Section 3
our forbearance known is actually to make Christ known. I believe that this was Paul's thought.
AN EXPRESSION OF CHRIST
What word would you use to describe a life that expresses Christ? Would you describe it as loving, submissive, patient, humble, kind? None of these words is adequate. Yes, a life that ex presses Christ certainly is loving, submissive, patient, humble, and kind; however, it includes much more than this. It is significant that Paul does not use any of these terms in Philippians 4:5. Instead, he uses the word forbearance. He does not tell us to make our love or patience known, but to make our forbearance known.
In 4:5 why does Paul tell us to make our for bearance known to all men? Why does he not speak of some other virtue, such as holiness or righteousness? What word would you have used if you were writing this Epistle? Perhaps some would use faithfulness, obedience, or oneness. But none of these words seems to fit. It does not seem adequate to say, "Let your faithfulness be made known," or, "Let your oneness be made known." Try as we may, we cannot find an ade quate replacement for the word forbearance. Even though we cannot fully define forbearance or