"...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!
