Endurance
ENDURANCE
God has made it plain that his people will at times meet suffering, hardship, persecution and other trials. Through their endurance, however, they will prove Gods faithfulness and develop true Christian character (Rom 5:3-4; 2Co 1:6; 2Th 1:3-4; 2Ti 2:3-6; 2Ti 2:10-13; Heb 11:27; Jam 1:12; see PERSECUTION; SUFFERING; TESTING).
Endurance means that Christians will have to tolerate insults and injustice (1Co 6:7; 1Co 13:7; 2Ti 3:10-11); but through persistence in prayer and the inward work of the Holy Spirit, they will be able to rejoice through it all (Rom 12:11-12; Gal 5:22). (For discussion on this aspect of endurance see PATIENCE.) Endurance means that Christians must always persevere, no matter what the difficulties and temptations. They must maintain their faith in Christ firm to the end (Mat 24:13; Eph 6:13; Heb 3:14; Heb 6:15; Rev 13:10). (For discussion on this aspect of endurance see PERSEVERANCE.)
Fuente: Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
Endurance
ENDURANCE.The active qualities of perseverance and persistence, never absent from the biblical notion of endurance, form, in effect, the substance of the art. Activity, and need not be considered here. The passive aspect suggests an inquiry as to
1. The causes of those trials which Christ had to endure.Of (a) supernatural causes (1) the first, an all-inclusive cause, was the Divine will (Joh 10:18), recorded beforehand in OT Scriptures (Mat 26:54, Mar 14:21, Luk 22:37; Luk 24:25 f.), and referred to constantly by Christ in words of resignation (Mat 26:42, Luk 10:21), often under the figure of a cup (Mat 20:22; Mat 26:39, Joh 18:11). (2) A second supernatural cause (under Divine permission) appears in the agency of Satan, acting both directly, in temptation and opposition (Mat 4:3 ff; Mat 13:39, Luk 10:18), and also oftener indirectly, through the weakness (Mat 16:23, Luk 22:31) and wickedness (Luk 22:3; Luk 22:53, Joh 6:70; Joh 8:44; Joh 13:2) of men. These two causes, whether expressly referred to or not, are undoubtedly to be regarded as factors never absent (see Joh 19:11 and also Joh 12:31, Joh 14:30, Joh 16:11, where the title prince of this world is significant in this connexion).
(b) Internal causes (supernatural also, in a different sense) were not wanting. (1) The prophetic mission of Christ (Joh 12:46; Joh 18:37) made suffering and death morally inevitable at the hand of man (Luk 4:24; Luk 11:49 f., 13:33f., Joh 7:7), light and darkness being essentially opposed (Joh 3:19 f.; cf., for illustration, a remarkable passage in Plato, Rep. vii. 517 B, where a similar inevitability is declared even in the case of Socrates). (2) The revelation of His Divine nature, implied in His relationship to the Fathers Being (Joh 5:18; Joh 8:58; Joh 10:30 ff.) and prerogatives (Mat 9:2, Luk 7:48 f.) was bound to provoke deadly hostility in unbelieving Jews (Mat 26:65, Joh 19:7). It is at the same time clear, from Christs anxiety to avoid publicity (Mat 12:16, Mar 7:36; Mar 8:26 etc.) and needless offence (Mat 17:27), that persecution and death were not courted by Him.
