No. 793
“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.” (Jas. 1:3-4)
The Scriptures portray patience as an important element of character, and we can see that patience is needed in every phase of life. Justice under present conditions requires patience, because it would be unjust to be harsh and impatient with the unavoidable defects of others. The spirit of a sound mind demands that we be patient in dealing with fallen humanity, just as God has long exercised this quality of patience. The Church will need much patience in dealing with the world in the next age, and in our present environment we need it constantly in order to develop in character likeness to our Lord.
Patience is closely associated with love and mercy, for if God were unloving and unmerciful, He would be without patience. In man’s present imperfect fallen condition, patience is sadly lacking, although it is often outwardly displayed for the sake of appearances. Like all qualities of character inherent in God and in all perfect beings created in His likeness, the quality of patience has been largely obliterated in humanity by the fall.
There are two Greek words in the New Testament that are translated as “patience.” One of these words signifies forbearance or longsuffering, while the other carries the thought of cheerful or hopeful endurance. It is this latter word that is used in our opening text, and it has a much deeper significance than ordinarily attached to our use of the word “patience.” It signifies the constant endurance of evil in a cheerful, willing manner. It is an element of one’s character, a sign of heart and character development, and not merely a temporary restraining of one’s emotions or actions. It contentedly endures wrongs and afflictions, with no rebellion of will. It fully acquiesces to the requirements of divine wisdom and love, which permits present evils while promising in due time to overthrow them.
God’s Word assures us that our characters cannot be perfected without this element of Christian character. We need it in dealing not only with others, but also with ourselves and our own blemishes. As we look around, we see that the world is in a condition of sin and blight. This knowledge should cause us to have great sympathy toward and patience with humanity. All of our brethren in Christ, like ourselves, are by nature members of this fallen human race. Therefore we should have a great deal of patient endurance with the Lord’s people, just as we would have them exercise this grace toward us.
THE PATIENCE OF GOD
As the quality of justice will always exist, so will the quality of patience, though not in the sense of patient endurance of evil. God works out His glorious designs perfectly balancing justice and patience. At present this requires patient endurance of evil, sinful conditions, and in the ages of glory to come, we believe God will still work out His purposes in perfect patience, probably in other worlds yet uninhabited.
But wisdom must have a voice in the exercise of patience under present evil conditions. God has declared that the time will come when He will no longer tolerate the world in its present sinful, imperfect condition. That time has almost arrived, and the great cataclysm of trouble will sweep away the entire present order in preparation for the establishment of the Kingdom of God. God will then give mankind the full opportunity to come into harmony with Him and with righteousness.
The time is coming when there will be no more sin, because God will ultimately have a clean universe. He will first give every individual an opportunity to rise out of sin, but if they will not avail themselves of the opportunity, then God’s patience will cease to operate toward them. This does not mean that God will cease to have patience. It means instead that His patience will no longer be extended in their direction. God’s patience has arranged the thousand years of Messiah’s Reign for man’s blessing, and His wisdom has decided that those thousand years will be sufficient for the elimination of evil. Whoever will not learn to live righteously under those favorable conditions would never learn, and it would not be consistent with divine wisdom to any longer exercise patience toward them.
There is also a limit to the proper exercise of patience or longsuffering in our dealings with ourselves and others. We should not be patient with ourselves beyond a certain point. There are circumstances in which it would be proper to feel that we should have known better and should have done better than we did. If a child of God realizes that he has been derelict with himself, he should say, “I will not be patient with myself any further. I will take myself in hand and conquer this weakness which I have permitted to assert itself, damaging my own character and probably causing pain and discomfort to others. I cannot do this by my own strength alone, but by the grace of the Lord I am determined to overcome this weakness.”
Remembering our own weaknesses, we are to exercise patience toward others who are seeking to overcome their imperfections, even as we are seeking to overcome our own. We all need patience or forbearance to be exercised toward us.
OUR LORD’S LESSONS ON PATIENT ENDURANCE
Returning to the word “patience” as used in our text, let us consider our Lord’s Parable of the Sower, as recorded in Luke. There we read, “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:15) Here patience signifies patient endurance, steadfastness. To be of the fruit-bearing class, which the Lord will approve and accept in His Kingdom, means more than just joyfully receiving the Word of His Testimony. The stony-ground class also thus received it at first, and for a brief time seemed to give evidence of vigorous growth and fruitfulness, but when the hot sun of persecution arose, they withered away, because of lack of depth of soil.
In this parable the Lord showed that patient endurance and constancy is the final test of character. Patient endurance follows after the receiving and the sprouting of the seed; it follows after love, hope, joy and faith have caused the seed to spring forth and begin to bear fruit. It is necessary for the fruit to be developed and thoroughly ripened, that the grain may be made ready for the garner. How important we see this grace to be in the light of God’s Word! But remember: The endurance must be cheerful. We cannot suppose that He who judges the thoughts and intents of the heart would be pleased with His children, even when He saw them bearing much for His sake, if they endured it in a sullen, unhappy frame of mind.
