The Forbearance of God: Hope for the Hopeless

Beloved, have you felt so hopeless over your sin that you’ve forgotten the forbearance of God?

You told yourself it would be the last time. You cried out to God, begged for strength, and for a while, you tasted freedom. But temptation came and, in a moment, it all fell apart. Once again, you gave in. Now you find yourself wandering through the aftermath, confused and defeated. You wonder, “Does God still care? Am I a lost cause?” And with a sigh, you decide, “Well, God’s patience must have been exhausted.”

Can you relate to this? Oh, how our sinful hearts so quickly thrust finite conditions on our infinite God!

Dear friend, if I could speak with you face-to-face, I would tell you that you are not alone and share with you that there is a way forward. Sin devastates. But as we number our days and repent now, it is important to focus and often refocus on how God purposed hope for his people—he has a higher direction for you, despite the brokenness caused by sin. Sin can create a tunnel vision for life, where truth feels distant while lies permeate and wound the heart. That is why we need to draw near to God in repentance, who is the truth and the light despite the dark circumstances we find ourselves in (John 14:6; James 4:8; 1 John 1:5).

But Where to Begin? Remember the Forbearance of God

Let’s consider how “all of life and all of humanity fall within the purview of patience, of God’s forbearance.”^[1] Without God patiently bringing his people under his care and order since creation, we would no longer have cause to exist or know our destiny in Christ. The beauty of it is that though God did not need to be patient, he was, and still is to this day, “because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins . . . to show his righteousness at the present time” (Rom. 3:25–26). The forbearance of God toward his redeemed children—his patience—will never be exhausted.

The Apostle Paul contrasts God’s insurmountable grace with the surmountable sins of his people. Our holy God, who endured human sin during Old Testament times, was looking with patient anticipation to the cross of Christ, who would die in the place of sinners. The forbearance of God continued even when his people lived in open rebellion. Since our God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, since he is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made (Psalm 145:8–9), his patience greets you now as you walk in repentance. Everything happens under God’s will, and that is why the cross embodied his long-suffering and steadfast love as, at the right time, he did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all (Rom. 5:5, 8:32).

This is mind-boggling, but primarily a call for us to turn to our Savior when no human philosophy stands sufficient. Only the Word who became flesh (John 1:14) can help our broken hearts today.

Let your heart rest in the Lord, whose forbearance preaches Christ to us afresh each day:

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. (Heb. 5:7–10)

Christ’s Perseverance

When Scripture refers to Christ’s “flesh,” it speaks of the incarnate Son who is truly God and truly man (John 1:14; Heb. 2:14, 4:15). This assures us that Jesus, as our High Priest, understands our weakness and shares in our humanity.

Though holy, Jesus lived in constant dependence on the Father, especially in prayer and supplication (Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16). Our passage in Hebrews highlights one moment in particular, his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he prayed with loud cries and tears to the One who could save him from death. He faced a fear that went beyond the physical fear of dying, as the weight of bearing the sins of the world and God’s judgment brought tremendous anguish (Mark 14:32–42; Rev. 20:14).

Jesus knew precisely what awaited him. He had already foretold his death to his disciples (Matt. 16:21; John 10:11), and he faced it willingly, driven by perfect obedience and sacrificial love. But what’s important to understand here is that the horror of the cross was not merely a physical death, but also intense spiritual agony. Christ “tasted death for everyone” (Heb 2:9), as “it was the will of the Lord to crush him” (Isa. 53:10). And though never separated from the Father, his human nature experienced “no influx of consolation, either from his Father, nor on the part of the Word”^[2] during the judgement he bore (Mark 15:34; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24).^[3]

Within that suffering, he remained faithful to bring “many sons to glory” (Heb. 2:10), which made him “able to save to the uttermost” (Heb 7:25). And his resurrection was the Father’s answer to his prayers, confirming the victory of the cross and the hope of eternal life for all who believe (1 Cor. 15:20; Heb. 12:2). Jesus persevered until the end and did not act from fear but in reverent submission to his calling, which led him to die on the cross.

