Christian Endurance

The author of Hebrews compares the Christian life to a footrace. The footrace was one of the five contests of the pentathlon in the great Panhellenic games. The footrace always came first. It was a contest, not of speed as much as stamina-stamina that required discipline, commitment, and endurance. The Christian life is not one of passive luxuriation. It is a long-distance race, a marathon. It begins the moment we believe savingly in Jesus Christ and it lasts till our death.

The Christian runner has a firm resolve never to drop out of the race. Despite hardship, exhaustion, and severe pain, he exerts every effort to continue in the race until he crosses the finish line. He must exert every nerve, sinew, and muscle.

In the Greek, the race is call agôna, from which we get the word “agony.” The Christian life is an agony. It is full of stress. The Christian life is not passivity but vigorous activity. The prophet Amos says, “Woe to those at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1, KJV). Jesus calls us to deny ourselves, take up the cross daily, and follow him to death. The evangelist who says, “Believe in Jesus and your troubles will all be over” is not telling the truth. Listen to Paul: “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:3). Jesus himself assured, “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matt. 10:22).

The cheap grace of easy believism is a fraud. Christians who receive Jesus to get all the goodies can be compared to the second soil in the parable of the sower. We read that the one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with great joy, but since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. This modern evangelism produces rootless and fruitless Christians who fail to run the race to the finish line.

The Christian life is a spiritual race that calls for physical and spiritual fitness. Paul himself said, “Train yourselves to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Tim. 4:7-8). The author teaches the same in Hebrews 12:1-3.

These verses can be divided into two headings: the motivation of the Christian race and the method of this race.

Motivations of the Christian Race: The Great Cloud of Witnesses

The first motivation comes from the cloud of witnesses. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us . . . run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Heb. 12:1). This refers to the list of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11.

The picture is of us being in an amphitheater. We are the runners competing in this Christian race. Tiers of seats in the amphitheater rise up like a cloud. Seated in those seats are the Old Testament saints who have already finished the race of faith in God and in his good promises. The picture is that now they are watching us running our own race of faith in God and in his promises. They are not only watching us, but they are also encouraging us and witnessing to us. They are shouting out to us through the pages of Scripture, to keep running the race. “Strain every nerve, sinew and muscle! Do not give up! Keep running! Look at the finish line. Do not be distracted by the allurements of this world. The Messiah who helped us run and finish the race will help you also.” The Messiah finished the race when he said, “It is finished.” He finished the race so every elect of God can run and finish the race. Do not quit! Do not shrink back. If you do, God will not be pleased with you.

A great cloud of witnesses is surrounding us. By God’s grace, these have successfully finished the race. They are saints of the Old Testament, from Abel to the saints of the Maccabean era. They all lived by faith and were all commended for their faith by the living God. Some experienced extraordinary miracles, but others suffered greatly. Yet they ended their lives living by faith. They were stoned, sawn asunder, beheaded, tortured, and tormented; but they ran the race of faith and are now in the presence of God. “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God… You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect” (Heb. 12:22-23).

We are not just surrounded by the Old Testament saints, but we are also encouraged to run the race by the New Testament saints-the martyr Stephen, James, Peter, Paul, John, and a multitude of martyrs. They also ran and finished the race. They joined the Old Testament saints who died in faith. The encouraging words of these saints also give us motivation. Read their testimonies in the Scriptures.

Listen to the encouragement of the faithful champions of church history-Luther, Calvin, Tyndale, Hus, Wesley, Whitefield, Edwards, Spurgeon, Lloyd-Jones, and thousands of God’s saints who finished the race and are with the Lord now. Read their biographies.

The author says of leaders who apparently have died: “Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:7-8).

Moreover, we are also being encouraged by those who are now running the race. Listen to your godly parents and pastors. Listen to the exhortations. They are all forming a cloud of witnesses for you. Follow Jesus, and arrive at the goal line in heaven.

Notice, we are not alone as we run. We are many. We are an international body of believers. Even in a local church, we are not alone. We are the body of Christ and we need one another in this race marked out for us. We bless, encourage, rebuke, exhort, and love one another. And so we read, “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily as long as it is called Today so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Heb. 3:12-13). We must not quit the race.

The author elsewhere exhorts, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. And let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing. But let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching” (Heb. 10:24-25). The Christian life is not a solo life. If it were supposed to be solo, Jesus would not have said, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matt. 16:18). The Christian life is not just Jesus and me; it is Jesus and us. We have great encouragement to go on living in faith. We shall, saints of God, arrive at the finish line.

