| Christian Life and Doctrine | Decemeber 1966 |
The Christian’s Need of Patience
THE virtue of patience is a very essential quality of the Christian character. In the New Testament the word “patience” is usually a translation of a Greek word which means “cheerful endurance.” It is not so much the thought of maintaining calmness in the face of unexpected and temporary difficult experiences as of enduring cheerfully the constant stresses and strains which test the faith and devotion of all who endeavor to walk faithfully in the footsteps of Jesus. Jesus, speaking of the difficulties which would come upon his people at this end of the age, said that “he who shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”—Matt. 24:13
Hebrews 10:36 reads, “Ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” Doing the will of God as the apostle here states would seem to refer to our original dedication to the Lord and to the doing of his will. This consecration of ourselves to the Lord and to his service was essential in order to become followers of the Master. But the genuineness of our stand for the Lord has to be tested, and the test of our faithfulness is in our ability to endure—“cheerfully endure”—whatever experiences the Lord’s wisdom deems best suited to accomplish his work of grace in our hearts.
Paul explains that patience, or cheerful endurance, will enable us to “receive the promise.” Obviously the thought here is the fulfillment of the promise. In this instance “the promise” referred to seems more particularly to be the Lord’s assurance of the return of Christ and all that this will mean for those who suffer and die with him that they may live and reign with him. This is suggested by the next verse, which, beginning with the meaningful word “For,” continues, “yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.”—vs. 37
The Messiah
The Lord’s people throughout all the ages of God’s plan have been subjected to the test of endurance while they waited for the fulfillment of the messianic promises. The coming of the Messiah and his work on behalf of humanity is the very heart of the divine program; yet many generations of the Lord’s people who have had faith in this divine program have suffered and died while waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promises.
When Jesus came at his first advent his disciples had high hope that his kingdom would soon be established. But their hope was dashed when he was taken from them and crucified. Later they learned that his death had been necessary so that mankind could be redeemed from death. They learned also that, although he had returned to heaven, he would come again, and that it would be at his second coming that their hope would be realized. But this entailed further waiting, and further tests of their endurance, as they continued their service of the Lord in the face of opposition from the world, the flesh, and the Devil.
We believe that now the Lord has returned. Paul referred to the entire period between the Lord’s first and second advents as “a little while”; so from the divine standpoint our waiting for the establishment of the kingdom has not been long. But it seems long at times; so today, as in the past, the Lord’s people “have need of patience” as they wait for the outworking of the divine plan.
“Perfect Work”
James wrote, “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” (James 1:3,4) The Greek word here translated “perfect” means complete. We will need to endure all the experiences which come to us as followers of the Master in order to be complete, or well rounded-out Christian characters.
A similar thought is suggested by Paul in Romans 5:3,4, which reads, “We triumph also in afflictions, knowing that affliction works out endurance; and endurance approval; and approval hope.” (Diaglott) The thought is that apart from affliction our endurance would be less called upon; but when we triumph in our afflictions by enduring them in the spirit of faith and trust in the Lord, this leads to his approval. We had his approval when we entered the narrow way of sacrifice, but we needed to be tested; and if we are passing those tests by cheerfully enduring whatever experiences the Lord may permit, we have a basis for a “hope which maketh not ashamed.”—vs. 5
Job’s Patience
James wrote, “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” (James 5:11) Yes, those who endure are in a very happy, blessed position. Paul speaks of the followers of the Master as those who “by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life.” (Rom. 2:7) In the present age those who patiently endure, and thus prove worthy of their calling, are to be rewarded with “glory and honor and immortality”; while those in preceding ages were given the hope of “a better resurrection” as a stimulus to their faithfulness in patient endurance.—Heb. 11:35
Job was one of these, and in his experiences we have a wonderful illustration of what it means to endure. Job was a faithful servant of God. We are told that he was “perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” (Job 1:1) Satan charged that Job would curse God if the blessings he was enjoying were withdrawn from him; and the Lord allowed Satan to bring terrible afflictions upon Job as a test, including the loss of his health. Satan hoped that he would induce Job to curse God.—Job 1:6 – 2:8
Although Job became distraught and asked God to let him die that he might be at rest, he did not lose faith in God, nor did he curse God, as Satan charged that he would. Job’s test was even more severe because he did not understand why God was permitting so much evil to come upon him. This is frequently true of the Lord’s people even now. If we could always understand why we suffer, the test of our endurance would not be so great. But here faith enters into our tests—faith, that is, to believe that our Heavenly Father, who is infinitely wise, knows what is best for us.
