JESUS IS THE PIONEER AND PERFECTER OF MY FAITH
by: Gary Rohrmayer, President of Axelerate
This Article is an excerpt from
“JESUS: A 21 DAY JOURNEY TOWARDS A DEEPER RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST”
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
Following Jesus is much like running a marathon. Marathons are 26.2 miles. I can say that I have entered one marathon in my life. After training for 10 months, I was all set to break my goal of five hours and I was on pace to meet that goal until mile 19 when I felt a great burning sensation on the bottom of my foot. I stopped into the medical tent, where I discovered a blister about the size of a half-dollar on the bottom of my sole. I asked the medical person to pop the blister and give me a bandaid, they told me they were not able to perform the procedure. So, I took the bobby pin from my runner’s bib and pop the blister myself, covered it with a bandaid, and got back in the race. The next 7 miles were the longest miles I have ever run. Every step was filled with emotions, doubts, fear, and anger. It seemed like every turn became a quitting point.
This is the context of Hebrews 12. The Jewish converts to Christianity were facing all sorts of doubts, fears and were questioning their faith in Jesus. The theme of the book of Hebrews is the superiority of Jesus. The author takes us on a journey through the Old Testament to reveal Jesus’ supremacy over Angels, Moses, High Priests, sacrifices, and even the faith of all the great patriarchs of the Jewish people. The author declares Jesus as the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.
When we speak of Jesus as the pioneer of faith, he is the author, founder, and forerunner of faith. Jesus sets the supreme example of how to endure hardship. We see that Jesus is not only the pioneer of faith but his is the perfecter of faith. One who has lived the life of faith to the highest level of perfection. Jesus is the finisher of faith because he endured the cross and finished his mission of redemption with those final words, “It is finished” (John19:30). He also sets the example as one who experienced the rewards of faith; in that He was exalted to the heights of heaven (Philippians 2:10-11).
We are encouraged not to just look to Jesus, but we are challenged to run with Jesus and to run with perseverance. To push through the quitting points of life we need to look away from the obstacles and troubles we face and focus our attention on Jesus, his sufferings, his example, his character, his promises, and his power to help us in our time of need.
Gary, did you ever finish the marathon? Yes, I did. I did not set any records and it was not a pretty finish, but I did finish it. I finished by looking to Jesus. There was a man running ahead of me with a tee shirt that said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). For the next seven miles I just tried to keep up with that runner, focusing my mind on that promise, asking Jesus to help me finish the race one step at a time. Today, may the example and strength of Jesus help you push through the quitting points of life.
Father in Heaven, thank you for Jesus the pioneer, the author, the captain, and the object of my faith. Jesus is the perfecter and finisher of my faith. He is the perfection of faith, the supreme authority, and example of faith. Today I choose to look towards Jesus and away from the obstacles I face, the struggles I wrestle with, and the troubles in front of me. I choose to see his promises, his power, and his perfect presence.
Amen.