(c) The external causes were more complex. (1) Many trials arose from the imperfections of His disciples; their dulness (Mar 8:15 ff; Mar 9:32, Luk 24:25), spiritual powerlessness (Mat 17:16 f.), false zeal (Mat 15:23; Mat 16:23, Mar 9:38, Luk 9:54), mistaken aims (Mar 9:5; Mar 10:35 ff., Luk 22:24), and discreditable falls (Mat 26:56, Mar 14:66 ff., Luk 22:47 f.). But (2) most arose from Christs rejection by His own (Joh 1:11, Mat 23:37, Mar 12:6 ff., Joh 5:43; Joh 19:15) from motives (which He well perceived, Mat 9:4; Mat 12:25, Mar 9:33 f., Luk 6:8, Joh 2:25) of fear (Mat 8:34, Joh_Joh 12:42 f., Joh 19:12), policy (Joh 11:49 f., Mar 15:15), gain (Mat 26:14 f., Mar 10:22, Luk 16:14), envy (Mat 21:38; Mat 27:18, Joh 12:10), and hate (Luk 19:14, Joh 7:7; Joh 15:18; Joh 15:24); a rejection characterized in its display by indifference (Luk 14:18 ff.), ingratitude (Luk 17:17 f., Joh 5:15), contradiction (Joh 8:13), insult (Mat 10:25; Mat 12:24, Mar 15:32, Luk 7:34; Luk 22:63; Luk 23:11, Joh 8:48; Joh 9:24), treachery (Luk 11:53; Luk 20:20; Luk 22:48), injustice (Mar 14:55 f., Joh 19:4; Joh 19:10; Joh 19:18), violence (Luk 4:28 f., Joh 8:59; Joh 10:31), brutality (Luk 22:64, Joh 19:1-3 etc.), and death (Joh 19:18).
2. Some features of Christs endurance are vitally connected with fundamental doctrines of His person and work. (1) It was voluntary. Of this the emphatic statement in Joh 10:17 f. leaves no doubt. Such an utterance may be hard to parallel, but prudence would almost make it so; and the expressions used in Luk 9:31, Joh 7:33 f., Joh 8:21, Joh 13:31 seem to speak of a course equally spontaneous; indeed, in one case (Joh 8:22) a voluntary (i.e. a suicides) death is actually suggested as their meaning! (2) It was perfect. (a) Under suffering: for His spirit, words, and demeanour were admittedly supreme examples of His own teaching, e.g. upon submission (Joh 18:22 f., Mat 5:39), retaliation (Luk 6:35; Luk 22:51), and love to enemies (Mat 5:44 f., Luk 23:34). (b) Under temptation: otherwise it would be inexplicable that Christ should have urged repentance as a first essential for others (Mat 4:17; Mat 11:20 f, Mat 21:38 ff., Luk 5:32; Luk 13:3; Luk 13:15, etc.), whereas He afforded no example of it in His own case. On the contrary, He laid claim to sinlessness both negatively (Joh 14:30) and positively (Joh 8:29), as unchallengeable (Joh 8:46). An intuitive perception of His sinlessness appears in the self-abasing awe of a few good men (Mat 3:14, Luk 5:8) more convincingly than in the ambiguous testimony of many other observers (Mat 27:3; Mat 27:19, Luk 23:47, Joh 19:4 etc.). (3) It was human. Christs capability of human suffering is beyond question. No mention, indeed, is made of sickness in the ordinary sense; perhaps it is excluded; but all other bodily needs and infirmities were shared by Him (Mat 4:2; Mat 8:20; Mat 8:24; Mat 21:18, Joh 4:6 f., Joh 19:28). The emotions of His mind (Mar 3:5; Mar 7:34; Mar 10:14, Luk 19:41, Joh 11:35) and spirit (Luk 10:21, Joh 11:33; Joh 13:21) were evident from their outward traces, as well as from His own statements (Mat 15:32, Luk 22:15, Joh 11:15). On two occasions He referred to those of His soul (Joh 12:27, Mar 14:34). That this capability of suffering was not counteracted by the exercise of miraculous power is proved by His reference to His temptations (Luk 22:28), by His prediction of sufferings on the part of His disciples similar generally to His own (Mar 10:38 f.), by the shrinking of His human will (Mat 26:39; Mat 26:42, Luk 12:50, Joh 12:27), by His refusal to allay His own hunger miraculously (Mat 4:3 f.), or to lessen His torments even by ordinary means (Mar 15:23), by His craving for the support of human sympathy (Mar 14:33 ff.), and by His reliance above all else upon the Fathers presence (Joh 8:29; Joh 16:32) and the spiritual support of prayer (Luk 6:12; Luk 9:18; Luk 9:28; Luk 11:1; Luk 22:41 etc.). As man He met temptation (Mat 4:4), and overcame by faith (see Joh 11:41 f., Mat 27:43, and also the important expression my God, Mat 27:46, Joh 20:17).
