Fruits of the Spirit – Peace & Longsuffering

‘The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.’ 

- Galatians 5:22-23 -

THE FRUIT OF PEACE

The third fruit of the Spirit is peace. No matter what happens around you, no matter what calamity plagues your world, you can still have divine peace. A pandemic of stress and anxiety is infecting our culture like never before. Violent crime, economic strife, and relationship woes have many crying out for help. They want peace but falsely think peace comes when all their problems go away. No, a lack of conflict doesn’t bring true peace. Biblical peace is the tranquil state of a soul assured of salvation in Christ. It isn’t found in the absence of trials but in the arms of God. Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). Let’s explore what He meant.

The Greek word for peace is eirene, meaning to rebind that which is separated. It means wholeness, completeness, and inner-rest. Isn’t that what everyone wants? The problem is they’re looking in all the wrong places. You see, while we may not have all we want, the peace of God gives us all that we need. Peace is an essential characteristic of God’s kingdom. Acts 10:36 says: “God sent His word to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ, the Lord of all.” And at the birth of Jesus the angels sang: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” (Luke 2:14). Now that’s true peace. Heavenly peace!

Peace among men with whom He is pleased

Paul closed Romans by saying: ‘Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen’ (15:33). He knew God is the source of true peace. All other peace is fleeting at best and counterfeit at worst. Not only is Yahweh the God of Peace, He is the Prince of Peace! ‘And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’ (Is. 9:6). God is the Lord of Peace! ‘Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way’ (2 Thess. 3:16). Peace is only known under the lordship of Christ and in the power of His Word. No wonder Paul toiled and suffered yet still said: ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God’ (Phil. 4:6).

Paul didn’t want God’s children troubled by worldly hardship. We can have peace in the midst of storms thanks to prayer. When anxiety invades, breathe deep, be still, and pray to the Lord above. When you’re done petitioning Him for what you need, thank Him for what He does. Sad to say, this is the part most people leave out. They’re quick to ask but slow to thank. They wait to see the manifestation. Instead, thank God now ‘and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’ (Phil. 4:7). This is the gift of prayer. To unburden yourself and rest in His sovereign will, knowing ‘that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose’ (Rom. 8:28).

The loss of peace and the beginning of God's rescue mission

The peace of God outranks stress and anxiety, worries and fears. The peace mankind has needed since Eden is peace with God. In Christ, ‘mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other’ (Ps. 85:10). Peace is soul rest and is only from God, so Paul says: ‘Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ’ (Phil. 1:2). In Ephesians, the gospel is called ‘the gospel of peace’ (6:15). Only the good news of Jesus Christ brings peace with God. When we become His forever family, God’s eternal peace floods our soul and renews our minds.

Jesus commanded: “Let not you heart be troubled” (John 14:1). We aren’t to worry or cave to fear. The peace of God is not the absence of trouble but rather the confidence that He is with us in the fiery furnace. German theologian Hermann Cremer called peace “the state of untroubled, undisturbed well-being.” Like love and joy, peace is disconnected to circumstance. In Mark 4, Jesus was sound asleep in a storm that threatened to drown all. And why? Because He had confidence they would reach the other side. He was sure the Father had a plan to fulfill. As Paul told the Colossians: ‘Let the peace of God rule in your hearts’ (Col. 3:15) and you will share Jesus’ power over fear.

Pastor Kent Hughes observed: “How much misery we would avoid if we permitted the peace of Christ to umpire in our hearts, if it was the arbitrator of our lives.” Theologian Adam Clarke said: “No heart is right with God when the peace of God does not rule. When a man loses his peace, he has given way to evil and grieves the Holy Spirit.” Let the calmness of Christ rule when worry, fear, or doubt arise. When peace rules, all is safe and all is well. Recall how Jesus had total poise in every situation. He kept cool, calm, and collected when others panicked. Peace filled His soul and it can fill ours too when we trust in Him.

True peace in the midst of the storm

Peter told scattered and scorned believers: ‘May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure, always abounding and greatly increased’ (1 Pet. 1:2). He asked God to multiply their serenity and told them to yield more and more to the Holy Spirit. Kenneth Wuest calls this peace a “state of untroubled, undisturbed tranquility and well-being produced in the heart of the yielded saint.” He says: “We have this peace to the extent that we are yielded to the Spirit and are intelligently conscious of and dependent upon His ministry for us.” Godly peace is supernatural calmness of heart independent of circumstances as it believes God is with us and in control of both blessings and trials.