Those who endure in that manner surely would not be copies of God’s dear Son, whose sentiment found expression in the words, “I delight to do thy will, O My God!” (Psa. 40:8) All of the Royal Priesthood were sacrificers, as was our great Chief Priest; and God who accepted their sacrifices through the merit of our dear Redeemer informs us that He loves a cheerful giver – one who performs his sacrifices gladly, with a willing heart. This does not mean that the body will never grow weary, but it means that the spirit will rejoice in the privilege of suffering weariness of the flesh in so noble and wonderful a service. If our Father should see best to lay us aside from active work for a time, when our hearts are longing to serve, this too will be an opportunity to cheerfully endure His will for us. This too may be a test of the submission of our wills to His.
Another instance of the Lord using the word “patience” in the sense of patient endurance is also recorded in Luke. He had just told His followers to expect tribulations as a result of being His disciples during the present time when Satan is the prince of this world. Although they must expect opposition from various quarters, He assured them that they would be fully under divine care and protection, even though persecutions would be permitted to reach and to affect them. His words were: “In your patience [patient endurance, cheerful constancy] possess ye your souls.” (Luke 21:19)
Our faith and trust in the Lord and His gracious promises should be strong and unwavering, more than counterbalancing the opposition of the world, of false brethren, and of Satan’s blinded servants. If we have implicit faith in our Father’s love and care, we will recognize and rejoice in these oppositions as agencies of His providence in chiseling and shaping us for His service. Viewing our trials from this standpoint, we can indeed rejoice and cheerfully endure, even amid tribulation. God’s promises for the future cannot be injured by anything that man can do to us, so long as we are faithful to the Lord, accepting every experience that He permits to come to us as a ministration of His providence for our ultimate good and His glory.
THE NECESSITY FOR PATIENT ENDURANCE
Let us consider why it is necessary for us to develop this grace of patient endurance. The development of this quality was required of our Lord Jesus and is one of the conditions God attached to the call to joint-heirship with our Lord in the Kingdom. Thus the development of patient endurance should be the goal of all consecrated believers. The wisdom of this is manifest when we consider the work in which we hope to be able to participate – the work of blessing all the families of the earth in God’s Millennial Kingdom.
That work will be a mighty one, and those accounted worthy to participate in it must go beyond just appreciating the Father’s goodness and His glorious character, beyond just preferring His service to sin and iniquity. They must also demonstrate their thorough loyalty to God’s will and to the principles of righteousness and be joyfully willing to suffer on behalf of those principles. The temporary endurance of a few brief trials would not be enough to prove an individual to have an established character for righteousness. Patient, cheerful endurance, even unto death, would be necessary to demonstrate such a character.
We might illustrate this principle with the diamond. We can make imitation diamonds out of synthetic material that have the brilliancy of real diamonds. They may be hard, but not as hard as genuine diamonds, and these imitation diamonds would not have the value of true diamonds. If they were subjected to severe pressure, they would be crushed. The same is true of a Christian. If one were possessed of every grace of character needed to be a child of God except the one of firmness and endurance, he would not be fit for the Lord’s service. Hence we see the necessity of the character quality of patient, cheerful endurance.
The importance of this quality in the Christian character was emphasized by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to Titus. There he enumerated the qualities of an advanced Christian: “That the aged men [advanced Christians] be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.” (Titus 2:2) The final test of patient endurance must be passed before one can be accepted by God.
In his Epistle to Timothy, Paul reminded him: “But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.” (2 Tim. 3:10-11) We need this important grace of patient endurance more and more as we proceed along on our race course and near its end. We may grow weary and trials and tests may abound; therefore we need to “gird up the loins” of our minds and look to our great Exemplar for the needed inspiration and strength. As the Prophet said, we must set our faces “like a flint” for the home stretch. (Isa. 50:7)
TRIALS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL
Our ability and strength to patiently endure should increase as we progress spiritually. Paul gave this counsel to all the Lord’s people: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” (Eph. 6:10) We cannot possibly develop this essential trait of character without trials – experiences intended to call for the exercise of cheerful endurance. So let us not think it strange if we are called upon to pass through protracted trials which make it necessary for us to strengthen ourselves to bear them.
Let us keep in mind that the virtue is not merely in the act of bearing, for the world also has much to bear. It is instead in the manner in which we endure. We must be sweet and submissive at heart, in full harmony with the Lord’s processes of development. This may be hard at times, but His grace will be sufficient if we constantly seek it. “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Eph. 6:13) We can see a new reason for the Lord’s arrangement that the Church, and all the Lord’s people, should have trials as our Master had – under evil circumstances – that they might not only have all the necessary qualities of Christian character, but that they might have them firmly grounded and established.