How to comprehend this? Consider the Apostle Paul who “despaired of life itself” and yet trusted God (2 Cor. 1:8). Or perhaps consider, in the movie Braveheart, William Wallace shouting “Freedom!” rather than begging for mercy as he died, acknowledging that physical death and torture were lesser matters than the justice he fought for. Infinitely more significant, Jesus embraced the cross to bring us eternal freedom. That is why we follow him by taking up our cross daily (Matt. 16:24).

But the question we must face as believers is this: When the time comes—and it is already here—will we stand with our Savior or with the world? As you consider the answer, remember the forbearance of God, and how he, through every page of Scripture, stood patiently for his people.

Christ’s Obedience

Hebrews 5:8 shows that although Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience through suffering. Not that he was disobedient, but that, through suffering, he fully demonstrated perfect obedience as the true man in our place. As the sinless One, he didn’t need correction like us (Heb. 4:15). But to be our mediator, he had to embody perfect human obedience, even unto death (Phil. 2:8). His obedience reversed Adam’s failure, becoming the foundation of our salvation (Rom. 5:19).

His perfection, therefore, was proven and completed through the cross (Heb. 2:10). Had he faltered, he could not redeem us. But he triumphed, and so could declare, “It is finished” (John 19:30). His redemptive work was fully accomplished. That is why Christ is the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him (Heb. 5:9). In contrast, our obedience doesn’t earn salvation; it only proves genuine faith.

But as we suffer and meet seasons where our faith is tested, we must ask: Will we embrace suffering for Christ? His great mercy enables us to be a people with eternal belonging and status in heaven (1 Pet. 1:3–4), inspiring our love that delights to obey his commandments (John 14:15). As you consider the answer, remember the forbearance of God, particularly where obedience has been his love language (1 John 2:3–6).

Christ’s Eternal Priesthood

Lastly, our foundation is that Christ is our High Priest, not by human appointment, but by divine call, “after the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 5:10; Ps. 110:4). His priesthood is eternal, from before creation, and fulfilled in his incarnation, death, and resurrection (Eph. 1:4; Heb. 10:8–10). And yet, he did not glorify himself (John 8:54; Heb. 5:5) but was appointed by the Father for this saving mission. Unlike the Levitical priests, his priesthood is unique, universal, and rooted in God’s eternal purpose. The cross, though full of agony, was his moment of glory, where he won redemption and revealed God’s glory (John 12:23; Heb. 7:1).

This is the reason why Jesus is our only hope! The Son—our eternal High Priest—stands forever as our Redeemer. His perfect obedience, suffering, and intercession guarantee salvation to all who trust and follow him. We fix our eyes on him, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2), tasting the richness of God’s forbearance and kindness. If we see with eyes of faith, we will find that this is meant to turn us away from sin, “that all should reach repentance” (2 Pet. 3:8–10; Rom. 2:4–5).

We must ask ourselves: Will we continually turn in repentance to our eternal High Priest? The forbearance of God—his ever-abounding patience—is not a license to hew out cisterns for ourselves, seeking satisfaction from things that perish, but to drink from the fountain of living waters that is Christ himself (Jer. 2:13; John 4:14).

Beloved, come to Christ and repent without delay. Answer boldly the questions above, and pray, asking one thing from the Lord:

“. . . that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4)

“For the Lord’s dwelling place is with man.” (Rev 21:3)

In Jesus’s name, amen.

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^[1] Herman Bavinck, Reformed Ethics: Created, Fallen, and Converted Humanity, vol. 1, ed. John Bolt (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2019), 149.

^[2] Neale, J. M. (John Mason) and Littledale, Richard Frederick, A Commentary on the Psalms, vol. 1, Psalm I to Psalm XXXVIII (London: Joseph Masters, Aldersgate Street, 1869-74), 281. https://archive.org/details/commentaryonpsal01nealuoft/page/280/mode/2up, accessed 8/21/2025.

^[3] For more on this, see “Was the Trinity Torn Apart at the Cross?” by Jonty Rhodes, June 21, 2021. https://www.crossway.org/articles/was-the-trinity-torn-apart-at-the-cross/?srsltid=AfmBOooywVd3MyYtJBbESd0xklI39Nq6i7OVFZLaqxNoK_oq6Uw5KtHe