Gentleness - And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. 2Timothy 2: 24-26
Patience - Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
But the key in this verse is
Paul's usage of the word "clothe." First of all, this indicates that God
recognizes that these virtues are not things that man inherently possesses. If
we did, we would not need to "put them on." Man is not by nature a
compassionate being, kind, humble, gentle and patient. Those in the world who
see our witness know that these attributes are not in the world. They are
looking for compassion. They are looking for kindness and humility; gentleness
and patience. The world is harsh and unforgiving. It is lacking kindness and
encourages false bravado and pride. There is nothing gentle or patient in the
world. Neither is there in man. These virtues are the virtues of Christ and we
must make a conscious decision to clothe ourselves in them. Just as we decide
what to wear each day, we must choose to wear these virtues. The Good Samaritan
was not good by nature he chose to stop and help the wounded man. We too must
choose to stop and help the fallen world. That is the second observation about
the usage of "clothe"; we must choose
to represent the virtues of Christ. I have heard people say, "I am just not a
people person." These verses do not say to clothe yourself if you feel like it
or if you are comfortable. This is a matter of our will. When we are saved we
should surrender our will to God. Part of that surrender is doing the things
that may make us uncomfortable, but have eternal value. The third observation
about the choice of using the word "clothe" is that these virtues are how we
will be seen or recognized. Your clothing is your outward appearance. It is
what catches the eye of the observer. It is how you stand out. That is the role
these Christian virtues must have. You cannot be "kind on the inside." That
does nothing for the
Verses 13 of the key verses provide another insight into our witness for Christ. Forbearance and forgiveness. Forbearance refers to how we tolerate each other. The most interesting definition is, "Abstaining from the enforcement of a right." The world reflects the theology of "payback." Revenge is glorified and the result is a world that sues first and asks questions later. There is no tolerance in the world. Everybody is egregiously wounded, looking for someone to blame. The church should be different however. This is what verse 13 is saying. We need to bear with one another. It is about mercy. God showed us unrelenting mercy. We need to show the same:
But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant. Psalm 86: 15-16
We need to turn to the unsaved and show them the mercy God has granted unto us. That will stand in stark contrast to the world. It will stand out as a light in a dark place. So will forgiveness, the second portion of verse 13. It says to forgive, "whatever grievances you have." It does not matter to the Lord what they are. They do not matter in light of all God has forgiven you for. Peter once tried to justify himself to Jesus suggesting that he should forgive his brother seven times. Here was the response from Jesus:
Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Matthew 18:22
Jesus is not saying we should stop forgiving at 77 times or even at 490 times. He is saying there is no end to forgiveness. Man places restrictions on the virtues of God. I have heard many Christians lament that this is simply not possible. Within the confines of the flesh it is not but that does not change the fact that it is the will of God and it is the instruction of Christ. The key in verse 13 is, "as the Lord forgave you." When Jesus forgave you it was complete, it was whole, it was finished.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1John 1:9
