for this reason, a great throng of witnesses surrounding us. Also lay aside all weight and sin. Standing firm, running through endurance the race placed before us...*
"For this reason run." It is our purpose, destiny, and our high calling to run this race. "having a great crowd of witnesses," those of the hall of faith, of the previous covenant who testify through faith not receiving the promise, looking to a better promise, cheering us on and not finishing apart from us. To those who are called according to the purpose of God, which is to be conformed to the image of His Son, these are predestined, and called, justified, and glorified. God "predestined us to the extent of adoption as His own through Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of His will."* We see the purpose of this race is to become like Jesus, not that we will experience this in full in this body but we await for His return to receive redemption of our bodies. Since we are called and are destined to receive an inheritance and to share in His character, we strive to run this race, to be like Jesus. The way to run is through endurance, as endurance produces maturity, perfection, becoming like Jesus. To endure is to know Him, to have fellowship with Him in suffering, in which we also know the power of His resurrection. Let us run the race through endurance.
and to those he foreknew, also predestined to conform to the image of His Son, to the extent he might exist firstborn in many brethren. Now, like as predestined these also called, and like as called these also justified. Now, like as justified these also glorified.*
We are predestined, adopted, chosen, called to run this race, to be conformed to the image of His Son. To know Him is to mature, grow up in the knowledge of the Son, thus we reach maturity in faith, and are conformed to His image.* We are enlightened, comprehend, have revelation in truth through Jesus. Our purpose, destiny is to experience the glory of the Lord, to be conformed to the image of His Son. What is the purpose of adoption? that we be conformed to the image of His Son, that we share in His holy character, this we call glorification. Predestination leads to glorification. The glory of the new covenant is unveiled in the face of Jesus Christ.* And those who behold the glory of the Lord are being transformed from glory to glory even as the Lord's Spirit.*
"to the extent he might exist firstborn in many brethren." He is the pioneer, the first to run and the champion, the first to finish. This is how God so loved the world that He sent his Son full of grace and truth, not to condemn man but to condemn sin in the flesh, to show us the way, to pioneer the way for us and to finish as a man, so to redeem mankind. God's holiness is not questioned in grace, sin is condemned in the flesh. He has chosen us also to run this race. It is by the good pleasure of His will that He has adopted us. We can say knowing Christ is to experience His glory, which is to be conformed to His image. The goal of this race is to know Christ and to know Christ conforms us to His image. To reach the goal in this race we need endurance and in this we find revelation in what it means to count all things as loss to know Him.
pressing on according to the goal of the prize, the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.*
There is an upward call in Christ Jesus to run this race. In Christ we receive spiritual blessings of adoption, and redemption, the forgiveness of sin, from the riches of His grace and glory. Adopted, redeemed and forgiven we are justified by grace through redemption and justified through His blood. Given the gift of the Spirit of God, which testifies to our calling as children of God, whom leads us to abide in truth because also as children we are called to be conformed to the image of Christ. To know Christ, to be intimately joined with Him, to have communion with Christ, to remember the blood He shed and the body that was broken, to participate in His sufferings. In enduring we join with Him. have communion, fellowship in Him.
Standing firm, run through endurance...
"Also lay aside..." In Ephesians 6 Paul calls us to stand (histemi) and put on the armor of God.* The word here for standing firm (euperÃstatos (from eu "well"; peri "all-around"; and histemi "stand")) is related to the same concept. Before we put on the armor of God we stand. Before we can run and endure this race we must first be firmly established, having a firm foundation. First we must have knowledge in Ephesians 1-5, a firm foundation and laying aside the old man, the garments of uncleanliness, testifying through water, the purification of the body of sin, not like the washing of dirt from the body, but a good consciousness toward God. "Lay aside all weight" like taking off weight around the ankles of a runner, lay aside "religion" that is not beneficial to you running this race, like living to the letter of the law, principles of do not touch, taste, handle... Even serving, and giving, will not perfect us in this goal. And lay aside sin, or present the body a living sacrifice, as sin dwells in the body, this is your reasonable service and this is the sacrifice acceptable to God.
