The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
It is God's desire that the world turn to Him. He gives gracious opportunity. That is His nature. He loves us... a fact forever demonstrated in the death of Christ for us. He patiently offers time for humanity to come to Him.
The image of God as a mean-spirited and capricious judge is one that comes not from the scriptures, but from those who oppose the scriptures. The fact remains that God does judge sin. In fact, the very next verse (2 Peter 3:10) informs us that a day will come swiftly when the entire universe will be remade and purged of the effects of sin. God is just patient, on our time scale, until then.
This explains why sin can seem so rampant. It is not the sin that God is allowing as much as it is the TIME to repent from that sin. He is giving this world the grace of the gospel and has commanded His church to reach it. He is sovereignly calling people and sovereignly positioning Christians to reach them because He desires that people come to Him. And He is giving us His patience, seen over time, so that people may come to Him. That is a gracious, patient, and holy love.
- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13
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