Endurance — Partaking in the Divine Nature
The word patience, as it is usually employed, means the ability to tolerate or to suppress irritation at delay or discomfort. But this patience is not precisely the quality that the apostle Peter had in mind when he wrote in his second epistle that Christians were to add to their faith “patience.” (2 Pet. 1:5, 6) The original Greek word Peter used means literally “to abide under.” It is more than patience. It is steadfastness and perseverance. Perhaps the best single word to capture its meaning is endurance. The Christian is encouraged to build on the foundation of faith the quality of endurance.
The life of William Wilberforce provides a good illustration of endurance. History has treated his name kindly, although through much of his life, his contemporaries did not regard him so favorably. In 1787 this twenty-eight-year-old member of the British Parliament recorded in his diary his mission as a statesman and for his life. “God has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the Slave Trade, and the reformation of manners [morals].” William Wilberforce became a model of endurance as he spent the rest of his seventy-three years championing these causes.
Concerning the abolition of slavery, John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, wrote to Wilberforce perhaps the last letter he wrote before he died. “Dear Sir,” the preacher penned, “Unless the divine power has raised you to be as Athanasius contra mundum, I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing that execrable villainy, which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature. Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you?” The Latin phrase Wesley employed translates, “Athanasius against the world.” It was a reference to the famous 4th century church father who, when arguing for the divinity of Jesus Christ, famously stated that if the world was against him, then he was against the world. Wesley did not overstate the situation to Wilberforce, as the opposition to him and his cause was both strong and long.
Wilberforce died in July of 1833. He was on his deathbed when word reached him of a political compromise in Parliament that guaranteed the passage of the Bill for the Abolition of Slavery. This bill became law one month after Wilberforce died. For nearly half a century William Wilberforce worked, campaigned, suffered defeats, experienced discouragements, and endured to see his great goal achieved.
Wilberforce was not just a statesman and reformer. He was a devout Christian. In the winter of 1785, he was converted to Christ and underwent what he called “the great change.” It was shortly after this that he was presented with the challenge of ending a practice most thought economically necessary, though morally suspect. Combating this evil was not politically expedient. But to Wilberforce opposing the slave trade was an expression of his devotion to his Lord and Savior. He spent his life following His Savior. And by the grace of God, he endured and prevailed.
Endurance is not simply a noble human virtue. Peter identifies it as part of “the divine nature” of which every Christian is made a partaker. (2 Pet. 1:4) Hebrews 12 tells us that Jesus, the Son of God, demonstrated this quality in perfection when He endured hostility against Himself from sinners. He did not avoid Calvary when He could have. And He did not come down from the cross until the work of redemption was complete. The author of Hebrews exhorts Christians who are tempted to grow weary and faint, to “consider him.” Look to Jesus.
We may or may not live to some noble end achieved through our efforts. But we can see a virtuous work done in our own character. We can develop the very attributes of our Savior, including endurance, by following Christ, claiming His promise, and depending upon His power. “Behold, we count them happy which endure.” (Jas 5:11)
David A. Oliver is the pastor of Ashley Baptist Church in Belding, MI.