Attributes of God – Longsuffering and Abundant in Forgiveness
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III in this sermon speaks about two great divine attributes: God’s longsuffering and His abundant forgiveness. He shows how God’s perfect justice meets His infinite mercy, and how His patience toward sinners is not weakness but a loving call to repentance and salvation.
💫 Firstly: The Meaning of Divine Longsuffering
God’s longsuffering means His great patience and endurance toward humans who sin against Him despite His infinite holiness. God does not punish quickly, but waits in love for man to repent. This patience is not indifference or approval of sin, but a divine opportunity for repentance.
Pope Shenouda explains that during this patience, God’s grace and the Holy Spirit work within hearts to prepare them for repentance — as seen with Nineveh, Saul of Tarsus, Augustine, and Saint Moses the Black, who all became saints through God’s longsuffering.
🌅 Secondly: Divine Forgiveness
God’s forgiveness is unlike human forgiveness — it is boundless in mercy yet conditioned upon sincere repentance. God never forgives while sin remains; He forgives when the heart truly turns away from evil. Forgiveness is not a permit to sin but a call to renewal and purity.
Sometimes forgiveness comes with divine discipline, not as vengeance but as correction — as with King David, who was forgiven but chastened, or Adam and Eve, who were forgiven yet received a corrective consequence.
💖 Thirdly: Conditions for Forgiveness
To receive God’s forgiveness, a person must:
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Truly repent — leaving sin permanently.
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Repair the results of sin — like Zacchaeus who restored what he had taken.
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Forgive others — for those who do not forgive will not be forgiven.
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Love God deeply — for “her many sins are forgiven because she loved much.”
🌻 Fourthly: The Spiritual Dimension of Patience
God’s longsuffering reveals His boundless love, for He does not will the death of a sinner but that he should return and live. Even with distant nations, like pagan or atheist societies, His patience led to the conversion of millions.
🌈 Spiritual Conclusion
God’s longsuffering is not weakness but the glory of His love, and His forgiveness is not indulgence but the depth of His mercy. We are called to imitate God’s patience and forgiveness — to bear with others and to forgive as we have been forgiven. Forgiveness is the fruit of repentance and the way to holiness.
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