The Gift of Perseverance (1)

The God revealed in Scripture is a faithful God. His faithfulness is an attribute He cannot deny (cf. 2 Timothy 2:13). It is within the story of God’s faithfulness that we witness our perseverance as believers. When we speak of the perseverance of the saints, we are truly living out the attribute of God’s faithfulness that we receive and reflect in this life.

In his commentary, Calvin reminds us not to think that, because sinful humans tend to change with circumstances, Christ might also change in His faithfulness. We are not called to create a ‘Christ’ in our own image, but rather, we are to be conformed to Christ. Indeed, Christ’s faithfulness and unchangeableness should be the foundation of our faith:

“Yet, at the same time, we must firmly believe what I stated briefly on a former passage, that our faith is founded on the eternal and unchangeable truth of Christ, in order that it may not waver through the unsteadfastness or apostasy of men” (Calvin, Comm. 2 Tim. 2:13).

Because Christ persevered, we too ought to maintain perseverance, as Christ did.

Christian perseverance must be distinguished from the mere virtue of perseverance within the bounds of common grace. There is a kind of perseverance that can be produced by those who live without Christ. Yet this is not Christian perseverance. This kind of perseverance often only pursues what the self desires. A person may persevere in their studies because they wish to graduate quickly and begin working to earn an income for themselves. Another may persevere in their job because they long for wealth as a source of security for their family. Some may even persevere in a kind of church ministry but are actually seeking worldly status and power.

The hallmark of such perseverance is this: Christ is not required! Even unbelievers can possess that kind of perseverance. Christianity is Christ. Without Christ, there is no Christian life at all, even in the highest-seeming virtues. So, what does it mean to persevere in Christ?

First, we must humbly acknowledge that we are sinful humans who, in truth, do not possess genuine perseverance. The fifth main doctrine of the Canons of Dordrecht begins with an article that realistically explains that although God has delivered those who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit from the dominion and slavery of sin, they are not entirely free from the flesh and the body of sin as long as they live in this world (Canons of Dordt, V.1). This teaching is not intended to justify our weaknesses and failings, but to remind us that when we speak of the perseverance of the saints, we must not begin with ourselves, but with the perseverance and faithfulness of God revealed in Christ.

Second, the story of Christ’s perseverance is vividly portrayed in Scripture to direct our gaze to Him, “the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). We are not invited to look at our own perseverance, but at Christ’s perseverance.

Third, we who with spiritual eyes have seen Christ’s perseverance are encouraged not to grow weary or fainthearted (Heb. 12:3), so that we may bear fruit through perseverance (cf. Luke 8:15; ESV: “bear fruit with patience”). On this, Matthew Henry comments:

“It is not enough that the fruit be brought forth, but it must be brought to perfection, it must be fully ripened. If it be not, it is as if there was no fruit at all brought forth; for that which in Matthew and Mark is said to be unfruitful is the same that here is said to bring forth none to perfection. For factum non dicitur quod non perseverat—perseverance is necessary to the perfection of a work” (Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1849).

Often, a Christian life that bears little or no fruit is the result of a lack of perseverance. This fallen world expects instant, quick results. Everything is reduced to outcomes achieved. As a result, people lack the time and patience to endure the process. Even Jesus had to be born first, grow up, learn obedience, and finally obey to the point of death on the cross. If the ultimate goal was His death on the cross, why didn’t Jesus just descend into the world as a grown man, one or two days before His death? The answer is that God wanted us to witness the perseverance of Jesus stretched out over the course of His life.

Fourth, by maintaining perseverance as we carry our cross, we become increasingly united with Christ. The perseverance of the saints reflects the story of Christ’s perseverance. Ultimately, our perseverance will bring us back to Christ. John describes himself as “your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus” (Revelation 1:9). Perseverance leads us to the final goal promised by God, and that goal is none other than Jesus Himself, who will bring us to the Father.