On the Meuse River, which meanders beside the village where I was born and raised, you could often see barges sailing back and forth. Sometimes they had strange names, but other times also very beautiful names. These names possibly expressed something about the inner life of the owner of the vessel or of the skipper. A favorite ship’s name that I remember is the “Perseverance”. I can imagine something: it would have been a familiar experience of the skippers of those days. After a beautiful summer’s day, dark, almost black clouds start to accumulate. Their grey clouds rise up ever more threatening. Nature holds its peace. A while later you hear the rumbling of thunder in the distance. The skipper, knowing he will not reach the harbor, takes measures. Noisily the iron chains of the buoy chain rattle overboard. The heavy anchor finds its way into the depths. However the storm may rage and tear at the small boat, if the anchor lies firm on the bottom, the barge will not go adrift and crash into pilings or other boats. It is firmly anchored. The secret of its safety lies in the depths.

When the Storm is Raging⤒🔗

The life of a Christian is sometimes compared to a ship sailing on the sea of life. It is the contrary winds that fill the sails of faith and that cause the ship of life to move forward. Sometimes the weather is calm and clear, and everything goes well. But when a storm begins to rage, the importance of a safe and solid anchor is felt. In the same way there are contrary forces at work in the life of a Christian. It can come from the outside, but there can also be cases of inner turmoil and strife. Just think of those challenges that you face as a Christian in what kinds of temptations come to you from the world. The devil is intent to sever our link to the anchor. And does he not often find in our heart a starting point or lead for his destructive work? That explains the petition in the prayer that Christ taught his disciples, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13). The Catechism calls the contrary forces our “sworn enemies” and names them: the devil, the world, and our own flesh. The devil is a strong yet conquered enemy who rages and roars and seeks whom he can tear apart from their certainty of faith. The world is the instrument blown into and played by the devil, who hits and punches upon the believers with great powers. But in our own flesh, that which is as yet unsaved in our life, we find the greatest force against God’s grace. And how often do the storm winds not blow from all corners at the same time? Would we be able to stand in our own strength? What is the solid ground to which our anchor is fastened eternally?

The Assurance of Perseverance←⤒🔗

The Greek word that is translated as “perseverance” in the NT means to “stay put below”, “to endure under it”. Continuing with the image of shipping, we can think here of the pylons of a large bridge across a river. However heavy the traffic may be that travels across the bridge, it continues to hold because the pylons remain standing below. For those pylons it is imperative that they have a firm and strong foundation.

Pylons that do not rest on a solid layer of ground cannot hold a bridge. This image makes us think of the foundation of faith. In order to persevere in faith, in order to endure things when there are fierce storms and heavy loads, our life must be based on, must be anchored in, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the foundation that was laid by God himself, and which gives full assurance (see 1 Cor. 3:11). As a pylon derives its strength from the ground where it is resting, so the believers finds no ground in himself, but only in Jesus Christ. The certainty of perseverance is not to be found in human steadfastness, but in divine faithfulness. The perseverance of believers rests on the salvation that God has prepared in Christ for his children, and which he keeps for them. At the base of all certainty of faith lies indeed the firmness of God’s covenant and of his faithful love. Have you found that solid ground? Is your life anchored, hidden with Christ in God? Only on that basis can we persevere!

Two Sides of the Matter←⤒🔗

In Bible translations we find the same root word that we translate with “perseverance” used for different concepts. The NIV often uses “perseverance” where the ESV renders it as “endurance”, but sometimes also the word “patience” is used. The translations show that we experience a passive element and an active element in this concept. These two aspects are differentiated and yet interact with each other fully.

For example, in the OT we read these words, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord” (Ps. 27:14)! The “waiting for the Lord” indicates that we meet a believer who ends up in trouble. He turns to God for he has heard of his promises, and expects results and help from him. In the difficulties of his life the believer no longer sees possibilities to rescue himself in his own strength. The only one who can still help is the Lord. Therefore he waits for God’s help. And this is the amazing thing: in this attitude of dependence he finds at the same time courage and strength to bear the load, in sure anticipation of God’s ultimate help. “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isa. 40:31). Is this waiting in weakness or in resignation? Is this a passive attitude? “Nothing doing”! A Christian can acknowledge, “I have lost it,” but he does not say, “I am lost.” To persevere is to live in hope! Believers are people who keep looking forward.

