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A Look At Patience In The New Testament

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The Greek noun usually rendered “patience” in the New Testament is “hupomone.” Thayer says of the word: “in the N.T. the characteristic of a man who is unswerving from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings” (Greek-English Lexicon, p. 644).

William Barclay comments: “It is the spirit which can bear things, not simply with resignation, but with blazing hope; it is not the spirit which sits statically enduring in one place, but the spirit which bears things because it knows that these things are leading to a goal of glory; it is not the patience which grimly waits for the end, but the patience which radiantly hopes for the dawn. It has been called ‘a masculine constancy under trial’ (A New Testament Workbook, p. 60).

Vincent says that patience is not merely endurance of the inevitable, “but the heroic, brave patience with which a Christian not only bears but contends” (Vincent Word Studies, Vol. I, p. 679).

After a consideration of the above sources, we conclude that New Testament patience has to do with “steadfastness, endurance, bearing up under stress or strain, doing right regardless of circumstances and never giving up.”

Let us look at just some of the ways that this word “patience” is used in the New Testament:

  • Patience is used in connection with “tribulation” (Romans 5:3-KJV).
  • Patience is used in connection with “faith” (James 1:3-KJV).
  • Patience is connected with “hope” (1 Thessalonians 1:3-KJV).
  • Patience is connected with “joy” (Colossians 1:11-KJV).
  • Patience is connected with some goal of glory, some greatness which shall be (note Romans 2:7-KJV; Hebrews 12:1-2-KJV; 2 Timothy 2:12-KJV).

Some Bible examples of patience are:

  • Job (James 5:11-KJV).
  • David (Psalm 40:1-KJV).
  • Prophets (James 5:10-KJV).
  • The Farmer (James 5:7-8-KJV).
  • Paul (2 Timothy 3:10-KJV).
  • The Thessalonians (2 Thessalonians 1:4-KJV).
  • John (Revelation 1:9-KJV).
  • Churches of Ephesus and Thyatira (Revelation 2:3-KJV; Revelation 2:19-KJV).

Patience is indeed a great virtue that Christians must add to their character in order to be pleasing to the Lord and to attain heaven’s portals (2 Peter 1:6-NKJV; 2 Peter 1:10-11-NKJV.

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