In some respects, however, His endurance differed essentially from that of believers. (1) It was free from the inherent tendencies of a sinful nature (Joh 14:30) and from the enslaving influence of sins committed (Joh 8:34-36). (2) It contained the additional elements of prescience and perfect consciousness. Predictions of suffering are numerous and detailed (Mat 17:22 f., Mat 20:18 f., Mat 26:2, Mar 14:18; Mar 14:30, Luk 9:22; Luk 9:44; Luk 12:50; Luk 13:33; Luk 17:25; Luk 22:37 etc.). The knowledge (Joh 18:4) whereby He saw and tasted death (Joh 8:51 f., Joh 10:12) was complete. (3) Above all, the relation between the Passion of Christ and the sin of the world (Joh 1:29), symbolized by the supernatural darkness, laid on Him that infinite woe, almost amounting to despair (Mar 15:33 f.), the prospect of which was undoubtedly the main factor in the Agony and other forebodings.
3. There remain to be considered the purposes for the attainment of which Christs endurance was a necessity (Luk 24:26). In the trials and temptations of (a) His life, two such purposes are prominently visible: (1) the fulfilment of all righteousness (Mat 3:15; Mat 5:17), described as a progressive course through service and suffering (Luk 22:27 f., Joh 13:14; Joh 19:30), in which Christ met continually the Fathers approval (Luk 2:40; Luk 2:52, Mat 3:17; Mat 17:5, Joh 12:28), being declared to be the Son of God ideally as well as actually. (2) The acquirement of sympathy; through experimental acquaintance with the weakness of the flesh (Joh 1:14, Mat 26:41). Numerous instances might be given of the sympathy of Christ with human nature in its aspirations (Mar 10:21; Mar 10:38 ff., Joh 21:17), weakness (Mat 12:15 ff.), weariness (Mat 11:28, Mar 6:31), misery (Mat 8:3), and shame (Mat 11:19, Luk 15:1 f.). To Him, therefore, as Son of Man, ideally as well as actually, is given authority to exercise pardon (Mar 2:10), legislation (Mar 2:28), and judgment (Joh 5:27). Lastly, the great purpose which involved the endurance of (b) His death is in the main so clear as to leave no room for doubt. It may be summed up in the words forgiveness (Mat 26:28), redemption (Mar 10:45), and removal of sin (Joh 1:29); to which, in Joh 11:50 ff., is added the gathering of all the children of God into one in Christ (cf. Joh 17:21 ff.), benefits potentially world-wide (Joh 1:29; Joh 6:51), but limited, in their highest realization, to believers (Joh 3:16 ff.). It need be no cause of surprise that these purposes are not more frequently enlarged upon in the Gospels, for they were incomprehensible to the disciples (and are remarked as such, Mat 16:22, Luk 9:45; Luk 18:34, Joh 13:7) until after the Crucifixion had taken place.
4. It may be added that Christ warned His disciples in all ages to expect trials comparable in some measure to His own (Mat 5:11 f., Mat 10:24 f., Joh 15:17 ff.), and accompanied in many cases by decline and apostasy (Mat 24:12; Mat 24:48 ff.). Hence He marked endurance as a continual test of genuineness (Luk 8:13; Luk 8:15) and an indispensable requisite for final salvation (Mat 24:13.). At the same time He declared a complementary truth, namely, the Divine preservation of His own sheep (Joh 10:28 f, Joh 17:12, Joh 18:9, Mar 13:22), a privilege commonly described as the perseverance of the elect. However stated, the antithesis of these two truths is plain. The assurance in Joh 10:28 f. is largely parallel to that in Mat 16:18, except that the latter, the indestructibility of the Church, is more clearly collective in form. There are branches (so it appears, Joh 15:2) even in Christ that the Father takes away; moreover, the remarkable use of the imperative in Joh 15:4 suggests an element of conditionality in the abiding or perseverance referred to. The practical inference is intended to lie in a direction quite the opposite of false security and presumption (Mat 7:22 f., Luk 13:24 ff; Luk 21:34 ff; Luk 22:32 ff.). Perseverance is undoubtedly the privilege of the elect, but there is no infallible sign of the elect except their perseverance (Vaughan on Php 1:6).
F. S. Ranken.
Fuente: A Dictionary Of Christ And The Gospels
Endurance
See Perseverance
Perseverance