Faith in the Future←⤒🔗

In the NT the expectation of the believers is directed toward (the return of) the Lord Jesus. The suffering of the present time can be endured from the perspective of the already-present and soon-to-be-completed salvation (Rom. 8:1f). When Paul has summed up a number of terrors: tribulation, distress, persecution, nakedness, danger and the sword, he says, “[But] in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37)!

The secret of this conquering, the secret of the perseverance, lies in those last words: “through him (i.e., the Lord Jesus) who loved us”. We can conquer in the battle because he has conquered everything. The Christian faith is a union and a commitment of life with the Lord Jesus Christ. We can persevere when we keep our attention focused on Jesus, “the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). In this way, God’s work in Jesus Christ is the foundation for perseverance and our faith is the way that God has planned out for us to be and to remain anchored in the solid ground. Faith is then the anchor, which is firmly grounded in God’s promises.

Just be Silent and Wait...←⤒🔗

There are Christians however, who appear to call their vessel of life not “Perseverance” but “Resignation” instead. In the difficulties and challenges of life they see no other way but to sigh and moan that “it’s not the people who do this to us”. They acquiesce in their suffering and resign themselves to it as some sort of fate that happens to them. This is not a biblical way! A Christian will experience much hardship, opposition, possibly even persecution (Acts 14:22). However, the Bible calls us to run the race that is before us. There is no room for passive resignation, but there needs to be an active persevering! We read about this in strong terms, such as “to the point of shedding your blood” (Heb. 12:4), and “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (Eph. 6:10). Perseverance in faith means to remain standing in those moments where everything appears to come together to cause the believers to fail. In the spiritual struggle a Christian is threatened by temptations to throw up his hands and to just give up. It is exactly at such times that we need to persevere, that we move on, and that we do not give up. All powers of faith need to be used in the fight in order to conquer against the temptation of falling away. Perseverance is faith in action, the power of salvation at work. Links of the perseverance chain are prayer, sanctification of life, and praise. The perseverance of believers rests in God, builds on God, and conquers through God. It is hard to imagine a more dynamic life!

Accept Suffering...←⤒🔗

In some Bible verses the accent falls on the other, the passive side of perseverance. In his first letter, Peter urges the believers to endure it graciously when they suffer unjustly, for the sake of the Lord Jesus (1 Peter 2:19-24). He says that Christ did the same, and that his people should follow his example. Imagine: suffering while you are doing good — the apostle calls it “grace”! Such suffering can be seen in multiple ways, such as reviling, slander (1 Peter 3:16), and even maltreatment. The Bible calls us to accept and to endure the suffering that happens unjustly to Christians. Our attitude may not be one where we hold grudges or are filled with anger, but rather a submission to him who judges rightly. This is a task that is difficult to understand, for it goes right against the grain of human emotions. Perseverance therefore is not in the least an obvious thing. It can only be carried through because of the intricate union of faith between us and Him who went ahead of us in the way of suffering. Members of the Christian congregation are called to follow the way of humble perseverance in our mutual interactions. Someone might say, “That’s not for me...” But it is a biblical task, to carry one another’s burdens and difficulties without grumbling. The author of the letter to the Hebrews praises the first readers of his “sermon” because of their excellent behaviour: “You joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one” (Heb. 10:34). Now that they face new suffering, they again need perseverance. They must pull out all the stops (actively) to undergo (passively) the suffering and to accept it. This is how they will be doing the will of God. It may be clear that this is an impossible task in human strength.

Being joyful under such circumstances is possible only because of the close relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a fruit of the cross in the life of God’s child; it is the fruit of a choice, of a decision before the face of God. A Christian accepts the cross and perseveres in carrying it, because he lives in communion with the One who was crucified.

