Patience And Steadfastness
PATIENCE AND STEADFASTNESS
JAMES 5:7-12
A distinctive mark of a Christian is that we are to persevere. Is that true of us or do we give up easily?
There are two Greek words which are sometimes translated “patience,” and both come in this passage. One means very much what we mean by patience. It contains the idea of longsuffering. It is formed on exactly the model of a word which means “short-tempered” and is its opposite, ie “long-tempered.” It is a refusal to give way to provocation. It is a readiness to put up with contradiction and baseless opposition. It is a steady refusal to lose one’s temper in the face of frustration. There is nothing that one can do about this kind of opposition except be provoked by it or endure it. It is this that James has in mind when he speaks of the farmer. There is nothing farmers can do about the weather or the seasons. When farmers have planted their crop, they must wait patiently. But in their patient waiting they know that the time of harvest is surely coming. And Christians also know that the time of this world’s harvest is coming. They must endure innumerable provocations and frustrations. But they can bear them all with patience, for they knows that their Lord will come one day. The last word is not with those who provoke and frustrate. The last word is with the Lord. Since his coming is sure, we may settle our hearts (5:8).
The other word means steadfastness rather than patience. It is the attitude of soldiers who in the midst of a severe battle are not dismayed by the hard knocks they receive but continue to fight with endurance and a proper goodwill. There is an air of activity, even aggressiveness, about it. James uses this word of Job (5:11), who came through triumphant. While perhaps James does not want us to differentiate too sharply between his two words, they do have different emphases and we can benefit by reflecting on both. James’ final statement in 5:11 should be borne in mind in all troubles. The Lord who permits them is compassionate and merciful.
5:12 reminds us that our word should always be reliable. James is not concerned with the problem of oaths in lawcourts and the like. He is saying that in ordinary life our word should not need to be bolstered by an oath before it can be accepted.