know that the proving of your faith produces endurance, now, possessing endurance, having its intended goal, so that existing mature and whole, lacking in nothing.*
Being whole and lacking in nothing is the picture of a well mind, a renewed mind, not only in regards to accepting God's will but it speaks to wholeness, peace, contentment, and joy, it is why we should count it all joy when the testing comes upon us as it will produce maturity if we endure. John writes to us so that our joy might be complete.* If you want joy then you must mature and if you want to mature then you must endure. "And not only that but also rejoice in the sufferings, knowing that the suffering brings out as a result, endurance."* To endure we view Jesus, the pioneer and champion, the one who ran as an example, he endured on account of the joy set before Him. We endure as when we suffer we view Jesus, and we participate, have fellowship in His sufferings. This is the concept of knowing him, intimately, being united in His death, joining with Him. Communion is to remember, to drink His blood and eat His flesh, to know Him and the fellowship of His suffering as we participate in His suffering in the struggle against sin.
View Jesus, the pioneer and champion of faith, like as on account of the joy set before Him, endured the cross, looking down on its shame...*
View Jesus, the pioneer, the first to run, the first-fruit or first-born of a new creation. View Jesus running this race, bringing many sons to glory. In this is great joy. View Jesus who endured the cross, the shame of a cursed death. View Jesus a spotless Lamb who endured, though Holy and without sin, he endured opposition from sinners. How? He consecrated himself in truth, he entrusted himself to a just Father. Even at the end He asked the Father to forgive them for they know not what they do. He learned obedience through suffering. "Although a Son, he learned obedience through suffering. Also perfected, coming to existence for all the ones receiving Him, author of eternal salvation."* We enter the kingdom of God born of the Spirit, having received Jesus, having heard the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation and believed. The Spirit testifies that we are children of God, and we have testimony of blood, that we are forgiven. The goal of our faith is the salvation of our souls, in such evil wars against us as we reside in a body, a weakness in which sin dwells. There is a testimony of water in this as we commit, presenting the body dead to sin and alive to righteousness. Jesus learned obedience through suffering and maturity in Him comes through enduring suffering.
Standing against, not resisting to the point of bloodshed struggling against sin? And forgotten entirely the persuasion that speaks to you as sons? My son, do not despise the discipline of the Lord, nor loose heart when proved by Him.*
"For the Lord disciplines the ones He loves, now flogs all like as receiving sons."* Disciplining is not always chastisement and punishment, it also includes the idea of admonishment which speaks of strong persuasion and encouragement. Faith has the root word to be persuaded. This is why the Lord disciplines the ones he loves, for our benefit. We reason in the mind, therefore Paul writes shall we continue in sin so grace abounds? no, we are to consider or reckon, or reason sin dead. This helps to tear down the strongholds. Also we are to consider or reason or be persuaded, encouraged to endure by considering Christ who endured, who learned obedience through suffering. In this we have fellowship in His sufferings which encourages us to endure, thus we know Him and the power of His resurrection. This implies, as other scriptures support, wholeness, life, and a well mind comes through enduring the proving, as maturity produces fruit, achieved through discipline.
All discipline at the time seems not existing joy, but painful. Now, later it gives back wholeness, fruit of righteousness to the one trained through it.*
Disciplines trains, if one endures the proving. The proving produces endurance which work produces maturity. What causes one not endure? Disciplining not like as the Lord. Not establishing the child in a firm foundation, deeply rooted and grounded in faith and love. Destroy the things of faith like hope, trust, assurance, confidence... Do not love which endures all things. Judge and condemn causing a child to stumble. Provoking a child to anger and wrath. The devil plants weeds among the true children to choke them out, doctrines that keep them from growing, truth in love. "Take care no one forfeits the grace of God, no root of bitterness grows up causing trouble and through it many are defiled."* Many children have stumbled in this race because of men who forfeit grace. James writes proving produces endurance and the work of endurance is wholeness, which has the root word meaning "to join, tie together into a whole." This is why we join to the Lord, in body, and what correct discipline gives back, peace, wholeness, a renewed mind.