The Apostle James likewise pointed out the importance of this quality: “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” (Jas. 1:3) That is to say, if our faith stands the trial, it will work out in our character this patient endurance. On the other hand, if we do not attain this development, it will mean that our faith has not stood the test satisfactorily, and that we are not fit for the Kingdom. Thus we see clearly what a great mistake has been made among Christian people in general in supposing that religion is a thing to be gotten suddenly as an answer to prayer, or by going to the mourner’s bench, or by standing up for prayers, or in response to some divine or human appeal as one would find a dollar and put it in one’s pocket.
On the contrary, the step of repentance from sin and justification is only the beginning, and not the end, of the Christian way. The next step is consecration of ourselves and our all to God. But this also is far from the end. Not only must we go on and on, to the attainment of faith, fortitude, self-control, meekness and love, but having attained all these, we must patiently endure. We must “run with patience the race that is set before us.” Or to use another figure of speech, repentance and justification merely mark our enrollment in the School of Christ as pupils, to be taught of the Lord.
“THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION”
The Lord made this promise to the Church of the Philadelphia period: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Rev. 3:10) The Church of Laodicea – the Church of our Lord’s Parousia – was not kept from entering into the “hour of temptation” but we may be sure they were kept while in it if they were faithful and true. Our dear Lord’s special message to the Laodicean phase of the Church was this: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” (Rev. 3:20-21)
Though not spared from this hour of temptation, the Church has had a counterbalancing blessing as a result of living in the time of our Lord’s Parousia. They have had His instruction – His dispensing of spiritual food as “meat in due season” – in a manner and to a degree never before enjoyed by His saints. As we might expect, this greatest favor has been offset by the subtle and severe trials of this special “hour of temptation.” If there was ever a time when patient endurance was needed by the Lord’s faithful, it has been during this period. There was never a time when this counsel was needed more: “In your patience possess ye your souls.” (Luke 21:19) The Apostle forewarned of the fiery ordeals of this time: “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.” (1 Cor. 3:13)
We find this quality of patient endurance lacking everywhere throughout Christendom today. Even among the majority of the professed followers of Christ, it is becoming increasingly scarce. Few wish to endure anything for righteousness’ sake, for Christ’s sake, or for anyone else’s sake, and if endurance of anything unpleasant is absolutely necessary, the trial is borne with much impatience and complaint. A spirit of intense bitterness, defiance, and rebellion against anything resembling self-denial or resignation is daily growing in the hearts of mankind.
This general tendency today toward impatience and rebellion has an unavoidable influence upon consecrated believers. Only by divine grace can this tendency be successfully resisted, and progress be made toward the development of a Christ-like character. This special grace, so needed today by the Lord’s children, will be withheld from those who are not walking close to the Lord, following in the footsteps of Jesus. It is because the professed followers of Christ are living so far from Him that we see the tendencies of impatience and rebellion developing among those who profess His name.
The prevalence of this spirit is at the bottom of the outbreaks against law and order which we hear of so frequently, and we may expect this spirit to continue to grow. There is a feeling among the masses that if they had taken matters into their own hands long ago, present conditions would be different. But those who have kept the Lord’s Word of patient endurance, seeking from Him the wisdom from above, have learned that He has a due time for the accomplishment of His purposes, and they are willing to wait patiently for His time, knowing that it is best.
ONE OF SATAN’S SPECIAL DECEPTIONS
All of the Lord’s people should heed the Apostle’s counsel to the Church. The besetments and trials of our time are many, and some of them are so subtle and deceptive that all who are not thoroughly rooted and grounded in the Truth will be carried away by the false arguments of those Satan has been permitted to use as his agents.
Among the subtle theories of the Adversary, none seems more deceptive than what is falsely called Christian Science, for it is neither Christian nor scientific. Backed by the power of the Evil One, it promises its dupes that if they will affirm an untruth, and stick to it, they will have relief and cure of certain ailments and bodily afflictions. Those who have not learned to endure patiently all that the Lord permits them to experience in the way of pain and sickness that cannot be relieved by reasonable methods will be ready to accept almost any relief the Adversary may bring to their attention. As they learn to deceive themselves with respect to pain and sickness, gradually perverting words from their real meaning, ignoring and denying facts, they become in time so confused in their minds that truth appears to them to be falsehood, and falsehood appears to be shining truth.
These deluded ones are led into this deception partly through curiosity. It seems curious to them to hear someone say that there is no death and all is life, there is no pain and all is health, there is no evil and all is good. They recognize that these statements are certainly very inconsistent, yet they are curious to know the reasoning and philosophy behind them, and this is just what the Adversary wants. He wishes to attract their attention so that step by step he may lead them from one falsehood to another, until their entire brains and consciences are subverted. They have accepted darkness for light and lies for truth. For this they are rewarded with perceived physical relief – small recompense!
