Patient when wronged (420) anexikakos

Patient when wronged (420) (anexikakos from anécho = bear, put up with, holding back + kakós = bad, evil) is literally “holding back under bad or evil". It is tolerating difficulties without becoming out of control or enduring difficulties without becoming angry or upset. A good synonym is "longsuffering". Anexíkakos describes the person who is puts up with, patiently forbears or tolerates evil without resentment and so who is marked by their forbearance. It is enduring patiently what is naturally difficult to bear with in the attitude and conduct of others. The the Lord’s servant must not be contentious but kindly, apt to teach, and “forbearing” even with opponents. In secular Greek anexíkakos was used in medicine to describe enduring pain or evil. Patience is one aspect of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (cf. notes Galatians 5:22), and it is the Spirit Who provides the inner power we need for bearing this aspect of His fruit. The Spirit controlled bondservant (see notes Galatians 5:16; 18; 25; Ephesians 5:18) does not let himself or herself be controlled by injustices done against them, does not harbor these things waiting for an opportunity to take revenge and is quick to forgive and forget and go on. Steven Cole wisely warns us that... Often when you try to correct others, they will respond by attacking you. They will falsely accuse you of wrong motives or they will bring up shortcomings in your behavior to try to divert matters away from their own sins. If you are impatient when wronged, you lose the ability to correct effectively. Patient when wronged is perhaps one of the greatest challenges to the Lord's bondservant. When we are wronged our old nature "screams" out "They can't do that to me...They can't get away with that." You know exactly what I am saying. We must resist the temptation to listen to our old MASTER (Sin), submitting to our NEW MASTER, the controlling power of the Spirit of Christ and ''in everything give thanks" (1Th 5:18-note). If we practice these things the God of peace will be with us (Php 4:6, 7-see notes Php 4:6; 4:7) and we will come to learn the secret that we can do all things through Christ Who continually is our source of strength (Php 4:11, 12, 13-see notes Php 4:11; 12; 13). When we are faithfully witnessing and living for the Lord, it is not easy to graciously accept unjust criticism which is guaranteed to come for all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2Ti 3:12-note). Barnes comments that because we are not our own but belong to Christ, when we are persecuted for His sake, Jesus would remind us that it is... Because you are attached to Me; because you are Christians. We are not to seek such things. We are not to do things to offend others; to treat them harshly or unkindly, and court revilings. We are not to say or do things, though they may be on the subject of religion, designed to disgust or offend. But if, in the faithful endeavour to be Christians, we are reviled, as our Master was, then we are to take it with patience (Ed: made possible only through the empowerment of the Spirit of Christ), and to remember that thousands before us have been treated in like manner. When thus reviled, or persecuted, we are to be meek, patient, humble; not angry; not reviling again; but endeavouring to do good to our persecutors and slanderers. In this way, many have been convinced of the power and excellence of that religion which they were persecuting and reviling. They have seen that nothing else but Christianity could impart such patience and meekness to the persecuted; and have, by this means, been constrained to submit themselves to the gospel of Jesus. Long since, it became a proverb, "that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." (Albert Barnes. Barnes NT Commentary) Dwight Edwards gives the following illustration of patient when wronged writing that it "was well demonstrated by John Selwyn, a missionary in the South Pacific some years ago. While in university, Selwyn became renowned for his boxing skills and great strength. During his years in the South Pacific, he had occasion to strongly rebuke a native, and that native struck him violently across his face. Selwyn responded by folding his arms and looking intently into the eyes of the native, who realized that Selwyn could easily have knocked him cold. But Selwyn made not the slightest effort to retaliate and simply gazed at him with loving concern. The native fled into the jungles, too ashamed to face this missionary. Several years after John Selwyn had returned home, that same native came forward to confess Christ and be baptized by Selwyn's replacement. When asked what new name he wished to be called by, the native replied, "Call me John Selwyn, for it was he who taught me what Jesus Christ is like.." May the same be said of us!" (2 Timothy Call to Completion) Ray Stedman says that patient when wronged.... means (the Lord's bondservant) must keep his cool, be unruffled and not respond in kind to what people are handing him. That is not easy to do. When