And this I pray, so that your love abounds more and more in knowledge and all understanding, to the extent you determine that essential, so that existing pure and not stumbling to the extent daily Christ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to glory, also praising God.*
Those born of God possess the seed of righteousness and will grow up to bear fruit of righteousness, thus can't continue in sin. This is our calling to bear fruit of righteousness so to fall back in this race is to be as the lost. We join to the Lord, united in His death, so that we endure, and are joined with Him in His life. An earthly father can discipline a child how he thinks best but many children grow up not knowing discipline at all because the father is absent. Earthly discipline can subject the body for a perishable crown but the discipline of the Lord is for our glory, a flogging like His thus by His stripes we are healed. The earth and the heavens are being shaken so that what is left can not be shaken, so that which is left is firmly established, thus God is a consuming fire.* Count it all joy to be a child of God, to be proven. Though we must participate in suffering, passing through the refining, the outcome is fruit of righteousness and life. Who is obedient? One who bears fruit of righteousness? What kind of plant bears fruit? A mature plant. It is our purpose to grow up, so we count all things loss, the weight and sin so to know Him and the power of His resurrection for this purpose.
that knowing him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, conforming to His death, if by any means attaining the resurrection from the dead.*
Oh, would it not be much easier if we just experienced the resurrection power without suffering? Why must we suffer? which is also to ask why must we struggle against sin and why are we left in this weakness of a body in which the Spirit inside of us moans for the glorious liberty as children of God, Why? It is to know Him. To understand who God is. Jesus said the religious leaders did not enter and held the keys to understanding from the people. We run this race to obtain a prize, the same thing the work of ministry is to produce, "until attaining to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature adulthood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."* Maturity is to be conformed to the image of Christ, this is our calling and the purpose of the Church.
then God said let us make man in our image, after our likeness...*
God is restoring His image in mankind through conformation to the image of Christ. We run to the finish line, which is not to an assembly of people finishing before us through the veiled glory of the old, in the face of Moses whom said he existed terrified and trembling. No, we come to a joyful assembly of the first-born, to Jesus mediator of a new covenant in which he ran as pioneer and which he finished, so that we all finish together. Yes, we are being shaken, tried and proven, so to become genuine, conformed to the image of Jesus. The temporary affliction of putting aside the weight that holds us down is far outweighed by the glory awaiting us at the finish line. Know this; to those called and justified these are also called to glory, to be conformed to the image of Christ. So be encouraged that you are called a son, it is your destiny to run, like as Jesus. Take heart, run through endurance the race prescribed to you, like as Christ who endure suffering for the joy set before Him. Run through endurance, counting all else loss so to know Him, enduring by having fellowship with Him in suffering. God is working out all things for our good, for those called according to His purpose.
The Greatness of Our God
"For this reason run." It is our purpose, destiny, and our high calling to run this race. "having a great crowd of witnesses," those of the hall of faith, of the previous covenant who testify through faith not receiving the promise, looking to a better promise, cheering us on and not finishing apart from us. To those who are called according to the purpose of God, which is to be conformed to the image of His Son, these are predestined, and called, justified, and glorified. God "predestined us to the extent of adoption as His own through Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of His will."* We see the purpose of this race is to become like Jesus, not that we will experience this in full in this body but we await for His return to receive redemption of our bodies. Since we are called and are destined to receive an inheritance and to share in His character, we strive to run this race, to be like Jesus. The way to run is through endurance, as endurance produces maturity, perfection, becoming like Jesus. To endure is to know Him, to have fellowship with Him in suffering, in which we also know the power of His resurrection. Let us run the race through endurance.and to those he foreknew, also predestined to conform to the image of His Son, to the extent he might exist firstborn in many brethren. Now, like as predestined these also called, and like as called these also justified. Now, like as justified these also glorified.*
We are predestined, adopted, chosen, called to run this race, to be conformed to the image of His Son. To know Him is to mature, grow up in the knowledge of the Son, thus we reach maturity in faith, and are conformed to His image.* We are enlightened, comprehend, have revelation in truth through Jesus. Our purpose, destiny is to experience the glory of the Lord, to be conformed to the image of His Son. What is the purpose of adoption? that we be conformed to the image of His Son, that we share in His holy character, this we call glorification. Predestination leads to glorification. The glory of the new covenant is unveiled in the face of Jesus Christ.* And those who behold the glory of the Lord are being transformed from glory to glory even as the Lord's Spirit.*
"to the extent he might exist firstborn in many brethren." He is the pioneer, the first to run and the champion, the first to finish. This is how God so loved the world that He sent his Son full of grace and truth, not to condemn man but to condemn sin in the flesh, to show us the way, to pioneer the way for us and to finish as a man, so to redeem mankind. God's holiness is not questioned in grace, sin is condemned in the flesh. He has chosen us also to run this race. It is by the good pleasure of His will that He has adopted us. We can say knowing Christ is to experience His glory, which is to be conformed to His image. The goal of this race is to know Christ and to know Christ conforms us to His image. To reach the goal in this race we need endurance and in this we find revelation in what it means to count all things as loss to know Him.
