We have all been told that having patience is a good thing. Galatians 5:22 lists it as one of the fruits of the Spirit. In Col 3:12, Paul tells his readers to put patience on (in both verses, some translations use the word longsuffering). In 1 Cor 13:4, Paul says that patience is a characteristic of love.
In some contexts, patience refers to how we handle difficult times. But the word can also describe how we are to deal with others.
Whatever the context, being patient does not come naturally. It can be hard to be patient.
I saw an example of this recently. I was at a Bible conference in which the eternal security of the believer was the theme. We had just had a session in which the speaker stressed that the believer can never lose eternal salvation. The believer can commit any sin. He can continue in that sin. He will lose eternal rewards and intimacy with Christ, but he can never be cast into the lake of fire.
For those of us familiar with grace, this teaching was nothing new. The speaker did a great job. He repeated these truths over and over. I had heard this teaching so many times that to me, his message was like a broken record.
During the question-and-answer time after the session, a man made a statement, then asked a question. He said, “I really appreciate this teaching and am so glad I am here. It is new to me. I have a friend who is a believer. He is engaged in sexual sin. If he dies without changing his ways, will he go to hell?”
In my mind, I thought: How can he ask such a question? Had he not been listening to what the speaker just said? I must admit that I had another thought. We have often been told that there is no such thing as a dumb question. But that was a dumb question. The speaker had just repeatedly said that a believer can commit any sin and not lose eternal salvation. What did the guy who asked the question expect him to say?
To my credit, though, I quickly realized that the speaker (and I!) needed to have patience with the man. He was seeking to understand what the Scriptures say about eternal security. Grace was new to him. I am sure he had grown up in an environment that did not understand grace.
We need to be patient—or longsuffering—in situations like that. Many of us have been blessed with solid Biblical teaching for years. We have heard and studied how the Scriptures clearly teach the security of the believer. We know that there is no sin—no matter how often and how long it is committed—that will cause us to lose eternal life. It is impossible to lose the gift the Lord gave us when we believed in Him for it.
But many have not been blessed with a background of sound teaching. They have just now heard about these wonderful truths. They are just beginning to realize the ramifications of God’s grace. They want to understand what they are hearing.
When we meet people like that—and we will—may we be patient with them. It can be hard. They will say things that will make us wonder whether they were listening to a word we said. May we ask the Lord, through His Spirit, to give us the patience we will need.
