Author: Gary Witcher

Christian Walk: By the Spirit - Patience

     Of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23, which one causes us the most problems as we try to walk the Christian walk?  For many, the answer would be "patience."
     We all feel that we should be more patient, but it is sometimes difficult to explain WHY patience is so important.  The New Testament lists various motives for being patient.
     "And you will be hated by all on account of My name," Jesus warns in Matthew 10:22, "but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved."  Jesus repeats the same idea in Matthew 24:13.
     "By your perseverance you will win your souls," Jesus advises in Luke 21:19.
     By the way, the word that is translated "patience" in Galatians 5:22 carries the idea of being "longsuffering."  In fact many translations use the latter word.  So patience or endurance or perseverance will help us with our own salvation.  Associated with this, we find in Romans 2:7 that perseverance will provide glory, honor, immortality and eternal life.
     According to Romans 5:3-4, perseverance leads to proven character, which in turn leads to hope.
     "And let endurance have its perfect result," James 1:4 states, "that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
     "Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial;" James writes in verse 12 of the same chapter, "for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
     "For you have need of endurance," Hebrews 10:36 notes, "so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what has been promised."
     In 2 Peter 1:5-7 we find a list of Christian virtues.  According to this passage, the things that follow perseverance are godliness, brotherly kindness and love.
     In 2 Timothy 2:10 Paul provides us with another good motive for patience.
     "For this reason," the apostle explains, "I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory."
     So what are our motives for patience?  They include our salvation; glory, honor, immortality and eternal life; proven character and hope; perfection and completeness; a crown of life; receiving the promise; godliness, brotherly kindness and love, and the salvation of others.
     These are all things that result from patience, but what things lead to perseverance?
     "And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations;" Romans 5:3 claims, "knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance."
     "Consider it all joy, my brethren," James 2:2-3 admonishes, "when you encounter various trials; knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance."  So the first thing that leads to patience is overcoming trials.
     Returning to the list of Christian virtues in 2 Peter 1:5-8, we learn that faith, moral excellence, knowledge and self-control precede perseverance.
     Perhaps we would like to be finding a different answer to our question about obtaining patience.  Tribulation and trials are not on the list of things we look forward to, and moral excellence and self-control are not exactly among our strong points.
     Has our society convinced us that there should be an easy way or a short cut for everything?  It seems that athletes are the only ones who believe "no pain, no gain."  In other areas we are looking for easy money and even easier spiritual rewards.
     God knows the value of overcoming trials in developing patience.  But He also knows our weaknesses.  So in Colossians 1:9-12 He offers His help in attaining steadfastness and patience.
     2 Thessalonians 3:5 promises that the Lord will direct our hearts into steadfastness.
     How does the Lord do this?  Revelation 3:10 says that it is through His word.
     Patience is the result of trials and tribulations.  It follows faith, moral excellence, knowledge and self-control.  But God offers His power to assist us.  The Lord will help us through His word.

     What examples of patience do we have to follow?
     "Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience," Romans 2:4 asks, "not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?"
     Romans 3:25 says that God demonstrates His forbearance by passing over the sins of those who benefit from the blood of Christ.  Romans 9:22 also makes reference to the great patience of God.
     The patience of God during the time Noah was building the ark is mentioned in 1 Peter 3:20.
     "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness" 2 Peter 3:9 notes, "but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."  God is a perfect example of patience.
     "And yet for this reason I found mercy," Paul writes in 1 Timothy 1:16, "in order that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience, as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life."  Jesus is a perfect example of patience.
     According to James 5:10-11, the prophets and Job provide additional examples of patience.
     We've seen some of the things that result from patience, as well as some of the things that lead to patience.  And we've mentioned God, Jesus, the prophets and Job as examples of patience.  But what can we do to develop this characteristic?
     "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit," Ephesians 6:18 instructs, "and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints."  Prayer and perseverance go hand-in-hand.
     According to Romans 8:18-25, patience is associated with anxious longing and eager waiting.  The last verse says that our hope helps us be patient.  If we lack perseverance, could it be that we are not all that interested in having it, any way?  Could it be that our hope is not all that strong?  If this is the case, perhaps we should check our citizenship and find out where our heart is.
     "For our citizenship is in heaven," Paul claims in Philippians 3:20, "from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."
     Revelation 1:9 instructs us that patience is something that we find in Christ.  Hebrews 9:28 and 1 Corinthians 1:7 state that we eagerly wait for Christ.  Hebrews 10:13 and James 5:7 teach that we should be patient with Christ.  And Galatians 5:5 says that we should wait through the Spirit, by faith.
     But there is a limit to what a person can take, isn't there?
     We are to persevere in tribulation, according to Romans 12:12.
     "But in everything commending ourselves as servants of God," Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6:4-5, "in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger."
     In 2 Timothy 3:10-11 Paul lists perseverance along with persecutions and sufferings.
     Hebrews 12:7 points out that we should be patient under discipline.  According to 1 Peter 2:19-21 we must be patient when we suffer undeserved affliction.
     "And the Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome," Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:24, "but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged."
     Romans 2:7 says we should be patient in doing good.  Jesus teaches in Luke 8:15 that we should have perseverance in bearing fruit.  Hebrews 12:1 admonishes us to run with endurance the race that is before us.
     "And we urge you," Paul sums up in 1 Thessalonians 5:14, "admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all men."
     If there is a point when we are no longer required to be patient, if there is any exception, we cannot find it in these passages.
     What result can we expect from patience?  Read the first part of the Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew 5:1-12 and see what Jesus promises.
     "By forbearance a ruler may be persuaded," Proverbs 25:15 says, "and a soft tongue breaks the bone."
     "And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end," Hebrews 6:11-12 urges, "that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."
     God has provided us with the truth.  If we will just be patient, that truth will set us free.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission."