Whenever I go on multi-day hikes with friends, we have friendly arguments about candy bars. When you are in the middle of a long hike, you dream about food. So the arguments start. Which candy bar is number one? KitKat? Twix? 100Grand? I usually come back to Snickers. Snickers definitely is the best. When I get a Snickers, I cannot wait to eat it. It is hard to have patience! Speaking of patience, everyone knows what patience is. Even young kids can understand the concept. On the one hand, patience is the ability to wait for something. On the other hand, patience means remaining calm when something unpleasant happens. For example, if someone is bothering you, being patient means you will not quickly get upset or angry about it.

Some people are infamous for their impatience. In the late 1700s, there was an English ship called the HMS Bounty. Her captain, Mr. Bligh, was a well-known hothead. If someone on the crew made a mistake, Captain Bligh would absolutely flip out and cuss people up and down until his face was beet red. In fact, his crew secretly called Captain Bligh “the Volcano” because he had no patience for anything.

Patience is an important virtue in the Christian faith. It is a fruit of the Spirit that follows love, joy, and peace. Abraham patiently waited for the son God promised him (Heb 6:15). Many of the Old Testament prophets were extremely patient through their suffering (Jas 5:10). Biblical wisdom says that being patient is better than being powerful (Prov 16:32). Patience, like peace and joy, is a Christian disposition and characteristic that comes from the Spirit’s sanctifying work. Followers of Christ are called to be patient. Be slow to anger is how James put it (Jas 1:19). In Paul’s words, we are to clothe ourselves with patience (Col 3:12).

In a word, patience is a virtue the Holy Spirit produces in a Christian’s heart and mind, bearing fruit in the life of the believer. Christian patience means patience in all areas of life—from daily interactions with people to submitting to God’s providential plan. Patience is a God-glorifying virtue that makes life more pleasant for us and for others.

Patience in Affliction, Injustice, Persecution, and Temptation

When Scripture calls us to be patient, it means we should be patient while we recover from sickness or injury. It means we should be patient when we face a longer trial. Patience should be practiced when we are alone and when we are around other people. Whether we are at work, in line at the store, on the phone with customer service, or in traffic, we are called to be patient.

As a matter of fact, things do not always go our way. We make mistakes. Other people make mistakes. We sin. Other people sin. Sometimes bad things happen, and we cannot explain why. In and through all this, we please the Lord when we display the fruit of patience.

The Bible talks about patience in various areas of life. First, it says we must be patient in affliction (Rom 12:12). Affliction is hardship and distress. When you face intense conflict in the office or a huge medical bill that you cannot pay—those things are afflictions. Patience is called for in those situations. When James told us to be patient, he set it in the context of Christ’s return. He said Christians must be patient through affliction until Christ returns (Jas 5:7–11). A hard but real truth is that affliction teaches us patience. Maybe you are a Christian who is very independent and accustomed to having your way. If you face a serious affliction, you need to receive it as a teaching moment from God. He might be saying: “Be patient and trust me through this.” In the words of one Puritan, “The best way to shorten our troubles is to lengthen our patience.”¹

Second, Scripture also says we should be patient when people treat us unfairly: “God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment” (1 Pet 2:19 NLT). When someone manipulates or deceives you, as frustrating as it may be, follow the lead of the Spirit and display patience. It does not mean we laugh it off or pretend it did not happen. But it does mean we exercise patience, refuse to seek revenge, and prevent anger and hatred from growing in our hearts. Jerry Bridges said patience does not mean we ignore unfair treatment, but that we respond in a godly manner.²

Typically, when someone wrongs us, we want to take off our gloves and fight. But Scripture says, no, do not fight (e.g., Matt. 5:39). Be patient when treated unjustly. Seek to cultivate the fruit of patience even when it is very difficult. Again, here is how Bridges explained it: “The patient Christian who suffers leaves this issue in the hands of God. He is confident that God will render justice, though he knows that this may not occur until the time of our Lord’s return.”³ When we leave the issue in God’s hands, it helps us deal with it patiently.

Third, when people make fun of or even harm us for following Christ, Scripture calls us to patience. Revelation 13:10 says Christians must endure persecution patiently (NLT). Paul displayed patience when he was persecuted (1 Cor 4:12–13). Thankfully, in the United States, any persecution we face is extremely minor compared to the persecution other Christians have faced in history and elsewhere in the world. Yet the call is the same: whether your boss refuses to promote you because you are a Christian or you are being tortured in prison for your faith, patience is your calling. We are not called to fight or avenge ourselves when attacked for our faith. Instead, following in Jesus’ steps, we patiently endure the suffering and entrust ourselves to God who judges justly, because vengeance belongs to him, not us (1 Pet 2:23; 1 Pet 4:19; Rom 12:19).

Finally, patience is also called for when facing temptation. The Lord blesses the person who patiently endures a trial (Jas 1:12). If you are going through a difficult financial crisis, pray for patience through it. If you are right in the middle of a conflict with your best friend, be patient and persevere with love and prayer. If Satan is tempting you to hate someone, to visit that filthy and vulgar website, or to covet your friend’s family, then aim to resist patiently, persevering through it. There is a blessing in resisting temptation (Jas 1:12).

