Running With Endurance: Defining Endurance

This is part three in a series on Running With Endurance. Here is part one and part two for your reading.

"...And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:1c-2a). 

We have looked at Hebrews 12:1-4 as a whole, but I thought that before getting into the practical, we should first look at the theological.

The word endurance is an interesting word. Hypomonē (hü-po-mo-nā') does mean endurance, but it also means patience, steadfastness, longsuffering, sustaining, and perseverance. Many have said that Hypomonē just means to remain under a weight. Just stand there holding that car above your head, and grin and bear it. Yet this word means much more than that. It means to be patient and endure while pressing on. Hypomonē does not mean sit underneath and hold everything, it means you ride on top of it all and press on. That is the difference between waiting and enduring through something. You persevere through that trial, not sit patiently under it.

Here is what the Thayers lexicon says, and I love this, "In the N.T. [hypomonē is] the characteristic of a man who is unswerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings." He endures; he perseveres, even to the point of going through the trial, rather than remaining under it. What an awesome word. Let's keep that word in mind as we continue.

Based on that definition, endurance does not mean, "let go and let God," as many people purport. It means to press on through that trial, as Paul said, "I press on toward the goal for the prize." (Phil 3:13-14).

Jesus is the founder of our faith. He has begun a good work in us and will complete it to the end (Phil 1:6). He is the author of our faith. The faith is not our own, but it was given to us in order that we might believe in Him. Yes, I could go into a long theological discussion on this topic, but for the sake of time, I will restrain myself. Jesus is the founder of our faith, and if that faith came from him it is a supernatural faith that none of us apart from Christ could ever manufacture. If it is a supernatural faith, it must be an enduring faith, right? Otherwise, what hope do we have?

See, why would we put faith in Jesus Christ if we cannot have assurance of our salvation? Our faith comes from God and it is an enduring faith that He will perfect; and without understanding that faith in Christ will save not only us, but also it will be kept and perfected until the end, what assurance do we have?

I want you to see this. The Bible is filled with commands for us to endure, persevere, be obedient, be holy, and live the way you know honors Jesus Christ. We must persevere and live a holy life. (2 Tim 4:5; 1 Tim 4:16; John 3:36; 1 Peter 4:17; Lev 11:45; 1 Peter 1:15-16; 1 Cor 10:31; 1 Cor 6:20)

On the other hand, we cannot live this life without walking by the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:16-17). Without putting this faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone while keeping our eyes fixed on Him, we cannot be filled with the Spirit; we cannot endure; we cannot persevere; we cannot be obedient, and we certainly cannot be holy (Rom 3:10-12; Jer 13:23)

So who lives the Christian life: You, or the Holy Spirit? See, only the Holy Spirit can enable you to live the Christian life, but you are also to be obedient in living that life out. This paradox gets at the heart of the matter that has led to the doctrine I want us to look at in our text.

We are told here to endure, "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." We must persevere. However, Jesus is the one who authored our faith and will perfect it. And, therefore, we see a doctrine here that has been very controversial throughout history: the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.

Many have called this doctrine eternal security, but I will show you why I think perseverance of the saints has more of a right idea than eternal security. I also showed you a paradox in the Christian life. I did that because I believe that is what we find here. Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith and therefore our salvation is eternal (eternal security: Jude 1:24; John 17:11-12, 15; John 6:39-40, 44; John 10:27-29; 1 Cor 1:8-9; 1 Pet 1:3-5), but that does not mean we can just sit around idly and not live the Christian life as we are commanded to. It does not mean, like the common mantra, "Once saved always saved." There is some truth in that, but not to the exclusion of living the Christian life as commanded.

On the contrary, we are told to endure; to persevere, and to live the way the Bible says we should (perseverance of the saints: John 15:10; Hebrews 12:1; 1 John 1:6-7; 1 John 2:3-4; John 8:31-32; Eph 2:10; John 3:10; Matt 10:22). However, this brings up another thought, "If I could lose my salvation, I would lose it." See, if it was all about us persevering to the end, we fail. If it is all about God keeping us, why live the Christian life? I believe that eternal security and perseverance of the saints work hand in hand, as with the Christian life. Eternal security is God's perspective; perseverance of the saints is the perspective we need to have. That is why I think perseverance of the saints is the best title for this doctrine.

Looking at our text, we then find a perfect analogy: we are to run and endure in the race, but Jesus, who is the one who gives us the faith and perfects that faith, enables us, therefore, to run the race with faith and continue on in faith even when we fail. See the analogy the writer of Hebrews uses? We are commanded to live the Christian life, but it is clear that we cannot do so without the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

It brings us great joy knowing that our faith comes from Christ and it is an everlasting faith. Yet, the Christian cannot sit around and not run the race as he is called to run (as the Arminians so often accuse the Calvinists), otherwise that is not obeying the command of throwing off the weight and the sin that entangles (Heb 12:1). Therefore, it would be sin to be idle in the race. God enables us to run, and enables us to persevere to the end without falling completely from faith (if we are truly in Christ), and we are commanded, because of the faith given, to run in the race with all endurance. What an awesome truth that is! Therefore, we cannot continue on in sin; instead run with endurance as Jesus Christ ran. Stop sitting down on the track, get up, throw off the sweatsuit, and start running towards the finish line while keeping your eyes fixed on Christ.