Divine peace allows composure in times of trouble by quieting fear. Spurgeon said: “I have seen the Christian man in the depths of poverty not knowing where his next meal would come from with his mind unruffled, calm, and quiet. If he had been quite sure that ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning, and again in the evening, he would not have been one whit more calm. There is his neighbor on the other side of the street not half so poor, but wearied from morning till night, bringing himself to the grave with anxiety.” All who love Christ and live with His peace are shielded from head to toe. Amen to that!

THE FRUIT OF LONGSUFFERING

The fourth fruit of the Spirit is longsuffering, makrothumia in Greek, often translated patience but literally meaning long of temper. It is the ability to hold one’s temper for a long time. Patient people are slow to anger, will endure pain and suffer wrong without complaint. The root word makro means far-off and thumia means anger. Put together, it means one who pushes anger far away. So the fruit of longsuffering is patience with those who would otherwise anger you. It is restraint to not retaliate when wronged.

It is important to know when to hold your peace and when to anger; when to restrain yourself or talk sharply. According to Scripture, anger itself isn’t sin, but how we act on it can be. Ephesians 4:26 says: ‘Be angry, and do not sin.’ Our passions mustn’t lead to sin, so don’t let anger control you, not even for a day. While righteous anger against injustice is acceptable, the much more common uncontrolled and destructive anger is always sinful. When we’re walking in the Spirit, we’re not vengeful or hostile. We resist emotional outbursts when offended and we put anger far-off in the power of the Spirit.

Living in the power of the Spirit

Christians must characteristically be slow to anger; marked by grace, lovingkindness, and eagerness to forgive. Longsuffering is patience that suffers long. W. E. Vine said: “If forbearance denotes delay in executing judgment, longsuffering denotes that particular disposition which delays it.” Patience comes from a position of power, and as the Spirit produces patience in us, He is making us more like Christ. Paul spoke of the ‘patience of Christ’ (2 Thess. 3:5) and Peter promoted the ‘patience of God’ (1 Pet. 3:20). Godly patience brings on Godly forgiveness, so we are called to be patient and forgiving as God is.

We are to endure offenses with a heart of mercy. Numbers 14:18 says: ‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgressions.’ Such is godly patience. God is slow to anger, full of grace, and patience is the fruit most closely related to forgiveness. John MacArthur said: “Never are you more like God than when you forgive. Never are you more like Satan than when you’re angry and you hate.” As heaven’s witnesses, we ought to be patience personified. The Father is the source of patience, Christ is the example of patience, and the Spirit is the dispenser of patience. With godly patience you’ll have wells of endurance that never dry up. You’ll keep calm and carry on even in the face of unrelenting pressure.

Our patient God gifts us time to repent and be saved

Longsuffering is less a trait than a way of life. Spurgeon said: “You will be hourly tried but the Spirit of God will give you patience to suffer long and endure much.” Patience lets us endure rudeness with dignity. It handles unpleasant people with grace and fools without vexation. What’s most illuminating about patience is it describes God’s attitude toward us (Rom. 2:4, Rom. 9:22, 1 Tim. 1:16, 1 Pet. 3:20), giving evildoers ample time to repent and be saved. We foster the fruit of patience in recognition of God’s patience with us when we were lost. As Paul told the Romans: ‘God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’ (5:8).

William Barclay called patience “the ability to bear with people even when they are wrong, even when they are cruel and insulting.” By patience, a man can calm a quarrel (Prov. 15:18) or persuade a ruler (Prov. 25:15). Most of all, patience makes us better agents for God who is righteous, strong, and long-tempered. Psalm 103:8 says: ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.’ Preacher H. Leo Boles said: “Patience is the even temper that comes from a big heart. It is loving tolerance in spite of people’s weakness and failure. Love is patient and so must Christians be. The same divine quality that allows God to be patient with sinners enables the Christian to endure the exasperating behavior of others.” What else needs to be said?