Bible Questions Answered:
“...in the bible says longsuffering.
Is it we are not christian, if we are not suffering? Is this what
it teaches ...”
Baruti/ Pretoria, South Africa
Bible Answer:
Old Testament:
Exodus 34:6 KJV
And The Lord
passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God,
merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness
and truth,
Numbers 14:18 KJV
The Lord is
longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and
transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth
generation.
Psalm 86:15 KJV
But thou, O
Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering,
and plenteous in mercy and Truth.
Jeremiah 15:15 KJV
O Lord, thou
knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors;
take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake
I have suffered rebuke.
*Longsuffering-Hebrew:
Arek (Aw-rake): Long, patient, slow to anger.
New Testament:
Romans 2:4 KJV
Or despisest
thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering;
not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Romans 9:22 KJV
What if God,
willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with
much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
II Corinthians 6:6 KJV
By pureness, by
knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by The Holy Ghost,
by love unfeigned,
Galatians 5:22 KJV
But the fruit
of The Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith,
Ephesians 4:2 KJV
With all
lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one
another in love;
Colossians 1:11 KJV
Strengthened
with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience
and longsuffering with joyfulness;
Colossians 3:12,13 KJV
12 Put on
therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies,
kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing
one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel
against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
I Timothy 1:16 KJV
Howbeit for
this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew
forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should
hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting.
II Timothy 3:10 KJV
But thou hast
fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith,
longsuffering, charity, patience,
II Timothy 4:2 KJV
Preach the
word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort
with all long suffering and doctrine.
I Peter 3:20 KJV
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.
II Peter 3:9,15 KJV
9 The Lord is
not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance.
15 And account
that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our
beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath
written unto you;
* Longsuffering-Greek: Makrothumeo
(Mak-roth-oo-meh-o): To be
long-spirited, forbearing, patient: bear long, long patience, be
patient, patiently endure.
*
Longsuffering-Greek: Makrothumia (Mak-roth-oo-mee-ah):
Longanimity, forbearance, fortitude, patience.
In these 17 Old
and New Testament usages, “patience,” is the word in mind!
Patience: The
will or ability to wait or endure without complaint,
steadiness, endurance, or perseverance in the performance of a
task.
New World
Dictionary
I Timothy 6:11 KJV
But thou, O man
of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness,
faith, love, patience, meekness.
Hebrews 10:36 KJV
For ye have need
of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye
might receive the promise.
Hebrews 12:1 KJV
Wherefore
seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so
easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is
set before us,
II Peter 1:5-7 NLT
5 In view of
all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises.
Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence,
and moral excellence with knowledge,
6 and knowledge
with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and
patient endurance with godliness,
7 and godliness
with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for
everyone.
II Timothy 2:3
KJV
Thou
therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
May this endurance, give us pain?
Living and working in a sinful world.
Yes.
Longsuffering:
Patience implies the bearing of suffering, provocation, delay,
tediousness, etc. with calmness and self-control.
New World Dictionary
Hebrews 12:1-4
NLT
1 Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life
of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down,
especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with
endurance the race God has set before us.
2 We do this by
keeping our eyes on Jesus, The Champion who initiates and perfects
our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the
cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor
beside God’s throne.
3 Think of all
the hostility He endured from sinful people; then you won’t
become weary and give up.
4 After all,
you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.
Does all this mean, that every Christian will experience one form or
another of suffering?
Yes.
This suffering may come from one's own household, for our Lord taught
us.
Matthew 10:32-39
KJV
32 Whosoever
therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before
My Father which is in heaven.
33 But
whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My
Father which is in heaven.
34 Think not
that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but
a sword.
35 For I am
come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter
against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in
law.
36 And a man's
foes shall be they of his own household.
37 He that
loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that
loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And he that
taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me.
39 He that
findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for My
sake shall find it.
From the world:
John 15:18-20
KJV
18 If the world
hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you.
19 If ye were
of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of
the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the
world hateth you.
20 Remember the
word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord.
If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they
have kept My saying, they will keep yours also.
Suffering is not something that we need to seek after, if we are faithful to our Lord, it will find us.
Will all Christians suffer? Yes, our Savior suffered being in the
world, and we will too.
Now “patience,” also means endurance!
Can we endure? We can endure with patience any trial, because of our
peace and our strength, comes from The Lord.
John 14:27 KJV (Jesus)
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Psalm 18:1 KJV
I will love
thee, O Lord, my strength.
Psalm 18:32 KJV
It is God that
girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
Psalm 27:1 KJV
The Lord is my
light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength
of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:14 KJV
Wait on The
Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait,
I say, on The Lord.
Psalm 29:11 KJV
The Lord will
give strength unto His people; The Lord will bless His people with
peace.
Psalm 31:24 KJV
Be of good
courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in The
Lord.
Psalm 37:39 KJV
But the
salvation of the righteous is of The Lord: He is their strength in
the time of trouble.
Psalm 46:1 KJV
God is our
refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 59:9 KJV
Because of His
strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.
Psalm 62:7 KJV
In God is my
salvation and my glory: the Rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in
God.
Psalm 73:26 KJV
My flesh and my
heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion
for ever.
Psalm 81:1 KJV
Sing aloud unto
God our strength: make a joyful noise unto The God Of Jacob.
Psalm 118:14 KJV
The Lord is my
strength and song, and is become my salvation.
James 1:2-4,12
NLT
2 Dear brothers
and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity
for great joy.
3 For you know
that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to
grow.
4 So let it
grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be
perfect and complete, needing nothing.
12God blesses
those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward
they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those
who love Him.
Revelation 2:10
KJV
Fear none of
those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast
some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have
tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give
thee a crown of life.
