What steps need to be taken to teach people that God has limits to His patience?
Why is the church sometimes negligent in doing so? The pendulous of the church’s message seems to have swung back and forth between extremes throughout history. Sometimes we see an emphasis on wrath and holiness to the exclusion of His love. Sometimes it’s the other way. In an age in which bumper stickers proclaim God is Love and God Loves You, there is the possibility that believers and nonbelievers alike will assume that God will always be patient and fore bearing. The church is to have a balanced message. God does indeed love everyone; He is not willing for any to perish. But God also says He cannot tolerate sin. The church can show that God’s judgment sometimes comes quickly (Genesis 3; Acts 5:1-11). At other times judgment follows many warnings (the prophets scorned both the northern and southern kingdoms for decades). A review of God’s judgment on the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 can be helpful here. See commentaries that discuss what eventually happened to fulfill God’s warn
