If there is one thing that is common to all humanity, it is impatience which closes the door to heaven to us. In this post then we will explore and patience and the fruit of the Spirit which open the door to heaven and eternal life with God to us.

Our Bible Quotation of Focus

Here is our Bible quotation of focus in this post: “In your patience possess ye your souls.” Luke 21:19.

Now, you may be wondering, What does “Luke 21:19” mean? It is an example of Bible notation, in that, it is a way of referencing the Bible which is a collection of books. As it is, each book in the Bible consists of one or more chapters, and each chapter has numbered sections called verses. So then, the Bible notation “Luke 21:19” refers to the book of Luke, the 21^st chapter, and the 19^th verse.

Who is God?

Let us, before continuing, consider who God is. On reading the Bible, you will find that “God” (Genesis 1:1) and “the Godhead” (Acts 17:29) are interchangeable names in the Bible for a divine Family made up of three Persons.

Now, God describes Himself in the Bible by saying that He is “God, that cannot lie” (Titus 1:2) and “God is love.” 1 John 4:8. In other words, each of the three members of the Godhead has a character of love that is identical to the character of the others, and, in fact, this love is the only definition of true love in the universe.

And, No, there are not three Gods! Why? Because the members of the Godhead never contradict each other at any time, that is, we can say that they speak with one voice. For there has never been nor ever will be any disagreement or contention among them. Therefore, we can say, “there is one God.” Mark 12:32.

Furthermore, each Person in the Godhead, the divine Family, is “without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life.” Hebrews 7:3.

And the names of these three Persons in the Godhead are “the Father” (Matthew 11:27), “the Son” (Psalm 2:12) also called Christ (Matthew 1:1), and “the Holy Spirit” (Psalm 51:11).

So then, with this understanding of who God is, we can answer the question is, Who is Jesus? Well, the name Jesus was given to Christ when He was born as a baby boy on earth over 2,000 years ago.

What is Patience?

The word “patience” in the Bible has a wide range of meanings:

• Cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance.
• The characteristic of a person who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith in God and holiness by even the greatest trials and sufferings.
• According to Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language (1828 Edition), patience is:

* The suffering of afflictions, pain, toil, calamity, provocation or other evil, with a calm, unruffled temper; endurance without murmuring or fretfulness.
* A calm temper which bears evils without murmuring or discontent.
* The act or quality of waiting long for justice or expected good without discontent.
* Perseverance; constancy in labor or exertion.
* The quality of bearing offenses and injuries without anger or revenge.

• According to TheFreeDictionary.com, patience is: An ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay.

What is the Fruit of the Spirit?

God says, “The fruit of the [Holy] Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering [which is patience], gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22, 23.

That is, these nine characteristics of the fruit of the Holy Spirit do not break God’s law of love.

Humanity’s Evildoings

God created the first human pair, a man named Adam and a woman named Eve, with a character of love identical to that of God.

However, Adam and Eve yielded to the temptations of an angel named, Satan, to do evil which is to sin.

Note that Satan is the originator of sin in the universe and he caused some of the other angels in heaven to join him in his rebellion against God. And because Satan and his “evil angels” (Psalm 78:49) became fixed in their evil ways, God cast them all out of heaven pending God’s Judgment Day.

Asa result of Adam and Eve’s sin, their character changed from one of love to selfishness. Moreover, all Adam an Eve’s descendants, that is, the whole human race, have inherited their disposition to sin, which includes the sin of a lack of patience.

So, God says, “They [those people] that are after the flesh [that live according to their sinful nature] do mind the things of the flesh [of the sinful nature]; but they that are after the Spirit [that live according to the ways of the Holy Spirit, that is to say, according to the ways of the Godhead, do mind] the things of the [Holy] Spirit.” Romans 8:5.

“For to be carnally [sinfully] minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is [eternal] life and peace.” Romans 8:6.

“Because the carnal [sinful] mind is enmity [hatred] against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh [that live according to the sinful nature] cannot please God.” Romans 8:7, 8. The question then is, Must humanity remain sinful, for example, lacking patience? The answer is, Absolutely not! God has a remedy for every sin which we will now consider.

God’s Remedy for Every Sin

When we human beings yield to the Holy Spirit so that we turn away from all our sins and exercise faith in God, we are “justified by faith [declared righteous by God], [and] we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1.

For then “the love of God is shed abroad [supernaturally poured] in our hearts by the Holy Ghost [the Holy Spirit] which is given unto us.” Romans 5:5.

After our justification by God, we now have two natures—the sinful nature and the divine nature—both of which are in constant conflict. Thus, we enter a lifelong process where we are to subdue the sinful nature through the power of God.

In other words, we seek to obey God’s command, “Thou, O man [son and daughter] of God, flee these things [of the sinful nature]; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” 1 Timothy 6:11.

“Blessed is the man [the person] that [patiently] endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of [eternal] life, which the Lord [God] hath promised to them that love him.” James 1:12.

This then is God’s remedy for every sin, including a lack of patience.

God’s Patience

God says, “And the LORD [God] descended in the cloud, and stood with him [a man named Moses] there, and proclaimed the name [character] of the LORD [God].” Exodus 34:5.

“And the LORD [God] passed by before him [Moses], and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering [patient], and abundant in goodness and truth.” Exodus 34:6.

“Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity [wickedness] and transgression [evildoing] and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers [passing on by inheritance the wickedness of the fathers] upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” Exodus 34:7.

In other words, “the Lord [God] is not slack [not lax] concerning his promise, as some men count slackness [laxness]; but is longsuffering [patient] to us-ward, not willing that any [human being] should perish [should be annihilated by God because of their sins], but that all [humanity] should come to repentance [to deep remorse and sorrow for their sins].” 2 Peter 3:9.

Thus, God says, “By long [patient] forbearing [by God] is a…[person] persuaded [to turn away from all their sins], and a soft tongue [gentle words from God, figuratively,] breaketh the bone [breaks down resistance to God’s ways of love].” Proverbs 25:15.

TO BE CONTINUED…