God is Faithful←⤒🔗

Perseverance in faith and in the struggle for growing obedience is however not a matter of our own endeavour. If it were, it would end up the same as it did for Peter when he was walking on the waves. Ultimately, perseverance is a matter of the faithful God who guards and keeps his children powerfully unto the end. It is Jesus’ stretched-out hand that grabs us when we are sinking, when we are weak. It proves every time again that God’s grace is stronger than the raging storms of sin or the waves of temptation. Being guarded by God means you are guarded safely. The Lord does not pull back his hands from his children. Where once the seed of regeneration has made man into a new person, there grace will never be lost. That does not happen automatically. Both God as well as man are fully involved in that. Yet God’s heart is beating behind all (spiritual) life. The Lord will finish what he has started, and he will finish it (Ps. 138:8; Phil. 1:16). He gives grace upon grace, the one after the other. And we need that! As it is grace to receive grace, so it is also grace to remain in that grace. In this way, perseverance is a process filled with tension: it is a gift that is shared with believers while they are on the way of faithful dedication to God’s call. We experience, as so often in our Christian faith, a kind of tension between the gift and the task, between the gift and our calling. It is the tension of relying on God’s promises and life in the strength of the Holy Spirit!

Navigating Through the Shoals←⤒🔗

Perseverance causes a person to remain steadfast in his faith, by the grace of God, and fully devoted until the end. Many questions are being asked about this lasting aspect of the life of faith. Will someone who has become a Christian remain a Christian forever? In other words, will the believer, who is truly regenerated, justified by God and united with Jesus Christ, be able to persevere in this relationship of faith? Such questions are of great importance for our practical lives as Christians. Indeed, when there is no certainty about the permanent character of our salvation, this will have consequences for how it affects our Christian calling in our daily lives. Uncertainty and fear will paralyse our spiritual strength and even cause it to disappear. Conversely, when someone is absolutely sure of his salvation, regardless of what he does or what he fails to do in this life, would this not bring about a degree of indifference and laziness? For does it still matter much how we deal with moral and spiritual values in the gospel? ”We’re OK, we’ve arrived”? In order to navigate the ship between these sandbanks of uncertainty and indifference we need a biblical navigation channel for our life of faith.

There are a great number of places in the Bible where the assurance of God’s keeping is communicated to the believers. There is tremendous comfort in the high-priestly prayer of Jesus as described in John 17. What a help there is in the gift of the Spirit and his abiding presence (John 14:16, 17; Eph. 1:13). What certainty there is in the promise of God’s faithfulness (Phil. 1:6; 1 Peter 1:4f). How restful it is to know that God’s plan for the lives of his children will not be interrupted (Rom. 8:29, 30). What joy it is to belong to the flock of the Good Shepherd and to remind ourselves of what he has said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28, 29).

In direct connection with these beautifully comforting words there are also many places in the Bible where we are called and admonished to persevere and to remain in the work that God has started in us.

There is the serious warning against despising God’s grace, as we can find in various ways in the letter to the Hebrews. This book writes about the highest exaltation of Christ, but interwoven with this the believers are encouraged to be mature in Christ, and they are called to stop their spiritual drifting away and neglect. The author interacts in portraying Christ’s supreme power with five severe warnings against the danger of turning away from him (Heb. 2:1-4; 3:7-4:13; 5:16-6:20; 10:19-39; 12:25-29). And what sad stories are recorded as warnings: of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5), Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Tim. 1:20; 2:17), and Demas (2 Tim. 4:10). With powerful words the Bible calls the believers to persevere, and not to stray or to stop on the way. The channel of perseverance is clearly marked with beacons, buoys and lights to indicate the dangerous shoals. Every believer has a pilot on board who guides him or her safely and through any storm. We have not been promised fair sailing, but we may trust a safe arrival! All of this calls us to a radical commitment to God’s grace and love. Perseverance will result in a great receptiveness to God’s Word, and a profound longing to go forward in his way, in the strength of the Holy Spirit. Clearly we cannot do without the exhortations to walk in a manner worthy of our Lord, in his footsteps, so that already on our way, even before the safe arrival, we will give all praise and honour to God alone!
Soli Deo Gloria.