somebody attacks me personally in a debate, I want to attack back. I want to start with his remote ancestry and point out to him what is wrong with that, then bring it right down to the present, and show him how fouled up he is, and, furthermore, how much worse he is going to get as he proceeds into the future! But that is not what a servant of the Lord is to do. He is to recognize that when he is reviled, if he reviles in return, he has departed from the example of his Lord, who, "When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; ... but he trusted to him who judges justly," (1Pe 2:23RSV-note). (2 Timothy 2:23-26 Guidelines for Controversies) MacArthur writes that If the old self is not firmly resisted, we are likely to become more offended when we ourselves are wronged than when our Lord and His truth are attacked. When we are faithfully witnessing and living for the Lord, it is not easy to graciously accept unjust criticism. (MacArthur, J. 2 Timothy. Chicago: Moody Press or Logos) We do have Jesus as our example and we are called to follow Him For (we) have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for (us), leaving (us) an example for (us) to follow in His steps (1Pe 2:21-note) David Jeremiah tells the story of... Dr. Hudson Taylor, a great missionary statesman, was once dressed in Chinese costume waiting for a boatman to take him across the river in his country. A richly dressed Chinese was waiting for transportation, too. When the boat came, the man decided to move up in line. Not seeing Mr. Taylor was a foreigner, he hit him in the head and pushed him off into the mud. Taylor’s first impulse was to jump up and lay the man out. But God wouldn’t let him. When the man discovered that Taylor was not a native, he said, “Are you a foreigner and you did not strike back?” Hudson Taylor said, “Friend, this is my boat. Get in and I’ll take you wherever you want to go.” Dr. Taylor began telling him about Jesus. By the time they got to the other side of the river, the man had accepted Christ. (Jeremiah, D. Fruit of the Spirit : Study Guide. Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Publishers) R Kent Hughes has the following comments on this the importance of being patient when wronged writing... William Barclay remarks, There may be greater sins than touchiness, but there is none which does greater damage in the Christian church. Many of us are quick to take offense and slow to forgive. The great Samuel Johnson once made a sarcastic remark about an acquaintance that was repeated by a hearer to the man, but without the accompanying remark that “he was a very good man.” His biographer Boswell writes that the man could never forgive this hasty contemptuous expression. It rankled in his mind; and though I informed him of all that Johnson said, and that he would be very glad to meet him amicably, he positively declined repeated offers which I made, and once went off abruptly from a house where he and I were engaged to dine, because he was told that Dr. Johnson was to be there. I have no sympathetic feeling with such persevering resentment. Indeed God’s Word has no such sympathy either, because God’s honored servants must bear evil without being resentful. There are few things more beautiful than a forbearing spirit in God’s servants, and this is so good for the church. There is power in a life that refuses to quarrel and is gentle with detractors—the power of Christlikeness. (Hughes, R. K., & Chapell, B. 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus - Preaching the Word. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books) Octavius Winslow in Evening Thoughts (or Daily Walking with God) wrote... One exercise of Christian love will be its endeavor to avoid all occasions of offence. These, through the many and fast-clinging infirmities of the saints of God, will often occur. But they are to be avoided, and, in the exercise of that love which proves our Christian character, they will be avoided. The child of God will desire to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Whatever tends to weaken that bond he will endeavor to lay aside. Whatever He may discover in his communion with the saints calculated to wound, to distress, to alienate, to offend, either in his manner or in his spirit, the healthy exercise of holy love will constrain him to overcome. He will avoid "giving offence." He will be modest in the expression of his own opinion, respectful and deferential towards the opinion of others. He will avoid that recklessness of spirit which, under the cover of faithfulness, cares not to estimate consequences; but which, pursuing its heedless way, often crushes beneath its rough-shod heel the finest feelings of the human heart; saying and doing what it pleases, regardless of the wounds which, all the while, it is deeply and, irreparably inflicting. How sedulous, too, will he be to avoid anything like a dictatorial manner in enunciating his judgment, and all hard words and strong expressions in differing from authorities of equal, perhaps of greater, weight than his own. Oh! were