Articles
Second Chances
Have you ever been pulled over by a police officer for running a red light, speeding, or some other traffic violation? Most of us have. As the officer begins writing the ticket, we may say something like, “I won’t do it again!” or, “Give me another chance!” in hopes of getting out of it. Sometimes that doesn’t work. When it comes to our service to God, we have all stumbled. Whether an outright misdeed or a failure to do what we know we should, we have all sinned. We have all told God in prayer, “I won’t do it again, give me another chance to do better!” The difference in our spiritual failures and those that are earthly is that as long as we live and Christ has not returned, we have opportunity to make our lives right with God.
Considering the sins we have all committed, it seems amazing that God has been so patient with us. Spiritual matters are difficult for us to truly grasp at times. The patience of the Lord is one such concept. How can such a pure, holy, and righteous God not punish us immediately for our sins against Him? It is because patience, endurance, forbearance, and longsuffering are all part of His eternal character. God proclaimed before Moses on Mount Sinai that, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” (Exodus 34:6-7). David wrote nearly the same thing in Psalm 86:15. Both Moses and David realized that God is not vengeful and wrathful all the time, raging at mankind. They understood that God does not destroy us because He is loving and patient.
God is still longsuffering and forbearance toward us today. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, “is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). This means that His desire for our salvation has neither ceased nor diminished over the course of time. The reason God gives us chance after chance to live godly lives is because He wants us to be saved. “Do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4). God is kind and patient with us so we will change! God is “patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish” (2 Peter 3:9), but when we constantly rebel against Him and test His patience because of our hard hearts, we “are storing up wrath for [ourselves] on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed” (Romans 2:5). His patience causes the tender heart to repent, while the hardened, impenitent heart continues to misinterpret God’s longsuffering as forgetfulness and ignorance.
Time to repent is an amazing gift. When we realize that we will receive the penalty of spiritual death for our sin, yet God is patient with us still, we begin to value our time much more. The time God gives us -- evidence of His longsuffering -- is time for salvation. “Count the patience of our Lord as salvation” (2 Peter 3:15). This is where we must apply what we know. We know God is patient, kind, and desires all men to repent (Acts 17:30). What we do not know is when He will have had enough of this wicked world. God blesses us with more chances to repent than we deserve, and He faithfully forgives us every time we seek Him. Are we using the time we have wisely (Ephesians 5:15-16), succeeding on the second and third and fourth chances He gives us? There will be a day when His patience will be no more. My hope and prayer is that none of us will have squandered our time, sinning rather than repenting. Right now is your second chance. Make the most of it.