Who lives the Christian life then? We live as we are commanded, and the Holy Spirit enables us to do so. Who maintains our salvation? We run with hypomonē in the race, persevering until the end, and yet Jesus Christ will never allow us to fall so as to lose our salvation because He is the founder and perfecter of our faith. If you are still a little confused, this should help clarify everything for you.

So, how do we apply all of this? We will look at the practical in the next few posts. Stay tuned and keep running with endurance!

Running With Endurance: Hebrews 12

"Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely..." (Hebrews 12:1b).

Over the next few days we will be looking at the hindrances, how to root them out, and how to then run the race. But first, we are going to look closer at Hebrews 12:1-4, which will also be the text for the rest of this series.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses" (vv. 1a).

This is the beginning of verse one. This is one of our motivations for running the race. Many commentaries would say that it is like being in a stadium with all the great saints of the past filling the stands. Well, I think it is much more than that. Sure that is a motivation to run, but that is a self-centered analogy with some fallacies along with it. The saints are all up in heaven giving all praise and glory and honor to the living God, not peering out of heaven watching us trot along a dirt road. 

What this is referring to is that, since all the saints ran the race and endured with great patience and faith, as in the previous chapter, we too need to run with such faith and endurance (Heb 10:38). Even Jesus Christ who endured such hostility from sinners (Heb 12:3). Because they ran, so can we!

"Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" (vv. 1b).

The weight and sin are two things we need to put off, but are clearly two different objects. The weight most likely referred to legalism, or the old ceremonial and judicial laws to the Jews. The writer of Hebrews has been making a case throughout the whole book to lay aside all those things because they were merely shadows. Now that we are in Christ, all they amount to is legalism. So in a sense he is saying, "Understand your liberty in Christ, lay aside the rules that were merely a shadow, and run the race as a free man in Christ."

The second aspect is to lay aside the sin. Stop sinning! Sin resembles the guy who showed up to the race and never took off his sweatsuit. Or the guy who is on the side lines drinking soda. Or the person eating a giant burger before the race. We need to lay aside everything that might hinder us from running freely so as to win and glorify God. Therefore, stop lusting, stop bickering and gossiping, stop complaining and lying, stop being angry and lazy. Instead, get up and run with endurance, laying aside all of those things.

The question then arises: why should we run this race? Can't we just believe in Jesus and that's it? Why do we have to be obedient and stop sinning? The simple answer: Because Jesus did.

Look at verse two: 

"Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God" (vv. 2).

There are two things we gain from this passage. The first is that Jesus ran the race, so should we. He saw His life as a mission, a goal that had been given to Him from the Father and He needed to fulfill it (John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38; 12:49). He was determined to finish the race. He knew that it meant enduring being crucified on a cross; He knew it would mean despising the sinful, shameful things of the world, and He knew the glory that would be His in the end. He ran for joy and for reward. So should we.

The other thing we see in this verse is practical: Don't run while looking at your feet; don't run while looking at the crowd; don't run while glancing at the soda on the sides, but run with your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ. Why? because He ran far better than any of us ever could run. Run to be more like Christ!

"Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted" (vv. 3).

Verse three tells us not to grow weary in the fight; don't grow fainthearted in the race, but endure with patience and joy, looking to Christ and the reward! Jesus endured so much on our behalf. He lived the life that we should have lived. He died on the cross where we should have died. We are a sinful and immoral people and we ultimately deserve judgement. And yet it was Jesus' joy to die on that cross. One, because He loved us that much. And two, because it was the will of the Father to do so. In the end, the reason for everything was to bring God the glory in everything.

Shouldn't we run in such a way that everything we do would glorify God? We run against anything and everything that might stifle our running, we do it while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, and we run with endurance in order to bring Him glory.

We are going to continue in this thought by looking at ways to root out whatever may hinder us from running the race, so that we can run so as to glorify God in everything.

"In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood" (Hebrews 12:4).

Running With Endurance: Introduction

"Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1c).

Living the Christian life in a perverse and immoral culture, such as ours, is not an easy task. In fact, being holy and set apart is extremely difficult. Granted, it is never really easy, but it is even harder when everything is against you.

Think of it like this. On the one hand there is someone running a race, and along the side lines there are stands with water all the way from start to finish. The track is clear, and the road is straight. Their are no hills and no bends; just a straight track to victory. This is the man running the race in a not-so-immoral society.