This is their reward for being selfish, of being unwilling to suffer anything they could escape by any means. They prefer their own way, the way most attractive to the fallen flesh. They choose this rather than the Truth, which did not appeal to their flesh. They are ready to exchange the testimony of the Lord for the sake of physical ease and comfort, or to satisfy morbid curiosity. Thus they escape trouble and pain which, if endured patiently and joyfully, would work out for them blessing and strengthening of character.
A very few of those who have been thus enslaved by the great Adversary are now being freed by the power of the Truth, but the thorough accomplishment of this task is very difficult. In some cases the experiences necessary to break the bonds that so tightly bind them have been very painful, and have been accompanied by assaults from the Evil One and his servants, but it is well worth the struggle and the pain to be free from all such slavery.
PRESENT CONDITIONS PICTURED BY THE APOSTLE
Not everyone in Christendom will experience the “hour of temptation” in the same way because all are not on the same mental, moral, or physical level. However, the Apostle Paul enumerated certain general characteristics of it: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent [unrestrained], fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Tim. 3:1-5)
This is a graphic picture of present-day conditions in the so-called Christian world. Because they have not received the Truth in the love of it, God has permitted strong delusions to come upon them “that they should believe a lie” and be condemned thereby. (2 Thess. 2:10-12) This hour of temptation has not yet reached its greatest intensity, but we believe this stage will be reached in the relatively near future. Blessed are all they who have made the Lord their refuge, for they will not be moved. (Psa. 91:9) Yet many of God’s children will pass through severe trials and temptations, some because of their own imperfections and frailties, some because of the imperfections of others, and still others because of earthly cares and burdens they seem unable to fully overcome or to cast upon the Lord.
LET US HAVE THE PROPER FEAR
We sympathize with those passing through such trials and counsel them to remember the Master’s words, “Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.” (Luke 6:21) Our heart is especially concerned for those who are in temptation but do not realize it, who are being swallowed up by ambition or business or other cares of this life and “the deceitfulness of riches.” (Mark 4:19) Their love for the Truth seems to grow cooler instead of hotter. They seem to be sleeping when they should be watching and praying. We fear this hour of trial is finding them unprepared. Let us take care for each other and for ourselves. If we love all the brethren and make their welfare our chief concern, this will further our own spiritual health. Yet we must not allow our love even for the brethren to hinder our full confidence in the Lord’s love and wisdom if siftings should take from us some whose fellowship we have cherished.
Let us do with our might what our hands find to do, remembering the Apostle’s exhortation: “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Heb. 10:36)
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Comment: This article is based on Reprint 5650 with some edits. Pastor Russell’s original article was written to and for the Saints. We recognize that the door to the High Calling is closed, but we believe that what he wrote for the Saints is helpful for those consecrating between the ages and certain edits to the text reflect that. Pastor Russell said in Reprint 5761, September 1, 1915: “It is our thought that with the closing of the ‘door’ of the Gospel Age there will be no more begetting of the Holy Spirit to the Spirit nature. Any afterward coming to God through consecration, before the inauguration of the Restitution work, will be accepted by Him, not to the Spirit plane of being, but to the earthly plane. Such would come in under the same condition as the Ancient Worthies who were accepted of God. The Ancient Worthies came in, no call being opened to them – the High Calling not being yet open, and the Restitution opportunities not open. But they freely gave themselves up to God without knowing what blessings their consecration would bring, except that they had the intimation that they would, in the future life, have a ‘better resurrection’ than would the remainder of the world.”
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QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST
QUESTION – Is there any Scripture which shows that the Feet-members of Christ will all be changed at one time?
ANSWER – We believe to the contrary – that instead of all the Feet-members being changed at one time, it will be a gradual work. One may be changed tonight, another tomorrow, etc.; and yet their change may be said to be all at one time in the sense that it is all in the Harvest time, all in the end of the Age. The change of some will be in the close of the Harvest period. As an individual matter, it will be one person after another. The Apostle says, “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed;” for “flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.” Our change will be “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” It will not be a gradual change to the individual but an instantaneous change. Instead of sleeping as the saints of the past have done, when our time comes to die, ours will be an instantaneous change. The Psalmist prophetically says, “I have said, ye are gods, and all of you children of the Most High. But ye shall die like men;” and this Scripture we understand to refer to the dying process that comes to all of the Church, the same as to mankind in general. We are New Creatures and hence the expression that we shall “die like men.” As men die, so we will die. Men do not generally die in bunches; so we would think it strange if many of us should die at one time. The world will not discern any difference between our death and the death of other men. (From What Pastor Russell Said, page 122.)
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