This week, we’re diving deep into the Fruit of the Spirit by exploring the often-overlooked attribute of patience, also known as longsuffering.
What is Patience?
Patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. It’s being slow to anger, slow to take vengeance, slow to “boil over,” so to speak. In Galatians 5, the word translated to patience is “Makrothymia,” which means patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, and perseverance.
“God’s patience creates the space that allows for the grace and mercy that salvation is attained through.”
God’s Patience
Patience is an attribute that God speaks of having Himself in Exodus 34:6. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. The truth is that if God were not patient toward us, we would all perish. We deserve death because death is the penalty of our sin. But God’s patience creates the space that allows for the grace and mercy that salvation is attained through.
The Opposite of Patience
As we continue our discussion on patience, we need to understand its opposite: anger and vengeance. Cain’s anger boiled over, and he took vengeance upon his brother, showing a lack of patience and harming everyone around him. But vengeance has a second aspect that we need to understand: God has already declared the right to take vengeance in Deuteronomy 32:35. As believers, we must trust in God’s timing and judgment and seek patience to avoid things like instant gratification and strife.
Cultivating Patience
“Patience is the root of grace. Without patience, there is no grace.”
James 1:2-4 tells us to count it all joy when we meet trials of various kinds because the testing of our faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Submit yourselves therefore before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. We must stand strong in trials and flee temptation to grow patience in us. This is the goal of this fruit.
But there is one last HUGE thing that we need to understand about patience. Patience is the root of grace. Without patience, there is no grace. It’s what creates the space that allows for the grace and mercy that salvation is attained through.
In Galatians 5, the word translated to patience is “Makrothymia,” which means patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, and perseverance. It’s always translated as “longsuffering” or “patience” in the Bible. But what’s even more interesting is another word that shares the same root words: “makrothoomoce,” which means “patiently” and appears once in the Bible. The root words of both these words are “makros,” which means long, and “thoomos,” which means “passion,” “heat,” specifically “the wine of passion” or “inflaming wine,” that which drives the drinker mad or kills him with its strength. This word, when used, is translated to “wrath,” “fierceness,” or “indignation.” It’s literally saying “slow rage.”
Patience is an attribute that God speaks of having Himself in Exodus 34:6. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. The truth is that if God were not patient toward us, we would all perish. We deserve death because death is the penalty of our sin. But God’s patience creates the space that allows for the grace and mercy that salvation is attained through.
“Patience is not easy to grow, but once it bears fruit, it will continue bearing fruit each season.”
So when we read things like Luke 6:37 and Leviticus 19:18, God’s patience (in light of His vengeance) is what creates the grace (favor) to give us the time needed for faith to grow in us.
Conclusion
Let’s cultivate patience, friends. It’s not easy to grow, and it takes many seasons of patience to bear fruit. But once it bears fruit, it will continue bearing fruit each season. Let’s grow these fruits before they are fruits and experience God’s grace in a whole new way.
091 – Fruit of the Spirit: Longsuffering
This week on the Jesus Name News Podcast is all about patience and longsuffering. Patience means you can deal with delays, troubles, or suffering without getting angry or upset. It’s also about being slow to anger, slow to take revenge, and slow to “boil over.” The opposite of patience is wanting everything right away and letting things like anger, frustration, or revenge get the best of you. Patience is where grace comes from, and without it, there is no grace. So, the podcast reminds us to work on being patient, growing the fruit of the spirit, standing strong during tough times, resisting temptation, and glorifying God even when things aren’t going our way.
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