Endurance

Longevity

Last week I wrote a little tribute to the legacy of Dr. John MacArthur. As I said in that post, the long duration of his faithfulness, not just in ministry, but in one place and one church is something to be commended. This week I want to think about what endurance should look like for all Christians, according to what the Bible says. In addition, what are the keys to enduring faithfully over the long haul in our walk with the Lord?

Of course, the first prerequisite to perseverance in the faith is that a person must be in the faith. Modern culture is full of people who have mental beliefs that do not translate into moral or behavioral change. But our actions will always, eventually demonstrate our true convictions. Without a true relationship with the Father, we cannot grow in our connection with Him. Without a true devotion to Jesus, we cannot grow in our commitment to Him. And without being truly indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we cannot continue to walk with Him.

Confidence

But assuming that we are born again people who have trusted in Jesus and receive the promised Holy Spirit, then we must understand that saving faith is also living faith (Ephesians 1:11-14). Now, the use of the adjective “living” implies that there is activity. So every true Christian is actively growing in their personal faith and in the fellowship of the body of Christ, called the local church. While it is possible for a true believer to go through seasons when the growth is shorter and slower, the trajectory of the Christian life should always be toward holiness and godliness (2 Peter 3:11-14).

Persistence

Now that we are living in this dynamic active faith in the resurrected Lord Jesus and animated in us through the working of the Holy Spirit, we must seek to persist in submission and obedience. When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Roman church, he urged them in the middle of an extended section explaining justification by faith, to understand the chain reaction from suffering to hope (Romans 5:1-5). In these verses, he says that suffering produces endurance. One of the major struggles for our society today is that we have no tolerance for struggle. This means that we usually can find some diversion or distraction to ease the experience of our struggles. The problem is that once the rough edge is blunted and dulled we no longer get the point. Suffering was intended to produce endurance that would build the character of Christ in us. But when we are able to avoid these hardships we tend to lose the personal gains (2 Peter 1:8-11). A patient and persistent pursuit of Christ through trials and tribulations will be the instrument in God’s hand to bring to maturity in Jesus!

Hope

One of the greatest hindrances to our endurance is a loss of hope. When we stop believing that our situation can or will ever get better. This lack of hope is also accompanied by a loss of control. But this is the crucial point where we must begin to trust fully in God’s purposes and promises, regardless of the dire circumstances that we see with our eyes. 

Rather, with eyes of faith we must fix our gaze on Jesus knowing that His power will accomplish His good will. The goal of our endurance is not just to survive our current struggle, but to thrive through the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Ultimately, we can endure any difficulty because our hope is sure because it is founded, not in some fanciful fairytale or modern theoretical system, but on the sure word of God (Hebrews 11:1-6).

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