Hebrews Chapter Twelve, Faith's Author & Finisher

 

Hebrews 12:2a looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,

 

The famous hymnal, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” by Helen Lemmel captures the essence of this portion of verse 2. Tracking backward, the writer began verse 1 with a “therefore,” in regards to the Old Testament saints having to wait that we all, Jew and Gentile, may be inheritors of the promise. We are told about the cloud of witnesses surrounding us, and that being so; we should cast aside unneeded weight, as well as sin, or sinful practices that ensnare us.

It would do well to reflect just for a moment about laying aside weight and sin. I have heard Christians hotly debate this topic. Some would say that watching movies, listening to music, reading books, playing video games that do not immediately reflect Christianity is sinful. Granted, the saints ought to avoid even the appearance of evil, so as not to tarnish our ministry or sully God’s name. It is written, “Abstain from every form of evil,” 1 Thessalonians 5:22. Yet we are also told that we are free to eat meat sacrificed to idols, and that worship does not have to be a specific day. In short, conscience governs the Christian for many of these smaller details. Undoubtedly, some of what we practice does constitute weight and sin, at least occasionally, to our regret. But not all such seemingly trivial things are evil (or innocent). I heard the testimony of one man; a former gambler turned Christian, who could no longer play pool because it reminded him of his former, sinful life. Did he condemn others for playing pool? No, he just knew that he, in good conscience, could not join them. Christians need to be careful not to be critical in our judgments of other saints, because it will become the measuring rod used to judge us, Romans 2:3, Matthew 7:1, 2.

 

Rather, we are counseled to look unto Jesus, with the writer attributing to Him the titles of Author and Finisher of our faith. An exhaustive comparison has the RSV using the terms, “pioneer and perfecter.” The NASB uses, “the author (or leader, footnote) and perfecter.” The HCSB translates the passage, “source and perfecter.” The KJV follows the NKJV translation, with the addition of the footnote for author, rendering it, “originator.” The NIV follows the RSV’s rendering. Finally, the ESV translates the passage, “the founder and perfecter.” An author is the source, used by the HCSB. If one wants to understand exhaustively what something they are reading means, they would (if they were capable) inquire from the source, or the author. The author ingrains meaning into what is written; it is an objective, universal meaning that is not meant to be altered subjectively but understood objectively. The author is the originator, from the KJV footnote. This word is exceptional, since it relates the idea that Jesus, whom we are to look unto, is the source, the originator of our faith. He drew us, led us, pled with us, and finally by His Spirit convinced us of our very real need. He is the Beginner, I might add. I use this word because it compliments and explains the NKJV’s use of the second term, finisher. The Reader’s Greek-English Lexicon says the word “author” means, “originator, leader, instigator.”

 

A companion verse to this portion of Hebrews is Philippians 1:6, which states, “that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” We are told in Scripture that the Second Birth is, “not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God,” John 1:13. It is not through inheritance, works or wisdom/intellect, but is initiated by God through grace. God extended salvation to all through His Son, the originator of our faith. Not all of our vaunted efforts could affect a change in our spiritual condition as Adam’s heirs had Jesus not come to undo the damage wrought by the Fall. We would all perish apart from God. But God, who is love, in an act of great grace, gave His only begotten Son to us, to die for us, that we—those who through faith receive the gift of eternal life—might be reconciled to Him. It is not because we are Jewish, the notion that being one of the chosen people of God would automatically qualify one for eternal life. It is not through religion, by virtue of sacraments and services, because these are all fleshly things when one is mindful of earning Heaven through them. It is not the will of man, or the sum of wisdom and understanding. John may have been alluding to Gnosticism here, since the Gnostic religion believed that secret knowledge granted one the keys to escape the prison of their flesh.

 

As we are informed in Philippians 1:6, that He who began our salvation will finish it. Our salvation is not humanly derived. We are not justified by works; we are justified by Christ’s death on the cross. We are not sanctified by effort. We are sanctified as we submit in humility to the leadership of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, as God’s seal of our salvation. We are not glorified by our searching out wisdom or learning; we are glorified because we are adopted into the household of God, initiated by God Himself, and clothed with a righteousness that is derived from the person of our Lord. If anyone believes that we contribute to our salvation in any tense, you are mistaking Christianity for religion. Religion demands human effort. God demands that we accept what Jesus our Lord, God’s only Son, did for us. He began; He is the originator of our faith. Our salvation, the church’s existence, finds its reality in Him. He will finish what He began in us. “For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day,” 2 Timothy 1:12.

 

God will complete, Philippians 1:6. God will keep, or guard, 2 Timothy 1:12. God will finish, Hebrews 12:2. If this were not so, then our salvation really would be in our own hands, subject to forfeiture. And if we are honest, were it subject to forfeiture after its reception, none would retain it. Not a soul would enter Heaven, because the saints still sin, and fall short of the glory of God. And, as that hypothetical, unbiblical and exploitative line of thought goes, “if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains an offering for sins,” Hebrews 10:26. Wrested out of context, some insist this verse mean that when you sin willfully you have lost your salvation. James would add that stumbling in a single point makes you guilty of all, James 2:10. If salvation is conditional, then Christ is not the author and finisher of our faith: we are. Furthermore, if salvation is conditional, a single willful sin undoes our eternal life, and there is no more offering. Taken out of context, specific verses can say almost anything that you want them to say; but that does not mean it is true. It means that a professing teacher is enforcing his view and eisegeting Scripture to make it conform to his opinion. It may be an opinion handed down through denominational doctrines, or something a charismatic teacher thundered from a pulpit; but if it does not align with the harmonious tenor of Scripture it is in error, as is that teacher, and so too the student that propagates the heresy.