This vast cloud of witnesses wants us to finish our race because they have a stake in it. Without us, they cannot be perfected and enjoy the fullness of salvation. They are waiting for the final installment of salvation, the redemption of their bodies. “So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people, and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Heb. 9:28)

Motivations of the Christian Race: Jesus Christ

The second, but primary, motivation to finish the race is Jesus himself. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus” (Heb. 12:2). Let us run the race of the Christian faith looking unto Jesus. The word “looking” is aphorôntes in Greek. It has a negative and a positive meaning. It demands that we look away from all distractions of this world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boasting of things, the worries and pleasures of this life, and the deceitfulness of riches. Like Moses, we must look away from all the allurements of Egypt and look only to our reward, even Jesus Christ (cf., Heb. 11:26-27). Moses persevered and ran the race of faith, seeing him who was invisible.

Do not serve two masters, God and money. James said a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. (James 1:8). Have eyes only for Jesus. The Lord says, “Look unto me and be saved, all the ends of the earth” (Is. 45:22). That is looking unto Jesus.

Stephen ran the race of faith, seeing Jesus only. He was preaching about Jesus when he was stoned for his faith. “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God'” (Acts 7:55). God opened heaven for him. He saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. What a glorious way to finish one’s race!

We recall in Hebrews 3:1, “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.” Paul elsewhere says, “And we who with unveiled faces all see the Lord’s glory are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18, author’s translation). You are being transformed into his likeness while you see and contemplate him. That is progressive sanctification. “So we fix our eyes, not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18) As Helen Lemmel lyricizes, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of this earth shall grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.”

We see the Tour de France cyclists and other athletes accused of gaining strength from drugs. We also get strength, but we do so by looking to Jesus. “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame” (Ps. 34:5). We read about an introspective, depressed man in Psalm 73. When he finally showed up in the temple, he exclaimed, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:25-26)

See Jesus only. The author tells us that Jesus is the Son, the heir of all things, and the creator and sustainer of all things. He is the high priest after the order of Melchizedek. He is our propitiation, our atonement. He is superior to angels and to Moses and Aaron. He is the prophet and king. He is the forerunner who arrived in heaven as a trailblazer for us. He is our older brother and the author of our salvation (Heb. 2:10). He is the new and living way (Heb. 10:20). And here we are told he is the author and perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2). That is, he is the cause and source of our faith, and he perfects our faith.

He gives us faith to trust, and he is also the object of our faith. Paul writes, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6). Jesus prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail (Lk. 22:31), and he prayed for us in John 17. He is the author and perfecter of our faith.

Our faith shall not fail. He prays that it will not fail. I believe God the Father hears that intercessory prayer of his Son Jesus Christ. Every elect believer shall arrive where he arrived already for us. He is the source of our eternal salvation (Heb. 5:8). Moreover, having himself lived a life of faith, he is our example par excellence. His persecutors derided him for his faith: “He trusts in God; let God rescue him now, if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God'” (Matt. 27:43).

Jesus Christ is not just asking us to live by faith; he lived a life of faith. He always trusted in God. He always pleased and obeyed God, saying, “Not my will but thine be done.” He endured the cross, despising its shame, for the joy set before him.

Jesus ran the race alone. His disciples all left him. Even his Father forsook him, as he cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). He endured the most shameful death of the cross reserved for the vilest criminals of the Roman empire. He was accursed and so endured the death of the cross. Paul tells us this is the most ignominious death: “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even the death on the cross” (Phil. 2:8). He endured the wrath of God that was against us. He went to hell in our place. He was despised, but he despised the shame of the cross in view of the joy that was set before him by his Father.

What was this joy set before Jesus? It was the joy of pleasing the Father and being restored to fellowship with the Father. Jesus prayed to the Father, “Glorify me”¦. I am coming to you” (John 17:1, 13). It is the joy of accomplishing redemption for us sinners. It is the joy of eternal fellowship with his church. Jesus loved the church and gave himself for her “that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). His joy was for our joy.

Look at this Jesus, who loved us and died the accursed death for us “the righteous for the unrighteous” (1 Pet. 3:18). “He who knew no sin became sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). Look at Jesus who died, was buried, and was raised from the dead. Look at him who is seated forever on the right hand of the throne of God. Spurgeon said, “The sight of his crown removes all the weight of our crosses.”

Therefore, do not focus on your feelings that will depress you. Look at Jesus and be transported in ecstasy to the heavenlies. Look at him who lived the life of faith, who finished the race, who endured the life of obedience. Look at him in heaven, seated and waiting for us to finish our race. And we shall finish it, for he who finished the race is also with us and in us. He is helping us to run the race with patience. We shall run, and we shall meet him at the finish line.

Paul spurs us to continue to run the race: “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but now how much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is he who works in you to will and to act according to his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12-13). Our author himself tells us the same, “May the God of peace who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will. And may he work in us what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13:20-21). We will run, we will finish, and we will arrive. Seeing his beaming, smiling face will be glory for us all. Heaven shall resound with joy when we all meet him.

