see why this is so important to the church. God’s elect are representatives of the holiness of God on earth. As such, Jesus gave His elect the authority to retain or forgive sins. But the church exercises this authority in a reflection of God’s character and that means long-suffering; not carrying out the just judgment from the Lord, but forgiving at great cost just as God forgave at great cost. Long-suffering puts the emphasis on suffering. Patience that does not cost you is not the kind of patience that God puts on the balance scale.

You remain faithful to a spouse who abuses the marriage vows. You are in good company. God and Hosea hold you dear. You do not sue when you have been defamed or injured. Jesus knows how you feel. You do not defend your innocence when you are attacked for His name’s sake. The Father applauds. You step in to help someone in need but the debt is never repaid. Jesus forgave too.

“What is the statutory limitation on long-suffering?” you ask.

How long has God been forgiving you?

The called-out ones are called to stand out when it comes to forgiveness. That often entails a great deal of pain. Like nails in the hands.