Last Monday, North Korea pulled out of its 1953 armistice that ended – of sorts – the Korean War. They cited as a reason the new sanctions the United Nations voted for. The state-run newspaper said the new sanctions themselves were an act of war.
There is a word used in classical Greek for a truce that I want to introduce to you – anoche. It suggests the idea of a punishment delayed or being held back. The word is found twice in the New Testament.
In Romans 2, Paul is pointing out that the Jews need the Gospel because they have not kept the law. In fact, when they judged the Gentiles for committing sins like those listed in 1:29-31, Paul says they were being a hypocrite and “presuming” on the kindness of God.
He says, “Or 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?” The word “forbearance” was used in classical Greek for a true. Do you presume on God’s truce, judging others while committing the same sins yourself? That is Paul’s question.
You can buy these herbal remedies from reliable online stores. generic india levitra You must always consult a physician no matter how absurd or controversial they may be.Giant advertising generic pharmacy cialis companies and political parties will spare no cost on getting the technology on their hands. If you are not able to achieve an erection after taking the tablet. tadalafil for sale cheap In fact, erectile dysfunction or impotence http://greyandgrey.com/spanish/robert-grey/ viagra no prescription is so common these days that it affects both young as well as old adults. In the next chapter, Paul uses the word again in 3:25: “Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” God had “signed a truce” with the Jews, allowing them to offer animals as sacrifices, until Jesus came.
When Jesus came, He received the wrath of God for our sins, being crucified on the cross. God is giving mankind time now – through His “forbearance” – His truce – to respond to Him through Christ.
But one day, Jesus will come back again and God will retract the truce. Then the wrath of God will be poured out unmixed on mankind who are outside of Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:10). This truce ought to lead man to repent (2 Peter 3:14-15).
–Paul Holland