Patient in Discipline and in Prayer

The prophet Micah said he would bear the Lord’s anger because he sinned against the Lord (Mic 7:9). The word patience is not used in that context, but it is implied. Micah knew he had sinned. He knew the Lord would discipline him. And he resolved to be patient through it. So it ought to be with us. Sometimes when we sin, the Lord disciplines us. If you tell someone a huge lie that destroys a person’s reputation, you will probably feel guilt and shame. You might even feel sick about it and lose sleep. That is one way the Lord disciplines us. It feels like God’s hand is heavy on us, day and night (Ps 32:4). To be sure, not all of our suffering is from God’s discipline (e.g., John 9:2ff). But some of it is. And when the Lord disciplines us, again the key word is patience. He disciplines us as a Father who, out of love, is getting us back on the path of faith and obedience.

It is easy for me to say, “Be patient when waiting for God’s answer to your prayers.” But actually doing it is difficult. Maybe you have prayed for years that God would change the heart of someone you love. As you pray, be patient. The Lord’s timing and way are best. We should pray persistently for all sorts of things. And we should mix patience with persistence in prayer. The psalmist’s guidance is needed: “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me; he turned to me and heard my cry” (Ps 40:1). Pray hard, pray often, and pray with patience, trusting God’s timing.

Patience with Ourselves

Here is another perspective on patience: you should be patient with yourself. By that I mean you should be patient with your sanctification. Be patient with God’s sanctifying work in you. He did begin a good work in you, and he will definitely complete it (Phil 1:6). But it will not happen overnight. Sanctification is a slow and steady work of God in us, not an instant act. This means you are going to mess up and make mistakes—a lot of them. We are finite, fallen, and far from perfect. Even good, solid Christians do very sinful things sometimes (e.g., Gal 2:11–14). When we stumble in sin, it is not a good thing. We should, however, be patient through it, knowing that one day, God’s work in us will be complete.

Furthermore, we should be patient with our fallenness. Yes, Christians are redeemed and being renewed. But until we are with the Lord in glory, we will suffer the weakness and frailty that comes from being a human. You might have mental struggles that frustrate you to tears. Perhaps you find it difficult to remember various doctrinal truths and it bothers you. Or maybe you are one of those who grapples with negative thoughts about yourself, and you truly thinks you are inferior to everyone. The call is, “Dear child of God, be patient. He is certainly working in you. And he will certainly complete that work. Be patient with yourself.”

This aspect of patience is especially helpful for those of you who are really good at beating yourself up. Some of you are terribly hard on yourself when you fail, make a big mistake, or do not measure up to another person’s income, ability, or talents. This is a hard reality. But again, be patient. You will truly be perfect one day along with the rest of God’s people. But you will not be perfect in this life. As one musician put it so well, “You can’t expect to be perfect, it’s a fight you’ve got to forfeit.”⁴ So next time you mess up, fail to measure up, or feel like a total loser for botching something, be patient with yourself. It is ok. We all mess up. Even the person you most look up to is seriously flawed—we all are! But the reality is that those whom God has saved, he will glorify—the work he started, he will finish.

Patient with Others

Of course, we should also be patient with other people. This is a big aspect of this fruit of the Spirit. In fact, patience and love are inseparable: “Love is patient” (1 Cor 13:4). If you love someone, you will be patient with them. If you love your friend, you will be patient when he is twenty minutes late. If you love your wife, you will be patient when she is indecisive. That is what love does. Love bears all things, love endures all things, love is patient!

We should especially be patient with other believers: “Be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Eph 4:2 NIV). It does not matter whether the fellow believer is young or old, male or female, rich or poor. You must be patient with others in the family of God. Paul even says, “Be patient with them all” (1 Thess 5:14). Remember how Paul dealt with other Christians in the letters he wrote? He was loving towards them, which was demonstrated in patience. Yes, he was blunt at times, calling sin for what it is. But he did not write them off, hold a grudge against them, or give up on them. He bore with their weakness and sin. He still called them brothers and sisters. It boggles my mind that he could greet the extremely imperfect Corinthian church with words of love and kindness: “To those called to be saints . . . grace to you and peace” (1 Cor 1:1–3).

Let us talk specifics. We must be patient with each other when we have very different political views. We must be patient toward others with different opinions about health issues (e.g., immunizations, diets, medical treatments, etc.). Patience is called for when other Christians school their kids differently than you do. I have to be patient with other Christians who have different views about finances. It is OK for us to have different opinions and views about things. These differences are not sinful. Only cults force people to have the same views on every issue. As George Bethune wrote, “What a pride and self-importance must there be in the mind of one, who, setting himself up for a judge, requires everyone to think as he does, or be pronounced a knave or fool!”⁵ We could also think about it like this: Christian liberty and Christian patience overlap. We have Christian liberty in many areas of life. Similarly, we should be patient with others who, in Christian liberty, have different ideas, customs, views, and habits.

