Things Unseen with Sinclair B. Ferguson

Episode: The Patience of God and of His Children

Date: February 20, 2026
Host: Sinclair B. Ferguson (Ligonier Ministries)

Overview

This episode of Things Unseen centers on the Christian virtue of patience as described in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5). Sinclair B. Ferguson explores the biblical meaning of patience, how it reflects God’s own character, and the way it is nurtured in believers—not as an innate trait, but as a spiritual grace developed in life’s everyday trials. He challenges listeners to examine their own attitudes and behaviors, encouraging spiritual growth through honest self-reflection and dependence on God’s transforming work.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Continuing the Theme of the Fruit of the Spirit

• Ferguson recalls the week’s focus on the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23), encouraging listeners to internalize these verses for spiritual formation.
  • “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” [00:08]

2. Understanding ‘Patience’ in Scripture

• Biblical patience is rooted in the Greek word “makrothumia,” meaning “long in time” or “slow to anger.”
  • “It’s a compound word from 'makros,' which means long, long in time or long in space, far away, and 'thumos,' which means anger or passion.” [01:20]
• Ferguson contrasts this with people who have “a short fuse,” explaining that Christian patience involves cultivating a “longer fuse,” even amid provocation, inspired by God’s own patience.

3. God’s Patience as Our Example

• He highlights Psalm 103:
  • “The Lord is merciful and gracious... slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” [01:36]
• Christians are called to imitate God:
  • “As his children, we breathe in the family atmosphere and we learn by the Spirit to mimic Him.” [02:05]

4. Patience is a Spiritual Grace, Not a Natural Personality

• Ferguson candidly addresses those who excuse impatience:
  • “I’ve met professing Christians who have said, quite openly and without embarrassment and almost with a touch of pride, 'I’m the kind of person who doesn’t suffer fools gladly.' And you know, I always want to say three words. Well, Jesus did.” [02:28]
  • He humorously shares his own inner response:
    • “And the darker side of me then wants to add, ‘and you’re one of those fools.’” [02:42]
• Patience is not a minor character flaw:
  • “Not being patient with others is not a virtue, it's a blemish, because it means I'm not being like the Lord Jesus.” [02:49]

5. Testing and Developing Patience

• Real patience is only proven in challenging situations, not in easy ones:
  • “Patience can only develop through being in situations likely to create impatience in us. So long as our patience is never tested, it never grows.” [04:04]
• Ferguson recounts a familiar scenario:
  • “I don’t know what came over me. I’m really a very patient person.” … “Actually, you’re not really a very patient person at all. You’re an impatient person whose patience level has never really been tested. It’s been tested now, and you’ve just failed the test.” [03:32–03:49]

6. The Role of the Spirit in Cultivating Patience

• Patience is not a static gift, but a fruit that develops as we rely on the Spirit, especially during tests:
  • “When Paul says that the fruit of the Spirit is patience, it’s not as though the Spirit gives us a permanent commodity. It is that the Spirit works in us, transforming us gradually, perhaps even gently and slowly, but surely bringing us into situations that might cause us to be impatient.” [04:24]
• Our growth in patience is a response to remembering God’s patience towards us:
  • “As he works in our lives and we reflect on how wonderfully patient the Lord has been with us, we find that we are able to take the strain and patience begins to develop.” [05:04]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Christian patience as imitation of Christ:

  • “Not being patient with others is not a virtue, it's a blemish, because it means I'm not being like the Lord Jesus.” [02:49]

• On the testing of patience:

  • “You’re not really a very patient person at all. You’re an impatient person whose patience level has never really been tested. It’s been tested now, and you’ve just failed the test.” [03:49]

• Summing up the episode’s challenge:

  • “We won’t be coming back to this until next week, which means there’s a couple of days before then when your patience, and perhaps my patience, is going to be tested. But let’s pray together that by God’s grace, it will also grow.” [05:28]

Important Timestamps

• 00:08 – Introduction, context for the fruit of the Spirit
• 01:20 – Explanation of ‘makrothumia’ (patience)
• 02:28 – Observations on “not suffering fools gladly”
• 03:32–03:49 – Story about failing the “patience test”
• 04:04 – How patience develops through testing
• 04:24–05:04 – The Spirit’s work in growing patience
• 05:28 – Final encouragement and closing prayer

Tone and Spiritual Emphasis

Ferguson’s tone is reflective, gentle, and occasionally wry, as he addresses both the difficulty and the blessing of growing in patience. He consistently draws listeners back to the character of God and the radical example of Christ’s patience, calling Christians to pursue this virtue not out of mere self-effort, but as the fruit of a Spirit-transformed life.

In summary: This episode offers a rich meditation on patience as a Spirit-formed character trait, challenged and cultivated in life’s irritations, and rooted in the patience God continues to show His children.