“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
This is week four of a nine week study of the fruit of the Spirit and what it has to do with finding purpose in life. This week’s subject fruit is “patience.” How does possessing patience relate to understanding and achieving my purpose in life?
First, let’s define “patience.” Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines “patience” as: “the capacity, habit, or fact of being patient.” Not much to go on there. We could look up “patient” or find another dictionary that might expand Merriam-Webster’s un-generous definition, but you know by now, that’s not where I generally head next.
The Old Testament writers got their point across in Hebrew or Aramaic. The New Testament writers studied Hebrew (Luke was the only Gentile in the pack) and wrote in Greek. So to really understand what they said we need to understand what they said.
I’ve spent a lot of time in the last few weeks going over the meanings of Greek and Hebrew words and I’d apologize if I thought I owed it to you, but a lot of this stuff is just too good to pass up and if I don’t tell you who’s going to?
*****
When your English Old Testament says “patience” it’s actually translating two Hebrew words, êøà (arek) “long” and óà (af) “nose”. The literal English translation is “long nose.”
So having a long nose is a fruit of the Spirit? Maybe literally, but not really. Ancient Hebrews (possibly modern Hebrews) saw someone’s nose turning red as a sign that they were getting angry. Therefore the word for “nose” and the word for “anger” became synonymous. If a person didn’t anger easily, if it took a long time for his nose to turn red, he was, in Hebrew parlance, “long of nose”; slow to anger.
I’ll bet not everyone knows “patience” means “long nose” in Hebrew. You could corner the dinner table conversation with that one.
Bible translators probably didn’t want to go to the trouble to explain all this so they substituted “patience” for “long nose,” which seemed to work out well.
There are two Greek words for “patience” in the New Testament; both of them are worth digging into. The first is “makrothumia.” It’s the same word the English Bible translates “longsuffering.” “Makrothumia” means: “patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance, forbearance, longsuffering, slowness in avenging wrongs.”
The other Greek word for “patience” is “hupomone”. Strong’s Lexicon defines “hupomone” as “the characteristic of a man [or woman] who is not swerved from his [or her] deliberate purpose and his [or her] loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.” Boy, I like that one. I could write a whole book on that one … maybe later.
So “patience,” the character trait Paul mentions as a fruit of the Spirit, is a lot richer than I ever imagined. It means “slow to anger” and “slow to avenge wrongs” (turning the other cheek); but it means a lot more. It means “endurance,” the capacity to keep going or put up with pain and hardship for a long time; “constancy,” loyalty as a partner and a friend; “steadfastness,” adhering firmly and faithfully to a principle or cause; “perseverance,” trying hard and continuously in spite of obstacles and difficulties; “forbearance,” refraining from action, even when it’s your legal right; “longsuffering,” forgiving, resigned, tolerant, accommodating, selfless.
Wow.
What kind of person could I be if my life was characterized by that kind of patience? What affect would it have on the world if believers demonstrated that kind of patience in their lives? Living out “makrothumia” patience would make us better people and make the world a better place to live, wouldn’t it?
But what do you think the Bible means when it calls patience a fruit of the Spirit? Why do you think it lists nine characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit at all? Is it to make us better people? To make the good, gooder? To make the world a better place to live?
I think it’s something deeper. Let me show you what I mean.
“What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory …?” (Romans 9:22-23)
“But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”(I Timothy 1:16)
“Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.” (II Peter 3:15)
Do you see it? Patience isn’t a characteristic of man; it’s a characteristic of God. His goal isn’t to make us into good people; He’s making us to be like Him. That’s what the fruit of the Spirit is describing.
Look at the list again; “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Those aren’t characteristics that come naturally to people, we know better than that; they’re characteristics of God. He’s got something much bigger in mind for us than just being good folks.
Something eternal is happening in you when the Holy Spirit dwells inside. The Holy Spirit’s job isn’t to remake you into a better person; it’s to remake you into the image of God. That’s the way it was in the beginning. “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness ….” (Genesis 1:26)
God’s intent wasn’t to make us into the image of really good folks; it was to make us in His own image. The fruit of the Spirit is evidence of a restoring process. It isn’t an indication that we’re being molded into good citizens of this world, but that we’re being transformed into children of the next.
God’s characteristics are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” The fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” See the connection? We’re not being made into a better version of the old man; we’re being made into something new, into a reflection of God.
And that requires patience … on His part and ours. He is our example, we’re to copy Him. Why should we be “slow to anger” with those who have wronged us? Because He is “slow to anger” with those who have wronged Him (you’re in that group, by the way). Why should we endure - put up with pain and hardship? Remember when God endured - put up with pain and hardship, even the point of being nailed to a cross?
We’ve been adopted into a new family, born into a new life. Patience is a characteristic of that new life and of the Father who has adopted us. It’s a characteristic that makes us better people, as this world sees things; but that’s only because it is a characteristic of that life we’re intended toward, a reflection of what is to come. Like the other fruit, it’s a piece of eternity allowed to us today.
Until next week, live in God’s image … practice patience.
Love & Prayers,
Steve Spillman
*****
In the next few weeks we’ll undergo a few format changes to make the Purpose letter friendlier. For instance we’re putting all the housekeeping stuff (below) at the end of the letter so you can get right into the meat of each issue. As we change things around a bit give me your feedback, does it work or doesn’t it? Any ideas you have for making things better are welcome.
If you didn’t receive last week’s letter you can go to www.gotpotential.org any time and read or print back issues.
When you forward Purpose Weekly to friends (and we want you to), ask them not to report it as SPAM. If they like the letter encourage them to go to www.gotpotential.org so they can sign up for a complimentary subscription.
We’ve been getting some great mail. Keep it coming, or post a comment to this week’s blog at http://gotpotential.blogspot.com.
