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Most of us recognize that patience
is one of the cardinal Christian virtues – we’re just in no hurry to obtain
it. Others just define patience as a delay in getting what we want. As
Margaret Thatcher once famously remarked: “I am extraordinarily patient,
provided I get my own way in the end.” In today’s fast-paced society and
self-centered culture, patience is quickly disappearing, even among
Christians.
Patience is not optional for the
Christian. The apostle Paul repeatedly commanded Christians to demonstrate
patience to each other. In fact, this is a critical test of Christian
authenticity. True Christian character, the very evidence of regeneration,
is seen in authentic patience.
In the New Testament, the apostle
Paul instructed the Ephesian Christians to “walk
in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all
humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
(Eph.4:1-3)
In a similar context, the apostle
called the Christians in Colosse to “put on”
the virtues of “compassion, kindness,
humility, meekness, and patience.” (Col. 3:12). Again, Paul
illustrates the necessity of patience by pointing to conflict in the
Christian community. According to Paul, i f one Christian has a complaint
against another; he is to respond with patience, willing to suffer loss
rather than to injure the reputation of the church.
To the Thessalonian Christians,
Paul’s instruction was absolutely clear: “Be
at peace among yourselves.” (1 Thess. 5:13). In order to achieve
this peace, Paul instructed the Thessalonians to “be
patient with them all.” (1 Thess. 5:14). This is no small
challenge.
Most importantly, patience must mark
the Christian leader. Writing to Timothy, his young protégé in ministry,
Paul set the example: “And the Lord’s
servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach,
patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.”
(2 Tim. 2:24-25).
The Bible’s understanding of
patience as a Christian virtue is rooted in the totality of Christian
truth. Patience begins with the affirmation that God is sovereign and in
control of human history, working in human lives. With eternity on the
horizon, time takes on an entirely new significance. The Christian
understands that full satisfaction will never be achieved in this life, but
he looks to the consummation of all things in the age to come.
Furthermore, we know that our sanctification will be incomplete in this
life, and thus Christians must look to each other as fellow sinners saved by
grace, in whom the Holy Spirit is at work calling us unto Christlikeness.
When we consider the scriptural
command to be patient with one another, we should be reminded of several
aspects of patience revealed in God’s Word that are vital for Christian
understanding. First, we must understand that patience is both a command
and a gift of God. As with all Christian virtues, we are obligated under
the command of God to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit, of which patience
is a vital part. The biblical portrait of patience is not that of mere
acquiescence or of facile biding the time, much less is patience seen
inexcusable action. To the contrary, patience is a vibrant and virile
Christian virtue, which is deeply rooted in the Christian’s absolute
confidence in the sovereignty of God and God’s promise to bring all things
to completion in a way that most fully demonstrates His glory.
As a command, patience arrives at
the Christian conscience as a matter of accountability. At the same time,
patience is a divine gift. Christians are not able, in and of themselves,
to demonstrate true patience as fruit of the Spirit. Augustine, the great
bishop of the fourth century, warned that Christians must avoid the “false
patience of the proud.” Augustine castigated those who attribute
patience merely “to the strength of the human will.” We must indeed
will to be patient, but patience as a genuine virtue comes only to those who
have been redeemed by Christ and in whom the Holy Spirit is calling forth
the fruit of the Spirit.
Second, the Christian virtue of
patience is rooted in our knowledge of ourselves as redeemed sinners.
Knowing our own frailty, and all too aware of our own faults, we must deal
with other Christians out of humility rather than pride. The Christian has
no excuse for responding to fellow believers in a spirit of arrogance,
haughtiness, or superiority. Instead, we are to be instructed by the
example of Christ, and respond in true humility both to God and to fellow
Christians.
Patience presents the Christian with
a critical test of character, rooted in the simple acknowledgement that we
might be wrong. Our error may be in character rather than in conviction.
When Christians engage in disputes, it is possible to be wrong while being
right. That is a good reminder, even as we must contend for the faith
once-for-all delivered to the saints.
Third, the Christian understanding
of patience is grounded in our understanding of others as those in whom God
is potentially at work. As Paul instructed Timothy, the Lord’s servant is
to be kind to everyone, demonstrating patience even in correcting opponents,
because “God may perhaps grant them
repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the
snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”
(2 Tim. 2:24-26).
This remarkably strong language
indicates that Paul is talking about serious matters of Christian
disagreement. When he speaks of correcting those who have been captured by
the devil to do his will, we can be assured that Paul is speaking of very
serious matters indeed.
Paul grounds the virtue of patience
in the clear affirmation that God may be at work in those with whom we
experience disagreement and conflict. Here again, the biblical doctrine of
sanctification helps us to understand that growth into Christian maturity.
This comes as a process, through which God forms a redeemed sinner into the
image of Christ.
With this in mind, we must respond
to fellow believers as those who, like ourselves, are sinners saved by
grace. Thus, we must show grace to one another, and the integrity of our
Christian professions must be demonstrated by true patience. Even as we
seek to convince, to instruct, and even to correct, we must remember that
only God can reach the human heart, and we must maintain the confidence that
God is at work in those who are fellow partakers of His grace.
Fourth, the Christian virtue of
patience is rooted in our understanding of time and eternity. We do not
expect to achieve our greatest satisfactions in this life. Relating to our
fellow believers, we know that they, like ourselves, will experience full
sanctification and glorification only in the age to come. As John Calvin
remarked, immortality is “the mother of patience.” This is a good and
healthy reminder, for even as Christians are called to common embrace of all
truth, we understand that we will achieve full unity only when Christ claims
His Church and we are gathered before the throne of God throughout eternity.
Patience must be one of the
hallmarks of the Christian home, as each member of the family shows patience
in dealing with others. Husbands and wives must be patient with each other,
even as parents must be patient with children. In the household of faith,
patience, often that rarest of virtues, becomes a test of authenticity and a
necessity for the right ordering of the home, the church, and Christian
fellowship.
That said, the church must obey the
command of God and seek to demonstrate authentic Christian patience – and
fast.
Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is the president of
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and serves as the editor-in-chief
of The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology.
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