The Fruit of the Holy Spirit - What is patience?

The man who is longsuffering (makrothumia) does not suffer himself easily to be provoked by injurious persons, or to be angered (2 Tim. 4:2). The man who is patient (hupomone),though under great trials, bears up, and does not lose heart or courage (Rom. 5:3; 2 Cor. 1:6).

Longsuffering is patience. Let us consider the divine example again. God Himself is longsuffering (1 Pet. 3:20). So is our Lord Jesus (2 Pet. 3:15). He gave the proof of it when He was here on earth. Longsuffering is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). The word really means: ‘long in suffering’. It has to do with forbearing as well as patience. To be lowly and to be meek are not things we can display occasionally, here and there, but are consistent traits. Someone who is longsuffering and patient demonstrates a kind of endurance and perseverance. He will not easily get annoyed but is ready to bear with others in love.

Forbearing one another

It is remarkable that the first of the fruits of the Spirit towards our brethren is "long-suffering." We are sure to suffer from our brethren. So often they do not understand. So often they pain us, and blame us, and perhaps scold us, for things that they do not really comprehend at all. When we remember this, and when we have suffered long from our brethren, we truly understand what this word "long-suffering" means; then how wonderful to find that in Exodus 34:6, God Himself is described as "long-suffering." In Ephesians 4:1-3 the Apostle exhorts the beloved Ephesian Christians to walk worthy of the calling wherewith they were called, "with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." What is the difference between lowliness and meekness? Lowliness does not give offense, and meekness does not take offense. Both are needed if we are not to quarrel with our brethren. And then comes long-suffering, as we have here in Galatians; and fourth "forbearing one another in love." You will notice that all four of these qualities are to enable us to live at peace with our brethren, and provide for suffering on our part from them. Only so can we hope to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

I understand that the word translated 'longsuffering' here has to do with each other, with persons. Those of you who have Mr. Darby's translation will find in it a footnote in the epistle to James showing how he describes the two words 'longsuffering' and 'patience' (or 'endurance'). This word longsuffering that we have here has to do with persons, that is, we are longsuffering towards each other. Well, that is a very, very good trait to have indeed. It is so easy to give the cold shoulder, so easy to turn aside and say, 'What is the use'. But we are to be longsuffering and remember this is a feature of God himself, "the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation" (2 Pet.3:15). We continue in the spirit of love and peace and grace and kindness towards each other. Well, we may be sorely tried in our spirits (not forgetting we may try others too), but this longsuffering is to be active all the time towards each other, we are not to make hasty decisions, not to rush into conflict, but we are to be longsuffering towards each other, praying and helping and considering each other; and it does produce results, thank God. We have seen that in the past, too hasty a confrontation brings sorrow, but patience and praying and waiting often secures the desired result and the Spirit's fruit is in us when we are longsuffering. It is something that can be maintained and promoted in us by the Spirit of God. As we said at the outset, no one can say, 'This is impossible as far as I am concerned!' If you say that it is tantamount to saying that the Holy Spirit is not powerful enough to produce this in me. So we humbly wait and act in longsuffering towards each other.

If I can refer to Moses again, what an object lesson he is for us in this respect. For forty years he led the complaining, groaning and opposing nation of Israel. What a trial that man had in his life, but the Lord helped him, the Spirit helped him to lead the nation right up to the borders of the promised land and how successful he was in his service towards them. But then he was just acting like God, God bore with their manners forty years, He was longsuffering towards them, He bore with them that He might help them, and He did help them and bless them. So longsuffering is a possibility for you and for me in the Christian circle.

(1) “Love has long patience.” The flesh is ever impatient, but love can suffer long and wait God's time. Fleshly endurance is soon exhausted; love does not wear out.

(7) The next feature, patience or endurance, is the capacity to "remain under," [i.e. continue on during] difficult and adverse circumstances, which is certainly a very difficult thing! How much easier it is to defend ourselves and maintain our alleged rights. But what about God's rights? Aren't they important? They are maintained, practically, by showing this attitude of patience and endurance.

"And to temperance patience." Temperance will keep me from saying or doing a thing that will wound you, and patience will keep me from being upset by anything that you may do that is likely to wound me. Temperance is active, patience is passive! If you have not knowledge, you will not know how to meet the mind of God. If you have not temperance you will be sure to do something that will hurt some one else, and if you have not patience you will be upset by what some one else may be doing to you.

To be longsuffering is literally to be long-tempered. Where there is this quality there is not a rash reaction to provocation but self-control. If a response is appropriate, it is a considered one. We are to bear with one another, remembering that ‘we all often offend’ (Jms. 3:2). How much Christ bears with in us! Should we not bear with one another?

Secondly, we are reminded that there is a need for these sorrows, for these trials are for “a season, if need be”. The Father does not cause His children a needless tear. The needs be is to prove our faith. This does not mean to prove whether we have faith, but rather to make manifest the preciousness of the faith we have. Gold is not put into the fire to prove that it is gold, but to bring out the precious qualities of the metal. So God proves our faith by various trials to bring out the precious qualities of our faith. Faith, counting upon God in the trial, leads to submission to what God allows: faith in God enables the soul to wait in patience (James 1:3). Faith in God enables the believer to be steadfast against the attacks of the enemy (1 Peter 5:9). The soul may have true faith, but when the trial comes these blessed qualities of faith — submission, patience, steadfastness, confidence and dependence upon God — become manifest.

Years ago my work took me to the woods in the North of Canada, far from any Christian services. One Lord's Day morning I was reading the first chapter of Colossians. I got as far as the eleventh verse, and I read: "Strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory …" and I stopped there, somewhat overwhelmed by the stupendous display of mighty power. And as I stopped, I dreamed of the great deeds I would some day do for the Lord, with all this mighty power on which I might so freely draw; what crowds might be converted; how the heathen might be won for Christ! Then I decided to finish the verse: "Strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory unto all endurance and longsuffering with joy." It was a bit of a shock, for in those days I had never thought very much of endurance, or of patience either, as it is put in our ordinary English Bible. But God's thoughts are not our thoughts; and God knows the true worth of Endurance, and just the power that is needed for it, especially when "longsuffering", or "suffering-for-a-long-time", is connected with it; and the whole is done not with a spirit of being sorry for ourselves, but, "with joy." Ah, my brothers, my sisters, you will find you do indeed need to be "strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory", if you are to have "all endurance and longsuffering with joy." We never, never can do it in our own strength, but Thanks be to God, He does not ask us to use our own strength, and He offers us all this vast store of power on which to freely draw, with unlimited demands, and all for the sake of Endurance: "Endurance and longsuffering with joy." It is not easy, but, Thank the Lord, He can do it for us; He can work it in us.