“Consider this Jesus” (v. 3) means we must compare our sufferings with his. When we compare our sufferings with his, we discover that there is no comparison. Jesus suffered God’s wrath; we never suffer God’s wrath. He went to hell while on the cross, but we shall never go to hell. He suffered as the sinless Son of God and died to take us to heaven.

Consider his suffering when you are suffering. He endured every opposition of sinners. They called him Samaritan, Beelzebub, demon-possessed, a glutton. They mocked him, beat him, plucked his beard, beat him up, nailed him to the cross, and thrust a spear into his side. He endured it and did so alone. Think of that. We shall endure our trifling suffering with his help. Remember what Paul says: “I can do all things through (Jesus Christ) who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13). We are not alone. Jesus promises, “I will be with you always, even to the end of the ages” (Matt. 28:20). (PGM) And listen to Hebrews 13:5-6: “Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.’ The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Jesus assures us, “Fear not, I have overcome the world.” And John declares, “He who is in us is greater than he who is the world” (1 John 4:4). Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

How to Run the Christian Race

How should we run the Christian race? First, we must lay aside every weight. A Christian runner is a progressive stripper. He strips off every weight. The word “weight,” ogkon means “tumor” or “swelling.” It means an excess weight in our body. We must become fit. We are too fat with the things of this world. Let us train ourselves to godliness. Let us get rid of everything that has no spiritual value. Ask this question about all you do in your life: Does this help or impede my Christian race?

The Greek runners ran almost naked. Lose all weight that impedes our life of faith. Get rid of loose garments and all adornments that cause you to stumble. They only impede you in this running. Identify these weights, and throw them out gladly and instantly. Do so today, as the Holy Spirit reveals them to you.

Jesus warns, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap” (Luke 21:34). Listen to what Paul said about himself: “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Phil. 3:7-8). Get rid of those things!

Second, get rid of the sin that easily entangles you. Not only must unnecessary weight go, but we must rid ourselves of sin of every kind. Learn this: Sin always impedes our Christian race (cf., Eph. 4:22ff; 1 Peter 2:1ff). Put off these works of the flesh. Identify today all besetting sins and throw them out as Paul did when a viper attached itself to his hand (Acts 28:5). He did not massage it; he threw it out into the fire.

Look at the third soil. The cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, the lust for other things, and the pleasures of this life choked it and it became unfruitful. Get rid of gluttony, greed, pride, pornography, addiction to television and Internet, consumerism, credit buying, laziness, wicked boyfriends or girlfriends, lust for fun, and sports addictions. Get rid of it all, that you may be very fit to run the Christian race. Run light!

Run the race set before you. You cannot choose the race you want. Ours is a chosen, God-prescribed race. It is the race revealed in the word of God. It is the path of righteousness and the narrow way leading to eternal life. It is the highway of holiness (Is. 35:8). It is the way of Jesus, which is defined by our confession, “Jesus Christ is Lord.”

Run with patience, it says, with endurance. You run with endurance when you look at all those who ran before you. And you run with patience when you meditate upon the life of Jesus on earth, especially upon his trial and crucifixion. Paul says, “For I resolved to know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). It is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those of us who believe, it is the power of God unto salvation. Elsewhere, Paul writes, “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14).

This race is not a hundred-meter dash; it is a long-distance race that lasts until we die. See Jesus. See him daily. See him in the Scriptures when you read and meditate. All of Scripture speaks of him. See him when you pray in faith. See him when you come together and worship God. See him when you listen to the preached sermon. See him when you fellowship with the saints and speak about him. See him in the Lord’s Supper. See him when you are facing the hour of your death, standing at the right hand of God to welcome you to heaven.

The purpose of looking away from worldly things to see Jesus, the crucified and reigning one, is that we not become weary and quit. Aristotle uses these words,kamnô and ekluô, that is “become weary and lose heart,” in reference to the collapse of the runner after he has run past the goal. Do not rest before passing the winning post.

Let us look to Jesus. Are you tired? Are you weary? “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Is. 40:28-31).

Let us look to Jesus. Let us keep running until the race is finished and we meet the Lord. And he would say to us all, “Well done, my faithful ones. Enter into the joy of the Lord.” Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before him. There is also joy set before us, which is the prospect of living with him forever in everlasting joy in a world without sin, death, pain, or sorrow. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt. 5:8). In his presence there is fullness of joy, and on his right hand, pleasures forevermore. Then there will be no more bad news. With God, there is only good news for his people. The cross is the gateway to the crown of joy and the crown of righteousness. The Bible says if we suffer with him, we shall reign with him forevermore.