Patience has been defined as "faith in the crucible" [G. Warnock]. In Eberhard Nestle's Novum Testamentum Graece, James 1:3 is presented this way: »ginôkontes hoti to dokimion humôn tês pisteôs katergazetai hupomonên«, that is, »knowing that the testing of you of the faith downworkizes understaying«.

We can see in this some great concepts. First of all, it really is the trial »of you of the faith«. Usually, this is understood to speak of one's faith being tested. But that's really not it. We of the faith of Jesus Christ (Ga 2:16-21) are tested. We - not our faith. Our faith wouldn't hold up anyway. The trying of "our faith" is really the trying of us, for the faith is the Lord's which we have received from him (Ep 2:8-10). If anything is truly tried, it is our character and will in relation to the faith God has given. The question is: Now that I have heard from God (for faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the utterance of God - Ro 10:17), and have believed the thing he expressed, will I retain it even in the face seeming impossibility, failure, and/or opposition? Will we retain it, even when the current will of God appears to run contrary to it? (After all, the Holy Spirit does tell us not to lean unto our own understanding.) If we do retain it, then the trial will »downworkize understaying«. Note the emphasis on the notion of 'down'. God always comes down to man and this word katergetai expresses the fact of some good thing coming from above to be 'worked'. kat- means 'down'. The stem -erg- is in fact cognate with our English word 'work', descending from the exact same Indoeuropean root. We all know the word 'energy' which comes from the Greek word energia and literally means 'inworking'. Another similar word is the word 'synergy' which means 'with-working' or 'together-working' and is likewise borrowed directly into English from the Greek noun sunergia. The notion here is that of 'katergy' which is similar to 'energy' and 'synergy', except that the emphasis is 'down' instead of 'within' or 'togther'. Now the word hupomonê is translated in different Bible versions as »patience« [KJV], »endurance« [CLNT], »fortitude« [NEB], »perseverance« [NIV], »steadfastness« [Goodspeed], with »endurance« being perhaps the most common rendering among the other translations. Morphologically, the word means »understaying« as I have translated it above. In the context of the sovereign dealings of the Holy Spirit, this word takes on a dynamic which relates directly to knowing Jesus as Lord, for the underlying notion is really that of remaining under the Lord's sovereignty and rule and domination. The second part of the noun hupomonê, (which is itself derived from the verb hupomenein), -monê, is from the exact same word root as '-main' in our English word 'remain' and carries the meaning of 'to stay'. So the testing of us of the faith produces a 'staying under' the Lord, under the covering of his presence, his blood, his government, etc. And there is blessing in this, for »God giveth grace unto the humble« (Ja 4:6, KJV). »Let us therefore humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God« (1P 5:6, KJV) and stay there! (Jn 15:4) This is our proper response. Now the morpheme -monê does stand alone as a noun in Old Greek and means a 'room'. Remember, Jesus said, »Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.« [Jn 14:1-3, KJV]. Incidently, the word »mansions« comes from the same root as monê via Latin and translates the Greek noun monai (plural form of monê) in this passage. When Yahweh tries us, you can be sure that he is downworkizing or producing a place for us underneath his overspreading glory and presence, a place where Jesus IS. Hallelu Yah!

But what about Yahweh in this? Jesus did say, »At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you« [Jn 14:20, KJV]. And Paul wrote the Ephesians: »Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit« [Ep 2:19-22, KJV]. A habitation in a temple is a room. The temple which Ezekiel saw in a vision had many rooms in it. Yahweh fills his house with his own presence. It is his desire that we all be truly filled with the Holy Spirit. And we of the faith are the living stones of this temple. Therefore, the trying of the faith of us is also intended to make more room for the Spirit of Christ within our beings. The »hope of glory« is not us in Christ, but Christ in us! And if Christ dwell within us, thereafter he becomes Christ on us!