On the other hand, you are running a race, and along the side lines there are stands with soda and juice from start to finish. There might be an occasional water stand every few miles. The track is extremely long, and there are many bends, turns, hills, and hurdles (the hurdles are the other runners who sat down because they decided not to run). This is the man running in the immoral society.

To further complicate this example, the man running also has his own issues to deal with, right? He has to eat healthy, he has to lose as much weight as needed, he has to wear a tight suit and good running shoes, and he has to train long and hard so that his endurance is strong.

Now that we have set all this up, you have to remove the first runner from your thinking. There is never going to be a race that perfect in this life. All our races will be like the second guy in the perverse and immoral culture. We will always have to persevere. We will always have a long and twisted road. The race will never be as easy as we would like it to be.

The Scriptures tell us to run with endurance the race marked out for us. Our race will always be tough. But what if you could do everything you could do to make that race easier? Would you do what it takes? Paul did:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

We are all runners in a race and, therefore, we must run with endurance and self-control as if we were actually trying to win.

Why self-control? Because we also have to deal with our part in the race. We must eat right, sleep right, train right, and never cease until we are all that we can be in that race. Our race just happens to be this life. So as Christians, our race is a continual battle against the conditions and against ourselves.

And yet, for some of us, we have been slacking. In fact, many Christians have quit. They got in the race because they liked the prize, but then they sat down on the track. They stopped eating healthy, they started drinking the soda on the side, they kept their sweatsuit on, they didn't bring running shoes, they didn't bring a desire to win, and instead they sat down on track and became the hurdles for many others. What a sad sight that is, right? And yet that is a wonderful analogy for many of the so-called Christians in evangelicalism.

So, over the next few days we will look closer at Hebrews 12:1-4, what things might hinder our running, how to root out the things that do hinder us, and some practical ways to run with endurance the race that is set before us. Stick around!

A New Beginning

Before I get back to my blogging schedule, today was the actual day of my baptism. And, so, for all you bloggers, friends, and family, here is the video so you can watch the whole thing. Enjoy!

Cultivating A Reverence For The Lord

Recently, I have been studying the Old Testament usage of the phrase "fear of the Lord." I have been hard pressed to find a verse that explains exactly what it means, so I took a quick look at the Hebrew and realized that there is so much more to it than merely being afraid of God.

The Hebrew word Yare' (pronounced Yä-rā) literally means reverence or honor. It can be used for the word afraid, as in Genesis 3:10, but it is used more often for the word fear. This means that the phrase "fear of the Lord" denotes a reverence for the Lord; an honor for the Lord; a respect for who the Lord is in all His glory and majesty. It is more than just being afraid, although we should be afraid of the Lord in a sense because we know that He sovereignly reigns over everything, but fearing the Lord means that we should live with a holy honor for the Lord; that we should honor what He honors, respect what He respects, and revere what He reveres.

Some of that may seem redundant, but if we as Christians are to live all to the glory of God (cf. 1 Cor 10:31) we need to understand what it means to fear the Lord.

Although fearing the Lord means to have a reverence and honor toward Him, fearing the Lord is usually used in conjunction with obedience (Deut 5:29; Deut 6:2; Deut 8:6; 1 Sa 12:14; Psa 86:11). If we are going to learn to fear the Lord, we must be obedient to His commands; we must honor what He honors, and love what He loves. The Lord loves a people that revere and honor Him, and obey His commands. The Lord has commanded us to be holy because He is holy (1 Pet 1:15-16), to do everything in His name (Col 3:17), and to do everything for His glory (1 Cor 6:20; 1 Cor 10:31). Being Holy, doing everything for His name and for His glory is the first step towards fearing the Lord. Psalm 111:10 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever." (NASB).

All of that is just introductory.

My week began with this study because of some current events due to the release of a new book. It came to mind that we do not always fear the Lord as we should. If we did, we would not do anything that might bring a reproach on His name. Too often we do things before we think about them. We do not stop to say, "will this glorify God?" We treat others in a way that does not glorify God, we gossip about others in a way that does not glorify God, we watch things, say things, and do things that do not glorify God, and sometimes we even write books that do not glorify God. The truth we need to remember is that the Lord is the avenger of all things (1 Thess 4:6). One day we will be judged for the things we have done to bring a reproach on God's Holy name, and on those who have defrauded their brothers in Christ.

Because of this, we need to keep each other accountable. If one of us falls into the sin of bringing a reproach on Christ, we need to love our brother enough to point out their sin and beg them to repent because God is the avenger. We still have to bear the repercussions of our actions, but we must not continue to bring a reproach on Christ.

In order to avoid all of this, we desperately need to cultivate a fear or reverence for the Lord. This begins with being obedient to His commands, which are being set apart from the world and all immorality, and doing everything in the name of and for the Glory of God.