endurance
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::: the writer of hebrews -- in building the case for Christ's supremacy and sacrifice (chaps. 1-11) -- brings his letter to a close with a call for endurance rooted in faith (chaps 12-13)...
.
...two months ago i set out to memorize this epistle with a simple desire to know and love Christ more...it hasn't been easy, but over this period, God has satisfied this desire, enriching my biblical understanding with several layers of truth and leaving me with a craving for more...
.
...two words stand out in my mind:
.
...endurance::: what we think about is vitally connected with how we endure...maybe it's because hebrews 12:1-3 famously links endurance with a "race set before us," but i've often defined christian endurance in terms of physicality or the degree to which i can muster up anything...in the past, when i've been "stuck" in situations that sap my joy and dim my thinking, i've often sought to endure, telling myself to grit it out for God...
.
...while christian endurance involves some aspect of regimented duty (for i suspect that not even lance armstrong was bubbling over with bliss every time he trained for miles on end), that kind of C3PO, feeling-less service doesn't fully capture the idea of christian endurance...the epistle makes it clear that Christ-centered thinking translates quite naturally into Christ-like endurance, which, in turn, leads to Christ's joy...examine all the occurrences of the greek word translated as "consider" and you'll discover that with each occurrence the writer is pointing the reader to some aspect of Jesus' work or ministry...and to what end?...to encourage followers of Jesus to hold fast to their confessions of faith (4:14) and endure as He did (12:1-3), which, both en route and in the end, leads to a joy that exceeds our expectations and elevates our situations...
.
...frameworks::: our understanding of Christ's supremacy and sacrifice should be set against cosmic and covenant frameworks...these two frameworks -- rather than competing -- are perfectly complementary...taken together, these two frameworks serve as a much-needed corrective against my tendency to gravitate to the covenant framework at the expense of the cosmic...absent the cosmic authority of christ, the covenant sacrifice of christ would ring hollow...
.
...the same holds true for our theology and praxis...if all i do -- in my mind's eye -- is frame Christ with his once-for-all, earthly sacrifice, my view of Christ runs the risk of falling flat and failing to see him as "the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of his nature, uphold[ing] the universe by the word of his power" (1:3)...indeed, as i start studying the gospel of mark, what is clear from the beginning is that the commencement of Christ's ministry on earth raised a banner in the cosmic realms signaling the victory to come...a second-half comeback, if you will...
.
...which brings me to some praxis points: first, i see that my prayers for japan reflect a half-baked view of christ's authority and victory over local-national gods and idols...this epistle teaches me to pray in His name with the power of knowing what that Name means...second, as i interact with japanese hearers from pluralistic-animistic backgrounds, how can i improve in conveying and contextualizing the cosmic authority of Christ?...
.
...being able to swim in the flow of a writer's overall argument(s) and feel the theological cross-currents is one of the most profitable aspects of memorizing a large chunk of scripture...swimming in hebrews has been life-transforming...i encourage you to swim too...
.
.
::: the writer of hebrews -- in building the case for Christ's supremacy and sacrifice (chaps. 1-11) -- brings his letter to a close with a call for endurance rooted in faith (chaps 12-13)...
.
...two months ago i set out to memorize this epistle with a simple desire to know and love Christ more...it hasn't been easy, but over this period, God has satisfied this desire, enriching my biblical understanding with several layers of truth and leaving me with a craving for more...
.
...two words stand out in my mind:
.
...endurance::: what we think about is vitally connected with how we endure...maybe it's because hebrews 12:1-3 famously links endurance with a "race set before us," but i've often defined christian endurance in terms of physicality or the degree to which i can muster up anything...in the past, when i've been "stuck" in situations that sap my joy and dim my thinking, i've often sought to endure, telling myself to grit it out for God...
.
...while christian endurance involves some aspect of regimented duty (for i suspect that not even lance armstrong was bubbling over with bliss every time he trained for miles on end), that kind of C3PO, feeling-less service doesn't fully capture the idea of christian endurance...the epistle makes it clear that Christ-centered thinking translates quite naturally into Christ-like endurance, which, in turn, leads to Christ's joy...examine all the occurrences of the greek word translated as "consider" and you'll discover that with each occurrence the writer is pointing the reader to some aspect of Jesus' work or ministry...and to what end?...to encourage followers of Jesus to hold fast to their confessions of faith (4:14) and endure as He did (12:1-3), which, both en route and in the end, leads to a joy that exceeds our expectations and elevates our situations...
.
...frameworks::: our understanding of Christ's supremacy and sacrifice should be set against cosmic and covenant frameworks...these two frameworks -- rather than competing -- are perfectly complementary...taken together, these two frameworks serve as a much-needed corrective against my tendency to gravitate to the covenant framework at the expense of the cosmic...absent the cosmic authority of christ, the covenant sacrifice of christ would ring hollow...
.
...the same holds true for our theology and praxis...if all i do -- in my mind's eye -- is frame Christ with his once-for-all, earthly sacrifice, my view of Christ runs the risk of falling flat and failing to see him as "the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of his nature, uphold[ing] the universe by the word of his power" (1:3)...indeed, as i start studying the gospel of mark, what is clear from the beginning is that the commencement of Christ's ministry on earth raised a banner in the cosmic realms signaling the victory to come...a second-half comeback, if you will...
.
...which brings me to some praxis points: first, i see that my prayers for japan reflect a half-baked view of christ's authority and victory over local-national gods and idols...this epistle teaches me to pray in His name with the power of knowing what that Name means...second, as i interact with japanese hearers from pluralistic-animistic backgrounds, how can i improve in conveying and contextualizing the cosmic authority of Christ?...
.
...being able to swim in the flow of a writer's overall argument(s) and feel the theological cross-currents is one of the most profitable aspects of memorizing a large chunk of scripture...swimming in hebrews has been life-transforming...i encourage you to swim too...
.
:::
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posted by B & C at
9:47 PM
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