In what way is patience a fruit of the Holy Spirit?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

In the Old Testament, there are biblical characters who display incredible patience, including Moses' years of patience with the Israelites, Job’s longsuffering and patience despite his many trials and tribulations, and Jeremiah’s patience with Judah despite its deplorable actions toward him. The most powerful example of patience is found within the very nature of God. His patience leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4), saves us from judgment (Romans 9:22), and Jesus’ “perfect patience” is “an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life" (1 Timothy 1:15-16). Lastly, God’s patience grants us the priceless gift of salvation (2 Peter 3:15). We as believers can extend patience even in the most difficult of circumstances because we have the Holy Spirit working in our lives (Galatians 5:22).

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Moses had much patience with the Israelites. He had the job of gathering a few million slaves, teaching them what God had instructed him, and forming them into a great nation. At every turn, the Israelites did their best to frustrate Moses, complaining about the food, threatening to return to Egypt, and challenging his authority. When God told Moses that He would destroy the rebellious Israelites and make Moses the father of a great nation, Moses interceded for the unruly rebels, replying, "O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, 'With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people" (Exodus 32:11-12). Although Moses had his follies (Exodus 32:19; Numbers 20:8-11), for forty years he led an obstinate people and delivered them safely to the border of the Promised Land.
• Job is often put forward as the personification of patience. He endured the loss of his possessions, his children, his health, and his wife's support, but he took it patiently. When Job's wife told him to "Curse God and die," he responded, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:9-10). Job knew God had control over his situation and his suffering. He had the patience to wait for the unfolding of God's plan, going so far as to say, "Though he slay me, I will hope in him" (Job 13:15).
• Jeremiah is another great example of patience. He prophesied to the nation of Judah for forty years, and no one listened. Instead of giving up, he wept over the foolish people who refused to turn from their sin. God forbade Jeremiah to marry (Jeremiah 16:2), Jeremiah's friends abandoned him, and his message so riled the people that they threw him into a cistern (Jeremiah 38:1-13).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• The greatest example of patience is God Himself. The Bible tells us that God's patience leads us to repentance: "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4).
• God's patience saves us from judgment: "What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?" (Romans 9:22).
• God's patience gives us salvation: "And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him" (2 Peter 3:15).
• Galatians 5:22 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…” The Greek word for patience in this verse is makrothumia, which means forbearance or longsuffering.
• God's patience completely changes our lives: "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life" (1 Timothy 1:15-16).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

The Greek word makrothumia is a compound of two words meaning "long" and "temper." Makrothumia is the equivalent of our English idiom "having a long fuse"; a patient person can take a lot of provocation before reacting. God’s patience has a purpose; it is to delay judgment so that we can seek Him and escape judgment. The prophets reflected this patience, and we should, too. Judgment is coming, but even now "The Lord is . . . patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Through the Spirit working in our lives, we can display godly patience toward the world around us.

UNDERSTAND

• Patience is cultivated in believers by the Holy Spirit, enabling endurance and longsuffering.
• Patience is a fruit of the Spirit because it is a character trait of God.
• Through the Spirit, believers can show grace and restraint, even in the face of challenges and provocation.

REFLECT

• How have you experienced the Holy Spirit cultivating patience in your life during difficult circumstances?
• Where in your life do you struggle to show patience, and how can you rely on the Spirit to help?
• How does recognizing God’s patience toward you inspire you to extend patience to others?

ENGAGE

• How do biblical examples like Moses, Job, or Jeremiah challenge and encourage us to practice patience today?
• What does it mean for us as believers to reflect God’s patience in our interactions with others?
• How can the Holy Spirit help us display patience in a world that often prioritizes immediate results?