“collapse” before we have passed the goal. It is here that our Coach must play His part. He knows the arduous trial of the race. He Himself has been tempted to relax and collapse before His race was run. Therefore He knows how to develop our skill and stamina and to pace us so that we can run, and run to win. Vine, “The immaturity of the early Christians for the race is seen in the fact that they ‘have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin’ (v. 4). The idea of resist carries the pic ture of troops lined up face to face for battle. The witnesses before him, and Jesus Himself, have stood face to face with the powers of evil. Tempted though they were to stand off from God’s purpose in destroying the power of the prince of this world, still they slugged it out with sin unto the death. While these Christian people have not done so, they are to analogize (con sider) Jesus as one who has, and who can enable them to do so. He is their, and our, supreme inspiration and mo tive in remaining true to God’s pur pose for His people.” II. Relationship as a Motive (vv. 5-29) Passing from this potent thought, the author reminds us that we should persevere because of the relationship which we bear. As our inspiration is threefold, so do we bear a threefold relationship which ties us to our task. 1. O ur R elationship as S ons of G od (vv. 5-11) We are to remain steadfast in God’s purpose because, unlike Moses who was a servant in God’s house (3:5), we, like Jesus, bear the relation of sonship (3:6). Jesus is the Son of God; we have become sons of God (John 1:12). As such Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren (2:11). Therefore since we are sons, we should not behave like hirelings (John 10:12), but should follow our elder Brother in considering our Father’s business as our own (John 14:10). Hobbs, “This relationship as sons of God is the very basis of every Chris- 32
“Looking unto Jesus.” After a pass ing glance at the witnesses we are to look away to Jesus. He is “the author and finished of our faith.” The run ner who gazes at the crowd in the stands will do little to achieve the goal. While mindful of their presence, he has eyes only for his coach, the one for whom he runs. Jesus is the Pioneer (forerunner) of our faith. He has gone before us to blaze the way. He is the Perfecter (goal) of our faith. His own faith in God persevered to the ac complishment of God’s purpose for Him. As such, He is our goal, in that in Him our faith shall also carry us forward to the realization of the end for which we have been called. Else where Jesus has been called God’s Son (1:2), our Brother (2:11), our Apostle and High Priest (3:1), our Partner (3:14), the Mediator (8:6), and our Sacrifice (9:14). Here He is called the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith. The same general idea is present in all these titles, but the au thor adjusts them to stress a particu lar relation in keeping with the im mediate thought involved. In this par ticular instance his uppermost thought is probably that of the Christian’s part in the relay race of redemption from age to age. Thé titles applied to Jesus at this time are most suggestive. In fact, they may be combined info the one idea in volved in the word “coach.” A coach is one who has formerly participated personally in the game, but who has finished his active participation as a player. Out of his own experience, therefore, he is able to develop and direct others as they participate in the contest. Even so, through them the coach is still an integral and active participant in the race. Because of Christ’s personal partici pation in the race of redemption, His suffering and finishing the race, we are urged to “consider” Him (v. 3; cf. 3:1) lest “ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” Aristotle uses both these verbs (weary, faint) to describe runners who relax and collapse once the goal has been passed. Here the warning is that we cannot “relax” and
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs