Patience

Mike Johnson

The term “patience” frequently occurs in the Bible. Patience is a painful lesson to learn in the age in which we live, but Christians must have this trait.

Christ praised the church at Ephesus for their patience (Rev. 2:2-3).  Hebrews 12:1 says that Christians are to “run with patience” the race that set before them, and according to II Peter 1:6,  we must add patience to our faith.

What is patience? Patience might be called “enduring under trials or tribulations.” Thayer, in his Greek Lexicon (p. 644), says in the New Testament, it is, “…the characteristic of a man who is unswerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.”

Patience is very similar to “longsuffering,” but note this distinction between the two words. Patience generally refers to an enduring concerning situations or circumstances. Longsuffering, on the other hand, is more of endurance, or the quality of self-restraint, concerning people. Patience involves difficult times; longsuffering involves difficult people.  If a person is longsuffering, he will not retaliate when provoked. Also, a person facing trials and tribulations will patiently continue to serve God.

Patience comes by the trying of our faith (Jas. 1:3) and by tribulation (Rom. 5:3-5).