The Oracle Magazine

Cave formations are slowly formed by water moving over the rock’s surface, depositing layers of minerals over a period of time. Although they have not taken as long to form as evolutionists claim,¹ a casual observer of an active stalactite or stalagmite may only understand it to be nothing much more than a pointy, wet rock. However, if you could have the opportunity to observe the beginning years of a cave formation, leave, and then return to the same speleothem many years later, you may notice a massive column in the place of what was before a small, seemingly insignificant piece of limestone hanging from the ceiling or piling up from the floor. Something so small that, viewed with a narrow chronological perspective, did not appear to be changing, was, when viewed with a broad chronological perspective, becoming a greater and more beautiful work of God’s creation over time.

Have you ever written off a person as one with certain undesirable qualities that warranted zero or little patience or love from yourself? Much like the novice speleothem investigator who has a limited perspective on a formation’s growth, we often fail to recognize God’s work of progressive sanctification in our brothers’ and sisters’ lives. God is slowly changing each one of us “to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). Sometimes we can even become impatiently angry with a perceived weakness or fault of another, forgetting God’s own patience in overlooking our own sins and failures while He molds us and spurs us toward holiness. Paul was incredulous and frustrated at the believers’ easy departure from truth, but he didn’t write them off as hopeless heretics immediately. Instead, he lovingly corrected their error and trusted in their continued growth:

What happened to this sense of being blessed you had? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? [The false teachers] are enthusiastic about you, but not for any good. Instead, they want to isolate you so you will be enthusiastic about them. Now it is always good to be enthusiastic about good—and not just when I am with you. My children, I am again suffering labor pains for you until Christ is formed in you. (Galatians 4:15-19, emphasis added)

Paul’s reaction was not one of impatience and final judgment on their spiritual state, but of painful love and expectation of their spiritual maturity. Paul exhorted the Thessalonian believers to be patient with each other, even those who are irresponsible, discouraged, or weak (I Thessalonians 5:14). How patient are we with these types of people? If we claim to really love them, our love will be proved by whether or not we are patient, because “love is patient” (I Corinthians 13:4).

I Peter 4:8 says, “Above all, maintain an intense love for each other, since love covers a multitude of sins.” The adjective ???????, used to describe this intense, continuous love, is also used in Acts 12:5 to describe the earnest manner of prayer that the church made for Peter that resulted in his miraculous escape. Our love for each other should be of the same intensity of the miracle-inducing prayers of the early church.

Think of the patient love of Jesus. How much patience would be required for the completely holy God-man to put up with all of the sinful Twelve! When James and John got their mom to ask Jesus for permission to sit at the right and left hand of Jesus’ throne, the rest of the disciples became self-righteously indignant–but Jesus patiently and lovingly used the situation as a teachable moment (Matthew 20:20-28). Jesus did not expect that James, John, and the rest of his disciples (who secretly were desiring the same positions that James and John wished) would be perfect already; instead, He saw that they had room to grow and then contributed to this growth.

What about God’s patience with even the wickedness of this world? Why didn’t He destroy everything long ago?

First, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days to scoff, living according to their own desires, saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? Ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” They willfully ignore this: Long ago the heavens and the earth were brought about from water and through water by the word of God. Through these waters the world of that time perished when it was flooded. But by the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Dear friends, don’t let this one thing escape you: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:3-9, emphasis added)

As Peter explains, it was because He has an eternal perspective and patient plan. The all-righteous, omniscient God, whose “day is like a thousand years,” is patiently holding back His righteous fury from being poured out on the world until His elect repent and are saved.

Unlike God, we cannot exactly tell the exact future of each small soda straw on the cave ceiling, and neither can we see the future of each person in this world. However, we do know that God is in the process of patiently renewing and completing, in each one of us, His image that has been marred by sin. While we benefit from God’s patience on our behalf, we should deal patiently in earnest love with others. God is filling in the gaps in His children’s spiritual growth so that, over time, each of His chosen ones is completed into a beautiful column reflecting His image.

¹Stephen Meyers and Robert Doolan, “Rapid Stalactites,” Creation Magazine, 1 September 1987, page nr.http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/cm/v9/n4/stalactites (accessed October 13, 2011).