Fruit of the Spirit: Longsuffering

Galatians 5:22-25, “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

             Depending on the translation you read, it will either be translated into long-suffering or patience. In the Greek there are two words that can be translated as patience or longsuffering. The word that Paul lists is: makrothymia - Endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance, forbearance. Slowness in avenging wrongs. The self-restraint which does not hastily retaliate a wrong. Notice a wrong is done, and you are completely justified in dealing with it, but you do not rush into it. You compose yourself, and then deal with it. You do not just react to the wrong.

            The other word that can be translated patience is: hypomonē - steadfastness, constancy, endurance. In the NT the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.

Hypomonē is the temperament which does not easily succumb under suffering, makrothymia is the self-restraint which does not hastily retaliate a wrong. The one is opposed to cowardice or despondency, the other to wrath and revenge.

 Examples in Scripture:

Romans 9:22-23, “22 Now what if God, even though he was quite willing to demonstrate his anger and make known his power, patiently put up with people who deserved punishment and were ripe for destruction? 23 What if he did this in order to make known the riches of his glory to those who are the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory…”

             This is the makrothymia word for patience. Slowness in avenging wrongs. The self-restraint which does not hastily retaliate a wrong. God chose not to not hastily retaliate our wrongdoing so that He can make known the riches of His glory. God was fully justified in punishing them, but he chose to wait. He waited so that His glory could be made known.

 Luke 8:15, “15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.”

             This is the hypomone word for patience. A person who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings. When we are producing the fruit of the spirit, we must be able to endure trials that come our way. In James 1:3 that is another famous verse that uses this ‘hypomone’ word for patience.

 James 1:3, “2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”

 Makrothymia

            Slowness in avenging wrongs. The self-restraint which does not hastily retaliate a wrong. With the kind of climate, we live in today, politically and socially, we must learn how to have self-restraint. Just because you can respond to something, doesn't mean that you should respond.

 1 Corinthians 10:23-24, “23 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. 24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.”

             We should not seek our own, but we should seek the other’s well-being. Before we respond we should ask ourselves, is this going to benefit just me or will it benefit the other person.

Matthew 5:38-39, “38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”

             He isn’t telling us we should be doormats because we know He was not a doormat. Remember Jesus flipping the tables and strongly debating the Pharisees. He is telling us, to practice makrothymia, and be slow to avenge any wrongdoing that has been done to us. Practicing makrothymia, does not mean that you ignore what has been done to you. Practicing makrothymia does not mean that you deserve the wrong that has been done to you. Practicing makrothymia means choosing to walk in the spirit and not in the flesh. Practicing makrothymia means choosing to walk in forgiveness.

Walking in Forgiveness

            Psalm 145:8, “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy.”

             God wants us to be slow to anger and great in mercy. For us to walk in makrothymia, we must be great in mercy. We must learn how to forgive. The hardest thing about forgiving is the part where we must let go of the hurt that happened to us.

Luke 17:3-6, “3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” 5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” 6 So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

             We need faith to be able to forgive. We need to trust that God will be able to take away the hurt that we are feeling. We need to trust that God will be able to take away the embarrassment that we are feeling. We need to trust that God will be able to take away the guilt that we are feeling. Forgiveness is an act of faith, and that is why Jesus tells us that if we have faith as a mustard seed you can say to this mulberry tree be pulled up.

Notice, He is not talking about mountains, He is talking about a tree. The reason for this is, when someone has wronged us, and we internalize that wrongdoing, that’s a seed that we are planting in our hearts. Every time we play the record of the wrongdoing done to us, we water that seed, and it grows to a huge mulberry tree. At that point you need faith because the lie is that you cannot forgive that person because what they have done is unforgiveable. If faith is a car, do you know what the engine is? Love

 Galatians 5:6, “…but faith working through love.”

             Love is the engine that faith needs. So, when we are faced with unforgiveness remember we have the love of God in our hearts. We have the capacity to love like God does; we have the capacity to forgive like God does. With that reality in our hearts, we should choose to walk in faith and forgive.

 Colossians 3:12-13, “12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”

             Verse 13 explains how we can put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness and long suffering. We do that by forgiving one another. We cannot walk in makrothymia without forgiving each other. We must be quick to forgive.