pressing on according to the goal of the prize, the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.*
There is an upward call in Christ Jesus to run this race. In Christ we receive spiritual blessings of adoption, and redemption, the forgiveness of sin, from the riches of His grace and glory. Adopted, redeemed and forgiven we are justified by grace through redemption and justified through His blood. Given the gift of the Spirit of God, which testifies to our calling as children of God, whom leads us to abide in truth because also as children we are called to be conformed to the image of Christ. To know Christ, to be intimately joined with Him, to have communion with Christ, to remember the blood He shed and the body that was broken, to participate in His sufferings. In enduring we join with Him. have communion, fellowship in Him.
Standing firm, run through endurance...
"Also lay aside..." In Ephesians 6 Paul calls us to stand (histemi) and put on the armor of God.* The word here for standing firm (euperÃstatos (from eu "well"; peri "all-around"; and histemi "stand")) is related to the same concept. Before we put on the armor of God we stand. Before we can run and endure this race we must first be firmly established, having a firm foundation. First we must have knowledge in Ephesians 1-5, a firm foundation and laying aside the old man, the garments of uncleanliness, testifying through water, the purification of the body of sin, not like the washing of dirt from the body, but a good consciousness toward God. "Lay aside all weight" like taking off weight around the ankles of a runner, lay aside "religion" that is not beneficial to you running this race, like living to the letter of the law, principles of do not touch, taste, handle... Even serving, and giving, will not perfect us in this goal. And lay aside sin, or present the body a living sacrifice, as sin dwells in the body, this is your reasonable service and this is the sacrifice acceptable to God.
know that the proving of your faith produces endurance, now, possessing endurance, having its intended goal, so that existing mature and whole, lacking in nothing.*
Being whole and lacking in nothing is the picture of a well mind, a renewed mind, not only in regards to accepting God's will but it speaks to wholeness, peace, contentment, and joy, it is why we should count it all joy when the testing comes upon us as it will produce maturity if we endure. John writes to us so that our joy might be complete.* If you want joy then you must mature and if you want to mature then you must endure. "And not only that but also rejoice in the sufferings, knowing that the suffering brings out as a result, endurance."* To endure we view Jesus, the pioneer and champion, the one who ran as an example, he endured on account of the joy set before Him. We endure as when we suffer we view Jesus, and we participate, have fellowship in His sufferings. This is the concept of knowing him, intimately, being united in His death, joining with Him. Communion is to remember, to drink His blood and eat His flesh, to know Him and the fellowship of His suffering as we participate in His suffering in the struggle against sin.
View Jesus, the pioneer and champion of faith, like as on account of the joy set before Him, endured the cross, looking down on its shame...*
View Jesus, the pioneer, the first to run, the first-fruit or first-born of a new creation. View Jesus running this race, bringing many sons to glory. In this is great joy. View Jesus who endured the cross, the shame of a cursed death. View Jesus a spotless Lamb who endured, though Holy and without sin, he endured opposition from sinners. How? He consecrated himself in truth, he entrusted himself to a just Father. Even at the end He asked the Father to forgive them for they know not what they do. He learned obedience through suffering. "Although a Son, he learned obedience through suffering. Also perfected, coming to existence for all the ones receiving Him, author of eternal salvation."* We enter the kingdom of God born of the Spirit, having received Jesus, having heard the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation and believed. The Spirit testifies that we are children of God, and we have testimony of blood, that we are forgiven. The goal of our faith is the salvation of our souls, in such evil wars against us as we reside in a body, a weakness in which sin dwells. There is a testimony of water in this as we commit, presenting the body dead to sin and alive to righteousness. Jesus learned obedience through suffering and maturity in Him comes through enduring suffering.
