Hebrews 10:32-39: a reflection

32But remember the former days, in which, after you were enlightened, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: 33partly, being exposed to both reproaches and oppressions, and partly, becoming partakers with those who were treated so. 34For you both had compassion on me in my chains and joyfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an enduring one in the heavens. 35Therefore don’t throw away your boldness, which has a great reward. 36For you need endurance so that, having done the will of God, you may receive the promise. 37“In a very little while, he who comes will come and will not wait. 38But the righteous one will live by faith. If he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” 39But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the saving of the soul.

The writer to the Hebrews, reminding his readers of the suffering they had already endured for their faith, calls them to endurance and warns against shrinking back. Don't throw away your boldness, he says, which has a great reward. For you need endurance so that, having done the will of God, you may receive the promise. And he quotes: the righteous one will live by faith; if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. The call is to endurance, to not shrinking back but persevering in faith through the hard times, so as to receive the promise. What was needed was not a new beginning but endurance to the end.

Notice the call: endurance, not shrinking back. The readers had endured suffering before; but they needed to keep enduring, to persevere, not to shrink back and give up now. What was needed was endurance, the perseverance that holds on through the hard times to receive the promise at the end. To shrink back, to give up, to abandon the faith under pressure, was the danger; and against it the call was to endure, to keep faith, to persevere. The righteous live by faith, holding on, not shrinking back. The promise is received not by those who give up, but by those who endure, who persevere in faith through the difficulty to the end. Endurance, not shrinking back, was what they needed.

That is worth taking to heart, for we too need endurance, not to shrink back but to persevere in faith to receive the promise. We can endure for a time, and then, under continued pressure or difficulty, be tempted to shrink back, to give up, to abandon what we have believed; but the call is to endurance, to persevere in faith through the hard times, so as to receive the promise. What is needed is not always a new beginning but endurance to the end. Do not shrink back under pressure or difficulty; endure, persevere in faith, holding on to receive the promise, as the writer calls us not to throw away our boldness. Persevere in faith with endurance rather than shrinking back under pressure, holding on through the hard times to receive the promise, as the writer says we need endurance so that, having done the will of God, we may receive the promise; for the righteous live by faith, and the promise is received by those who endure to the end rather than shrinking back.

Lord, the writer to the Hebrews, reminding his readers of the suffering they had already endured for their faith, calls them to endurance and warns against shrinking back. Don't throw away your boldness, he says, which has a great reward; for you need endurance so that, having done the will of God, you may receive the promise. And he quotes: the righteous one will live by faith; if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. The call is to endurance, to not shrinking back but persevering in faith through the hard times. Show me the call: endurance, not shrinking back. The readers had endured suffering before; but they needed to keep enduring, to persevere, not to shrink back and give up now. What was needed was endurance, the perseverance that holds on through the hard times to receive the promise at the end. To shrink back, to give up under pressure, was the danger; and against it the call was to endure. The righteous live by faith, holding on, not shrinking back. The promise is received not by those who give up, but by those who endure. Take that to my heart, for I too need endurance, not to shrink back but to persevere in faith to receive the promise. I can endure for a time, and then, under continued pressure or difficulty, be tempted to shrink back, to give up, to abandon what I have believed; but the call is to endurance. What is needed is not always a new beginning but endurance to the end. Keep me from shrinking back under pressure or difficulty; help me endure, persevere in faith, holding on to receive the promise, Lord, as the writer calls us not to throw away our boldness, for the righteous live by faith.