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Today I was not a patient man. I was sick, my daughter has the flu, and nothing went as planned. Add a rainy day, a postponed project, and a splitting headache to the mix, and you get a cranky, angry man beating his fist in the air.
I have never been patient. I like things to go my way, but I have learned that God doesn’t conform the world to my liking - even when I scream. While the reason for everything is not always clear, I sometimes wonder if this is why life has been hard in the past year? Maybe it’s God’s way of teaching me something I haven’t learned yet.
In every culture, patience is a virtue. Most cultures see a patient person as someone with enough self-control to be worthy of admiration. Although patience is an impressive quality, my experience developing this virtue has been like climbing a wet rope - never able to get enough grip to make progress. Even more unfortunately, I am nearing forty and still feel less than impressive in my ability to peacefully wait. This week, and many before, I was brought to the realization that I need something different than my own inner strength. Ultimately, my heart needs more of a renovation than a few supporting beams.
The flip-side to this struggle for patience is another inconvenient fact - I desperately want to be a patient person. Not only do I admire people who can endure difficulty with grace and postpone important decisions until all the facts are evident, the Scriptures teach something even more important. Patience, according to Scripture, is a diagnostic tool of the heart.
Patience and Holiness
In Romans 12:12, Paul writes that we are to “rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation,” and also to be “constant in prayer.” A few chapters earlier when describing faith, the Apostle tells us what to do when we are hoping for something that we can’t quite see yet - we are to “wait patiently.” Not only is this patience about waiting, it is also meant to tie us together in community. In Ephesians 4:2, with Paul writing once again on the topic, the Scriptures teach us that we are to bear with “one another in love,” patiently.
An interesting areas of New Testament scholarship is the context of the 1st century Near East. Particularly with the Apostle Paul as a missionary to Gentiles, any surface level study will testify to Stoicism’s importance at the time. Like any good apologist, Paul was quick to use cultural metaphors and ideas from the Hellenistic culture when making an argument for the Gospel. Undoubtably, Paul was steeped in Stoic philosophy as his hometown of Tarsus was a well-known Stoic epicenter. This philosophy taught that developing four major virtues led to a life well-lived. These virtues - wisdom, temperance, justice, and courage - were the characteristics ancient Greeks aspired to. In his writing, Paul borrows a Stoic technique to make an important argument. When Paul lists the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), he is using a technique that Stoics used to distinguish between virtues and vices. The message Paul is implicitly making is clear - life in Christ flips the script on cultural values. Under Stoic philosophy, wisdom held all of the other virtues together. For example, courage was articulated as “wisdom about things to endure.” Paul, on the other hand, saw a life well-lived flowing from another source - love.
Stoicism Today
The philosophy Paul was contrasting has become popular in the 21st century West. From the popular conference Stoicon, to the 356% increase in sales of Seneca’s Letters from a Stoic, modern people, particularly men, find something about the philosophy appealing. Perhaps one reason for its popularity is the discipline involved. In a period of time when things feel out of control, the extreme self-mastery involved with Stoicism feels like a worthy handle to grab on to. Maybe even more importantly, unlike philosophers that warn against status and wealth, Stoicism has little concern with these pursuits.
There is nothing wrong with borrowing advice from the Stoics. Stoicism focuses on character traits that are important aspects of living a Christian life. Furthermore, the grace involved in spiritual living is never the enemy of effort. Anyone that reads their Bible daily knows that there is a certain amount of discipline involved. The problem with the modern embrace of Stoicism is that it doesn’t work as well as we would like it to. It’s possible to will yourself to hit the gym each day and maybe even eat better, but the self-discipline of Stoicism will likely fail in the more important tests of life. Will self-control and willpower cut it when your spouse or children are falling apart? Will Stoicism help you love unloveable people as the Scripture calls us to? Probably not.