Job Accepted Loss
When Job’s riches and family were taken away, he said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21) Certainly this was far from cursing God, as Satan had said Job would do. Later, when Job lost his health, his wife said to him, “Curse God, and die.” He replied, “Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”—Job 2:9,10
Three of Job’s friends visited him, and later a fourth. The three friends, with many words and worldly philosophy, endeavored to convince Job that he was suffering because he had committed some gross sin which he was seeking to hide. Perhaps they meant well. Presumably they thought that if they could induce Job to confess his sin and ask for forgiveness his afflictions would be removed.
But the viewpoint of Job’s comforters gave him no comfort, for he knew that he had not sinned willfully against the Lord, and that he had nothing to hide. One of his comforters said to him, “Who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off? Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.”—Job 4:7-9
Job knew, however, that this was not always true of the wicked during this time of the reign of sin and death, for he said, “Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power? Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.” (Job 21:7-9) Job’s family had been taken away, his houses had been destroyed, and he had lost his health; but the “rod of God” was not upon the wicked in this manner, for many of them prospered. Why should he be called upon to suffer in such a severe manner? This lack of understanding on Job’s part increased his burden.
Job knew, furthermore, that even though the wicked speak out against God and openly refuse to serve him, he seldom visits any special punishment upon them. “They send forth their little ones like a flock,” he observed, “and rejoice at the sound of the organ. They spend their days in mirth [margin], and in a moment go down to the grave [without, necessarily, a long period of sickness]. Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?”—Job 21:11-15
Job had been a careful observer of human experience. He had noted that God allows each individual to go through whatever experiences develop naturally during this time when all mankind are under the death penalty because of original sin. He said, “One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet. His breasts are full of milk, and his bones are moistened with marrow. And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure. They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them.”—Job 21:23-26
God’s Supervision
Job’s children had died; his flocks had been destroyed or stolen; his home had been burned down; his wife had turned against him, and he had lost his health. Probably during his lifetime he had noted that some of these experiences had come to others, irrespective of whether they were wicked or not. So he knew that he could not find the reason for his suffering so bitterly simply by studying the things which were happening to him.
Job’s faith enabled him to believe that God was dealing with him in some special way, but he was unable to discover that way. He said, “Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat! I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments. I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me. Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me. There the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be delivered forever from my judge.”—Job 23:3-7
By faith Job knew that if he could find the Lord he could reason with him and learn the meaning of his experiences. And how determined was his search for God! He continued, “I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him; on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him.” (vss. 8,9) But Job did not lose his faith and confidence. He could not find the Lord, but he added, “He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”—vs. 10
Yes, the Lord knew where Job was, that he was maintaining his integrity through great trial, that his experiences would be richly rewarded, and that ultimately he would “come forth as gold.” What a comforting thought this is for all the Lord’s people! We are frequently at a loss to know just why certain experiences come to us, but God knows. This was Job’s firm conviction. He could not find God regardless of where he looked for him; but, as he explained, “He knoweth the way that I take”; that is, he knows where I am, and he is ever near to strengthen me in my time of great need.
Job’s Triumph
And Job did “come forth as gold”—he maintained his integrity before God, and through his experiences he became better acquainted with God. After a long discussion by the would-be comforters, God spoke to Job and asked him many questions calculated to remind the faithful prophet how little he really knew concerning his Creator and how the mighty works of creation had been brought into existence.
From these questions, to which Job did not know the answers, he would realize that he should not question the ways of one so wise and powerful as the Creator. The result of these questions, in conjunction with his own bitter experiences, opened Job’s eyes to a clearer perception of the Creator than he had ever enjoyed before. He now realized more than ever how truly great God is, and he said so. We quote: “I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.” And again, “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.” (Job 42:2,5) Job had not cursed God as Satan had said he would; and now, having endured his great trial, he had learned to know his Creator as never before. Besides, he was rewarded with another family, as well as with health and wealth.
