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We are continuing our study of the noun ὑπομονὴ (Strong's #5281), which means "patience, endurance, perseverance." Its meaning is in reference to remaining under or endurance in circumstances. Our study continues from Hebrews Chapter 12 (augmented by Hebrews 12:4-8), where the author presents the Christian life as the running of a race. In verses 1-3, we see three aspects of the race, two of which are being presented here as review (The Experience of the Race and The Example of Endurance) and the last of which (Encouragement for Endurance, presented in verse 3 and Hebrews 12:4-8)) is the focus of this week's study.
The Experience of the Race
In verses 1,2, the author presents the experience of the actual race that Christians should be running. He says that they should run a race course which is continually being placed in front of them and that their race must be run through endurance - by remaining under the discipline of the race. He then presents the conditions in which the race should be run: having the encouragement and testimony of the Old Testament saints (those mentioned in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews); putting aside every distraction that weighs them down and the sin that so easily entangles them (because it keeps them from running the race); and looking toward Jesus as their goal and finish line (Heb. 12:2a). So, Jesus is presented both as the goal and finish line of the believer.
The Example of Endurance
After describing how the race is to be run (Heb. 12:1-2a), the author holds Jesus forth as the example of One who has run the race as it should be runthrough endurance (Hebrews 12:2b). In this presentation of Jesus as our example, joy is presented as the focal point or goal - "Who, over against the joy being set before Him (Heb. 12:2a)." The use of the present participle denotes that this joy was continuously being set before Him. The joy of the finished work of the cross was continually being set before Jesus as His goal and purpose for coming into this earthly life. The goal of joy was continually before Him as He "endured" the cross. In this scripture, the word endured is the verb form (ὑπομὲνω, Strong's #5278) of our word of study ὑπομονὴ and its use here shows that Jesus remained under the suffering of the cross while continuously viewing the joy of its completed work.
The Encouragement for Endurance: Part 1
The writer of Hebrews begins this section by commanding believers to "consider" the Jesus who endured. The Greek word translated "considered" (found only here in the New Testament) is ἀναλογὶζομαι (Strong's #357) and is a mathematical term denoting "careful assessment." The root for this word is ἀναλογὶα (Strong's #356), the same source of the English word "analogy." The command given is for believers to make a close assessment or comparison between their own trials and those of Jesus, focusing on His endurance against opposition by sinners. The Greek word translated "had endured" is the perfect participle verb form of our study word, ὑπομονὴ. Its expression in the perfect tense shows the abiding effect of the Lord's endurance of suffering. His example of endurance should encourage us to continue on in spite of the difficulties of our trials.
The purpose for the command to "consider" Jesus' endurance of suffering is presented by the conjunction ἵνα (Strong's #2443) used with the subjunctive mood: "...in order that you should not become weary..." To explain what he means by "become weary," the author uses a modal participle, "by fainting in your souls." The Greek word for soul is ψυχὴ (Strong's #5594), which represents the seat of understanding, will, feelings, and passions. This gives the understanding that believers can become weary, even discouraged or depressed, when they do not have understanding.
The Encouragement for Endurance: Part 2
Our text for this part of our study is Hebrews 12:4-8. In these verses, the writer of Hebrews presents how we are to view and respond to trials in our own lives in light of Jesus' view and response to the trials He endured in life.
This scripture shows that we are to view our own struggle against sin in comparison to the extent of the Lord's endurance against the opposition of sinners. The writer of Hebrews tells us that we have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in our struggle against sin, as Jesus did.
The Greek word for struggle is ἀνταγωνὶζομαῖ(Strong's #464), which is from ἀντὶ͂(Strong's #473) meaning "against," and ἀγωνὶζομαῖ(Strong's #75) "to struggle or contend against." ̓Ανταγωνὶζομαῖis the base word for our English word antagonize. Our opposition is presented as being against sin, which can come against us from within other people, or through our circumstances.
As this scripture indicates, we have a tendency to forget, especially in the midst of trials, that the Word of God teaches our hardships are directed by the Lord for our discipline as His children. In verse 5, the author reminds us of the Lord's encouragement as spoken from Proverbs 3:11,12: "…My son, do not make light of the discipline of the Lord, nor faint while being convicted by Him." We are not to make light of the discipline which He brings into our lives, nor are we to faint because of weariness from the process of the Lord's conviction. The Greek word for faint is ἐκλὺω (Strong's #1590). This is the same word used in verse 3 to express "fainting." Its use applied to the discipline of the Lord, in this quotation from Proverbs, helps make the connection between verses 3,5. In Verse 3, we are encouraged to not faint while growing weary. This indicates that we will grow weary in our struggle against sin; but our encouragement is to remember the extent of the Lord's suffering in remaining under His circumstances and the perception given in Proverbs of the Lord's plan to cause us to grow weary under hardship, so that He can reveal our sins and weaknesses - so that He might become our strength.
The writer of Hebrews now presents the reason we are to remember the encouragement given to us from Proverbs 3:
The author teaches, in his presentation of the believer's struggle with sin and the ongoing discipline of the Lord, that if we are in an ongoing condition of enduring (our word of study) the discipline of our circumstances, then we can be assured that we belong to the Lord and God is dealing with us as with sons.
The author concludes the first phase of his teaching by stating that any person (claiming to be a Christian), who is not being disciplined by the Lord, has an illegitimate claim as a child of God, since all Christians are disciplined by Him as sons.
Our text began with the comparison between the Christian life and the running of a race. Like a good coach, God is presented as the One who puts His team members through discipline in order to condition His people to be able to run the long-distance race of life. The discipline of the Lord is presented as being ongoing and is produced by remaining under the struggles of life. We, however, have a tendency to be self-centered as we evaluate our circumstances. We do not receive encouragement from the extent of the Lord's struggle against sin, even to the shedding of blood; and we forget that the Lord does discipline us in order to bring conviction of those things in us which hinder our run.
Next week our study of ὑπομονὴ will be taken from 2 Peter 1:5-7, as we look at how endurance in circumstances is developed in the life of the believer.
*hUPOMONE is the English font spelling of the Greek word ὑπομονὴ.
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Bill Klein has been a pastor, counselor, and educator for the past 41 years. He has had extensive training and education in biblical languages, and has authored a Biblical Greek course.
He is currently serving as Professor of Biblical Greek at Master's Graduate School of Divinity, and president of BTE Ministries - The Bible Translation and Exegesis Institute of America, a non-profit organization located in California that provides Bible study tapes and Greek study materials through their website BTEMinistries.org.