Patience is a fruit of the Spirit that makes a home more pleasant. Parents, remember to be patient with your kids as they grow. They will mess up like you did. They will not be perfect, and they will not conform to your every wish. Similarly, kids need to be patient with their imperfect parents. Parents also make mistakes!

Finally, the church family is called to be patient with its leadership. Elders and pastors have been called to serve in a local church. But no elder or pastor is even close to perfect. They make mistakes, and the church family has to be patient with them. Similarly, the pastor and elders are to be patient with the congregation. Patience between the leadership and the congregation is a two-way street. Paul even told Timothy that he should reprove and rebuke with complete patience (2 Tim 4:2). Pastors should display patience in the pulpit, and all church leaders should set a good example of patient leadership.

Remember, just like God is working in you, he is also working in other Christians. He will complete the work he has begun in other Christians as well. So do not be so hard on other Christians who do foolish things or stumble in sin. You may have to give a fellow Christian a loving rebuke sometimes. But do it with patience. And remember God is sanctifying that person and that he or she is in the same place you are: already justified but not yet glorified. Therefore, we pray for our own patience. And we pray the same for our brothers and sisters in Christ (Col 1:11).

God’s Patience

One of the great choruses in the Old Testament is this: “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Exod 34:6). God is slow to anger—he is long-suffering. Louis Berkhof defined it as “the goodness of God in which he bears with evil people despite their long-continued disobedience.”⁶

In some ways, the whole Bible is one long story about God’s patience. He was patient when Adam and Eve ate the fruit. He did not immediately destroy them as he was justified in doing. God was patient with Cain after he murdered Able. Many years of evil on earth passed before God sent the flood (1 Pet 3:19). God was patient with his grumbling people in the wilderness. The Lord was patient with his disciples all those times they missed the point. History shows that God is slow to anger. As Peter said, God’s patience means the door of salvation is still open (2 Pet 3:15). Paul wrote the same thing, saying that God’s kindness and patience is meant to lead people to repentance (Rom 2:4). One day his patience will run out, and justice will be served to the wicked and unrepentant. But for now, God’s patience is like a white flag that proclaims peace: “Today is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2).

Christ also displayed perfect patience. Jesus never gave in to sinful anger. He was perfectly slow to anger. To use modern terms, he never went “rage” or blew his top. He was very patient with very sinful people (cf. 1 Tim 1:16). I am forever thankful that Christ is perfectly patient with me through my innumerable failures, sins, and weaknesses. We can praise Christ for his patience!

Peter said that when Christ was insulted and suffered unjustly, he did not retaliate but patiently endured it all, leaving it in the Father’s hands (1 Pet 2:22–23). In this, Christ left us an example for us: be faithful to the Lord, endure with patience the suffering and injustice, and leave it in the hands of God (1 Pet 2:21). John Newton captured this theme well in a hymn about patience: “LORD, who has suffered all for me / my peace and pardon to procure / the lighter cross I bear for thee / help me with patience to endure.”⁷

Conclusion

This fruit of the Spirit, patience, is a wonderful fruit. As with the other fruit, patience makes life more pleasant for us and for those around us. We are called to patience under God’s providence. Through suffering, trials, persecution, and temptation, we pray for patience to endure. We display this fruit of patience in all areas of life to bring God glory and thank him for his wonderful patience.

In this present evil age, as we still struggle with sin, patience is not always easy to display. But in the new creation, when Christ returns, we will not have to worry about patience because there will be no ills or evils to provoke us. And we will be perfectly sanctified—indeed, glorified—never to be angry or impatient again. That is when the Lord’s work in us is finished. It will be an awesome day of unspeakable happiness, joy, and peace. Until then, we exercise patience for the Lord’s return, like a farmer who waits for the crop that comes when the rain is over (Jas 5:7). Be patient—Christ will soon come again to bring in the harvest!

Notes

1. George Swinnock, The Works of George Swinnock, vol 2 (Edinburgh: James Nichol, 1868), 147.
2. Jerry Bridges, The Fruitful Life (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2006), 107.
3. Bridges, The Fruitful Life, 105.
4. Andrew Peterson, “Be Kind To Yourself,” 2015.
5. George Bethune, The Fruit of the Spirit, 3rd ed. (West Linn, OR: Monergism Books, 2022).
6. Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1938), 72.
7. John Newton, The Works of John Newton, vol. 3, ed. Richard Cecil (London: Hamilton, Adams & Co., 1824), 599.

© Shane Lems. All Rights Reserved.

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Post authored by:

• Shane Lems

  

  Shane Lems is a graduate of Westminster Seminary California and has a DMin from RTS Orlando. He has been a church planter and pastor in the URCNA. Since 2013 he’s been serving as pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Hammond, WI. He is married and has four children. Shane has written numerous articles for Modern Reformation, New Horizons, and other publications. He is also the author of Doctrines of Grace: Student Edition and manages a book blog, The Reformed Reader.

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