this divine affection but more deeply lodged in the hearts of all those who "profess and call themselves Christians," what courtesy of manner-what grace of deportment-what tender regard of each other's feelings-what kindness in word and in action-what carefulness to avoid inflicting even a momentary pain-what putting away, as becomes saints, all wrath, anger, evil speaking, and malice-and what constant remembrance of His solemn words who said, "Whoever shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better that a mill-stone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depths of the sea," would each believer exhibit! Lord, fill our souls more and more with this lovely grace of love! Especially in Church communion will the grace of forbearance be called in requisition. When the providence of God has thrown together a community of individuals, composed of a great variety of character, of mind, and of constitutional temperament, although each grade may be more or less modified by the renewing of the Spirit, there will still be a broad field for the passive exercise of love. In a Church, necessarily imperfect, there may exist many things, in which taste as well as judgment will be found at fault, calculated to engender a feeling of dislike, and even of disgust, in a mind refined and delicate. But here Christian forbearance must be exercised. They are the infirmities of the weak of Christ's flock, and they who are stronger in grace should kindly and patiently bear them. In pursuing a different course, we may wound some of the most gracious, humble, and prayerful saints of God. We may be but little aware with what frequent and deep humiliation in secret their conscious failings may overwhelm them. And we ought to bear in mind, that if we sometimes might wish to see in them less that was rough in speech, abrupt and forward in manner, and fault-finding in disposition, they may detect in us a loftiness of spirit, a coldness of demeanor, and an apparent haughtiness of carriage, which may be an equal trial to them, demanding the exercise on their part of the same grace of forbearance towards us. How watchful, how tender, how kind, then, should we be, ever standing with the broad mantle of charity in our hands, prepared to cast it over the failings of a Christian brother, the moment it meets the eye! 2Timothy 2:25 with gentleness correcting (PAPMSA) those who are in opposition (PMPMPA), if perhaps God may grant (3SAAS) them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, (NASB: Lockman) Greek: en prauteti paideuonta (PAPMSA) tous antidiatithemenous, (PMPMPA) mepote doe (3SAAS) autois o theos metanoian eis epignosin aletheias, Amplified: He must correct his opponents with courtesy and gentleness, in the hope that God may grant that they will repent and come to know the Truth [that they will perceive and recognize and become accurately acquainted with and acknowledge it], (Amplified Bible - Lockman) KJV: In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; NLT: They should gently teach those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will believe the truth. (NLT - Tyndale House) Phillips: and the ability gently to correct those who oppose his message. He must always bear in mind the possibility that God will give them a different outlook, and that they may come to know the truth. (Phillips: Touchstone) Wuest: in meekness correcting those who set themselves in opposition, if perchance God may grant them repentance resulting in a precise, experiential knowledge of the truth (Eerdmans) Young's Literal: in meekness instructing those opposing -- if perhaps God may give to them repentance to an acknowledging of the truth, WITH GENTLENESS CORRECTING: en prauteti paideuonta (PAPMSA): (Mt 11:29; Gal 6:1; 1Ti 6:11; 1Pet 3:15) (Jer 13:15, 16, 17; 26:12, 13, 14, 15; Jn 5:34; Acts 22:1-23) See related topics - Notes on Galatians 5:23 - Fruit of the Spirit; Discussion of gentleness (prautes) With gentleness - Literally in gentleness (in the sphere of, under the influence of, "marinated in" gentleness), like Jesus... Who gave this "gentle" command... Take (aorist imperative) My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle (praus in NAS; praos in KJV) and humble (tapeinos) in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 "For My yoke is easy (chrestos), and My load is light." (Mt 11:29,30) Remember that a gentle and quiet spirit…is precious in the sight of God (see note 1 Peter 3:4) "Copy and paste the address below into your web browser in order to go to the original page which will allow you to access live links related to the material on this page - these links include Scriptures (which can be read in context), Scripture pop-ups on mouse over, and a variety of related resources such as Bible dictionary articles, commentaries, sermon notes and theological journal articles related to the topic under discussion." http://www.preceptaustin.org/2_timothy_224-26.htm#pww

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Patient when wronged (420) anexikakos

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