The foundation of Stoicism is the belief that a life focused on developing virtue is the path to a well-lived life. According to historical record, Stoicism was founded in 300 B.C. by the Greek philosopher Zeno. While there is little written about Zeno until the 3rd century A.D., he was likely a wealthy merchant educated in the philosophy of Socrates. After devouring the work of the famous philosopher, Zeno came into contact with the famous Cynic philosopher Crates of Thebes. While heavily influenced by both Socrates and Crates, Zeno developed a philosophy of his own that became known for its realism.
The Problem With Stoicism
My fear with Stoicism has less to do with its weaknesses than something far more important. I worry that young people, particularly men, who are looking for the “good life” will grab onto the philosophy and miss the “good life” altogether. Like other systems of belief, Stoicism offers a salvation that can’t be delivered. Zeno believed that Stoicism led to an integrated life that brought someone into the wisdom of the Universe - the logos. By steadily progressing in the virtues, a person could be transformed into something almost divine and receive all the benefits associated with this type of knowledge. Taking this into consideration, it’s easy to see why the Biblical authors use the word “logos” for the Word of God. The argument is this - the logos is not found in a system, it is found in a person.
While patience is not the most sought after virtue today, it is certainly one of the most beneficial. In the ancient world, however, it was seen as an essential trait. The idea of patience in Stoic philosophy is having the inner fortitude to handle anything. As Epictetus once wrote, “You have inner strengths that enable you to bear up with difficulties of every kind. You have been given fortitude, courage, and patience. Why should I worry what happens if I am armed with the virtue of fortitude? Nothing can trouble or upset me, or even seem annoying. Instead of meeting misfortune with groans and tears, I will call upon the faculty especially provided to deal with it.”
The foundation of Stoic cultivation of patience, and anything else Stoic, is an inner strength that is developed. This is where Stoicism falls short of the Christian life. As almost any adult can attest to, the most important virtues are difficult, if not impossible, to develop well. Even if someone is able to develop a certain virtue, there are other important virtues that will be neglected. A self-directed transformation will always fail. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try, but that we must work, as Paul says, “with all the energy that he powerfully works in me” (Col. 1:29). Stoicism gives us some great goals, but we need Christ to get there.
Ultimately, true patience is rooted in the character of God. In many ways, Jesus’ disciples show the transformation of patience that is possible with the Holy Spirit. While Christ was on Earth, the disciples struggled to wait and believe their Master. Even modern Christians often ask themselves, “how long must I endure?” For those who have known Jesus through the coming of the Holy Spirit, whether in the 1st or 21st Century, the answer is always the same - as long as Christ sustains me. We might grumble, we may protest, but God works his Spirit into us in a way that we have resources we wouldn’t otherwise have. Even for folks like me who struggle with patience, every challenge I have been met with I have endured. Somehow, I have always found the necessary push to carry on through even the most difficult circumstances. In Christ, I am connected, with Stoicism, I am on my own.
So What??
A good question to ask at this point is “so what?” Does Stoicism really pose a threat to young men in the West. At a surface level, the answer is no. Jordan Peterson’s advice to make your bed is probably pretty helpful and developing discipline and mental toughness is important. At a deeper level, however, I wonder what will happen when more difficult tests in life happen? What will young people rely on when they grow up and find they don’t have the strength to go any further? If Stoicism is your main foundation, you may never come to the most important place - the Cross. If you do come, it may not be until a crisis.
Although it is cliche in Christian circles, it’s true that God is sovereign. I know that God will continue to save folks from all types of philosophies and worldviews - even Stoicism. More importantly, out of all the worldly philosophies out there, Stoicism is far from the worst. However, the problem with Stoicism is that it offers a knock-off in many ways to the Gospel. It offers traits that can only be found through the Holy Spirit, and bundles up these goods on a tray of self realization. A better option would be to find the real thing right now. Hopefully, this new fad will lead way to a group of discouraged young people desperate for a better alternative. At that point, the Gospel will be waiting.
I enjoyed reading this today.