What the Bible says about God's Restraint
(From Forerunner Commentary)
God overlooked, tolerated, or bore with it because of, in this case, our ignorance. God made excuses, as it were, to Himself to restrain Himself from striking out. This is, of course, bringing God down to a human level so we can understand. This is the kind of language Paul and Luke used to allow us to grasp the fact that God bore with us. We have to learn to do the same toward others.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Unity (Part 8): Ephesians 4 (E)Related Topics: Forbearance | God's Forbearance | God's Longsuffering | God's Restraint | God's Tolerance | Longsuffering | Self Restraint | Tolerance
One translation of this verse renders the last phrase, "sins that are past, through the forbearance of God," as "for the remission of sins during the time that He withheld His hand." Picture a father whose children are misbehaving, and he pulls back his hand to cuff them, yet he withholds it. This is what God means. He was ready to strike out at us because of our sins, but He withheld His hand during that time. It is as if He stopped Himself. He had every reason to strike out, but He did not, mercifully. It is a vivid picture. Any parent can relate to it.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Unity (Part 8): Ephesians 4 (E)Related Topics: Forbearance | God as Parent | God's Forbearance | God's Mercy | God's Patience | God's Restraint
We should get two things out of this prophecy. One is that the lawlessness was already working in Paul's day, and the second is that it has the force of the supernatural power of Satan. We are dealing with something significant here. The "he who restrains" therefore has to be one of supernatural power in order to restrain. Thus, He who restrains must be God. When He lifts the restraint, the man of sin will come to full power. In this is the vague implication that, since Paul says the mystery of iniquity was already working, a man of sin was also on the scene—not the man of sin, but a man of sin.
John W. Ritenbaugh
A Place of Safety? (Part 3)Related Topics: God's Restraint | Iniquity, Mystery of | Lawlessness | Lawlessness, Mystery of | Man of Sin | Mystery of Iniquity | Mystery of Lawlessness | Satan's Influence