How Manifested
Job’s patience in trial was manifested by the fact that he did not turn against the Lord. There are other ways by which our patience is demonstrated. One of them is in our continued zeal for the truth and its service. When we had that “first-love” enthusiasm for the Lord and his truth, it seemed that nothing was too difficult to undertake in his service. We delighted to attend the meetings of his people, and we rejoiced in every opportunity we had to bear witness for the truth. True, we had difficult experiences; but we did not mind, for we counted it all joy to share in the privilege of filling up that which is behind of the sufferings of Christ. We knew that it was only if we suffered and died with Christ that we would have the privilege of living and reigning with him.
Do we still have that enthusiasm? Have we cheerfully endured through the years, so that today we have more love and zeal for the Lord, the truth, and the brethren than at the beginning of our walk in the narrow way? In his message to the church at Thyatira the Lord said, “I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.” (Rev. 2:19) Why should this not be true with us?
Since we first did the will of God by making a consecration of our all to do his will, he has continued to deal with us in a marvelous way. He has guided and helped us in our every time of need, so that our faith in him should have increased; and with this increase of faith there should be a quickening of our zeal. And this will be true if we do not become weary in well doing. If we find our zeal lagging, it might indicate that we are not cheerfully enduring the tests which our Heavenly Father permits to come upon us.
Fruit with Patience
In Jesus’ Parable of the Sower he mentions the seed that is sown by the wayside, the seed that is sown on stony ground, that which is sown among thorns, and finally that which is sown on good ground. Jesus explains that the seed sown by the wayside is carried away by the Devil, who takes the seed out of the hearts of those who are just receiving it. Jesus continues, “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation [testing] fall away.”—Luke 8:11-13
“That which fell among thorns,” Jesus continues, “are they which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.” (vs. 14) The stony-ground Christians, and those who permit the cares of this life to destroy their zeal, both fail to endure. The reasons are different, but the result is the same—they fail to bring forth fruit to perfection. Neither of these classes permits patience to have a completing work in their hearts.
But it is different with “good-ground” Christians. Jesus explains that “the good ground are they which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” (vs. 15) How important it is, then, that we continue patiently to endure whatever tests the Heavenly Father permits! Constancy is a rare virtue. Even in little things there is such a tendency to commence an undertaking with enthusiasm, and then in a short time to begin to “cool off” and lose interest. Let us watch that this tendency does not lead us to becoming indifferent to the greatest undertaking ever given to man; that is, to make one’s calling and election sure to a place in the spiritual phase of the kingdom to live and reign with Christ a thousand years.
Let us, then, “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”—Heb. 12:1-4
The Hebrew brethren, to whom Paul addressed his epistle, seemingly were not manifesting the spirit of cheerful endurance which was necessary to make their calling and election sure; so Paul endeavored to revive their zeal. He wrote, “Call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; partly, whilst ye were made a gazing stock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.”—Heb. 10:32-35
Yes, the Hebrew brethren had endured much, and in the beginning had taken the spoiling of their goods joyfully. But it was not enough merely to start out with enthusiasm. They needed patience to continue. As with the church at Thyatira, all the consecrated should be increasing in patience and zeal and love. The Hebrew brethren in the beginning had suffered many things, but they had “not yet resisted unto blood,” as Jesus did. They had not gone all the way in the narrow way of sacrifice and suffering. So they were encouraged to “look unto Jesus,” and from his example gain new impetus to “run with patience” the race that was set before them.
This is true of each one of us. Regardless of what our first-love enthusiasm might have been, it is not our first love that will prove us worthy of joint-heirship with Christ, unless it is maintained and increased. And this can be true of each one of the Lord’s people individually upon the basis of patient endurance. May we all continue to look unto Jesus, and to all the faithful examples of the past, and guard well our own heart condition to make sure that it is “good” and “honest,” and is therefore the proper soil in which to “bring forth fruit with patience.”