Standing against, not resisting to the point of bloodshed struggling against sin? And forgotten entirely the persuasion that speaks to you as sons? My son, do not despise the discipline of the Lord, nor loose heart when proved by Him.*
"For the Lord disciplines the ones He loves, now flogs all like as receiving sons."* Disciplining is not always chastisement and punishment, it also includes the idea of admonishment which speaks of strong persuasion and encouragement. Faith has the root word to be persuaded. This is why the Lord disciplines the ones he loves, for our benefit. We reason in the mind, therefore Paul writes shall we continue in sin so grace abounds? no, we are to consider or reckon, or reason sin dead. This helps to tear down the strongholds. Also we are to consider or reason or be persuaded, encouraged to endure by considering Christ who endured, who learned obedience through suffering. In this we have fellowship in His sufferings which encourages us to endure, thus we know Him and the power of His resurrection. This implies, as other scriptures support, wholeness, life, and a well mind comes through enduring the proving, as maturity produces fruit, achieved through discipline.
All discipline at the time seems not existing joy, but painful. Now, later it gives back wholeness, fruit of righteousness to the one trained through it.*
Disciplines trains, if one endures the proving. The proving produces endurance which work produces maturity. What causes one not endure? Disciplining not like as the Lord. Not establishing the child in a firm foundation, deeply rooted and grounded in faith and love. Destroy the things of faith like hope, trust, assurance, confidence... Do not love which endures all things. Judge and condemn causing a child to stumble. Provoking a child to anger and wrath. The devil plants weeds among the true children to choke them out, doctrines that keep them from growing, truth in love. "Take care no one forfeits the grace of God, no root of bitterness grows up causing trouble and through it many are defiled."* Many children have stumbled in this race because of men who forfeit grace. James writes proving produces endurance and the work of endurance is wholeness, which has the root word meaning "to join, tie together into a whole." This is why we join to the Lord, in body, and what correct discipline gives back, peace, wholeness, a renewed mind.
And this I pray, so that your love abounds more and more in knowledge and all understanding, to the extent you determine that essential, so that existing pure and not stumbling to the extent daily Christ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to glory, also praising God.*
Those born of God possess the seed of righteousness and will grow up to bear fruit of righteousness, thus can't continue in sin. This is our calling to bear fruit of righteousness so to fall back in this race is to be as the lost. We join to the Lord, united in His death, so that we endure, and are joined with Him in His life. An earthly father can discipline a child how he thinks best but many children grow up not knowing discipline at all because the father is absent. Earthly discipline can subject the body for a perishable crown but the discipline of the Lord is for our glory, a flogging like His thus by His stripes we are healed. The earth and the heavens are being shaken so that what is left can not be shaken, so that which is left is firmly established, thus God is a consuming fire.* Count it all joy to be a child of God, to be proven. Though we must participate in suffering, passing through the refining, the outcome is fruit of righteousness and life. Who is obedient? One who bears fruit of righteousness? What kind of plant bears fruit? A mature plant. It is our purpose to grow up, so we count all things loss, the weight and sin so to know Him and the power of His resurrection for this purpose.
that knowing him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, conforming to His death, if by any means attaining the resurrection from the dead.*
Oh, would it not be much easier if we just experienced the resurrection power without suffering? Why must we suffer? which is also to ask why must we struggle against sin and why are we left in this weakness of a body in which the Spirit inside of us moans for the glorious liberty as children of God, Why? It is to know Him. To understand who God is. Jesus said the religious leaders did not enter and held the keys to understanding from the people. We run this race to obtain a prize, the same thing the work of ministry is to produce, "until attaining to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature adulthood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."* Maturity is to be conformed to the image of Christ, this is our calling and the purpose of the Church.
then God said let us make man in our image, after our likeness...*
God is restoring His image in mankind through conformation to the image of Christ. We run to the finish line, which is not to an assembly of people finishing before us through the veiled glory of the old, in the face of Moses whom said he existed terrified and trembling. No, we come to a joyful assembly of the first-born, to Jesus mediator of a new covenant in which he ran as pioneer and which he finished, so that we all finish together. Yes, we are being shaken, tried and proven, so to become genuine, conformed to the image of Jesus. The temporary affliction of putting aside the weight that holds us down is far outweighed by the glory awaiting us at the finish line. Know this; to those called and justified these are also called to glory, to be conformed to the image of Christ. So be encouraged that you are called a son, it is your destiny to run, like as Jesus. Take heart, run through endurance the race prescribed to you, like as Christ who endure suffering for the joy set before Him. Run through endurance, counting all else loss so to know Him, enduring by having fellowship with Him in suffering. God is working out all things for our good, for those called according to His purpose.
The Greatness of Our God