Perseverance through Suffering: A spirituality for mission
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Authors
Van der Merwe, D.G.
Issue Date
2005
Type
Article
Language
en
Keywords
Suffering , Persecution , Christian believers , Perfection , Perseverance
Alternative Title
Abstract
The suffering of Christian believers on account of hostility, disparagement or persecution, especially due to their faith in and confession of Christ is a global phenomenon and the 20th century has seen more Christian martyrs than any previous century. This was anticipated by the two most prominent figures in the New Testament, Jesus and Paul, e.g. 2 Timothy 3:12: "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution". Hebrews 11:39-12:3 deals with this difficulty by exhorting Christian believers not to quit their faith in Christ during such times, but rather to persevere in their faith. In these verses the author motivates why and explains the how. God has provided "perfection" for those who "persevere" in their faith. In order to accomplish this successfully the author exhorts in a negative sense to lay aside any obstacles that can languish their faith in and confession of Christ and in a positive sense to run this race (a metaphoric description of the Christian life) with perseverance.
Description
Citation
Van der Merwe, D.G., 2005, Perseverance through Suffering: A spirituality for mission. Missionalia 33 (2), 329-354
Publisher
Unisa Press
License
Journal
Volume
Issue
PubMed ID
DOI
ISSN
0256-9507