In the article Life’s a Marathon, I discussed the footrace all Jesus-followers must endure. I noted how the faith which one actively lives out has its source in the redemptive work of Christ on the Cross. This faith was made perfect in His life, death, burial and resurrection. Now the pathway of faith stands as an open and inviting gift to all who will trust and obey.
Since the publication of this article, we delved into some of the practical applications of faith. These are the steps one takes to walk in union with Christ. The two disciplines discussed so far have been regimented gathering in communion with a local church body and daily engagement with the text of the Word of Scripture, the Bible. This is where we will likely wrestle, writhe and struggle with our God and with our fellow man as Jacob did with God (Gn. 32:24-32). There will be moments where we encounter real Truth that is so sharp and blunt that we are cut to the quick. We are then met with an option: ignore the Truth or wrestle with it, holding on to God’s Word in hope, even if it kills us (Jb. 13:15).
“archēgos; chief leader:—author, captain, prince.“
“G747 – archēgos – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 20 Jan, 2020.
The primary Scriptural anchor for Life’s a Marathon came from Hebrews 2:1-2. The more traditionally quoted translation of that verse is from the King James. The Greek word archēgos, translated as “source” in the Holman Christian Standard Bible is translated as “author” in the King James. Alternate translations supply words such as “founder” or “pioneer”. There is an inescapable sense of primacy that surrounds the archēgos. He is the original writer of the faith which we live out. The trusting action in which we are allowed to participate on the basis of Christ has its origins in the decretal stylus of the prince of the universe and captain of angel armies (Ps. 19:1). Father God has written the book on all matters concerning faith and life, revealing to us the standard by which we should show justice and mercy through the person of Jesus Christ as we find Him in the Bible.
There are those who at this point turn and dismiss God’s authorship, for His instruments for writing to us were fallible humans. For many this throws the trustworthiness of Holy Scripture into question. For the Jesus-follower, one must be prepared to work out one’s faith with respectful humility (Php. 2:12). One must be prepared to embrace the Author’s story. In the end, it is His story. He allows us to participate in the telling, and – what a thought – to be conscious of His authorship and our participation in the narrative through His in-text revelation (Mt. 5:17-18).
“…the Bible tells the story of how God creates humanity in his image in order to dwell and have fellowship with them, sharing his light and life in love.”
(Vanhoozer, p. 152)
Vanhoozer, Kevin J. “Putting on Christ: Spiritual Formation and the Drama of Discipleship.” Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care, vol. 8, no. 2, Fall 2015, pp. 147–171.
In the Bible, as with any great piece of drama, there is sturm und drang, the storm and drive of conflict and intensity. There is great adversity. There is great heroism. But the end is finished, completed by Jesus as He died on the Cross at the Hill of the Skull (Jn. 19:30). He wrote the end before He began. We know how we are to end up. Monsters are to be bound, robes of white distributed, praises sung and the conquered-conqueror rides out victorious on a white horse in full glory. The cap to the drama between a loving and just God and His fallen yet redeemed people culminates in a scene of ultimate fellowship (Rev. 19). Many fail to be captivated by the richness of this ending. For some, God can never do enough to prove His authorship. Some will always challenge Him.
“Director Lloyd Richards said that if you continually find yourself itching to make changes to a script, consider whether you should give up directing and take up playwriting.”
(Hauser and Reich, p. 13)
Hauser, Frank, and Russell Reich. Notes on Directing: 130 Lessons in Leadership from the Directors Chair. Bloomsbury, 2003.
There are many who will turn aside, desiring to rewrite the narrative. There are those who would grasp for stars, usurp the quill, ink and parchment to scrap it all and start anew. God has many armchair quarterbacks vying for His authoritative vantage. They are angry little people who would choose to pick apart God’s narrative and believe what makes cogent sense to them. Lest we have some misplaced postmodern pretensions of superiority, the knowledge of the living is as fallible as the understanding of the ancients who transcribed God’s Word, complete and full. The difference between the postmodern and the ancient is that the ancient expected God to act through him where the postmodern questions the basis of there being a drama at all.
“We must reaffirm the great Reformation doctrine of sola scriptura, Scripture only, as being our final, ultimate base of authority and truth. Anything less than that is deficient and opens the door to every conceivable kind of theological distortion.”
(Draper, p. 22)
Draper, James T. Authority: the Critical Issue for Southern Baptists. Revell, 1984.
Jesus-followers are people of the Word. We are asked by Christ to follow Him (Jn. 21:22). The Scripture is the only source for the complete understanding of Jesus Christ. The authority of Scripture is the authority of God through Christ as He was revealed fully among men. At some point we must acknowledge His authorship. We must look around at the drama of reality and our role in it as defined by Scripture and believe that God would have us participate in it.
Scripture alone brings to us the real and unadulterated Truth of God. The other option is resigning ourselves to storm tossed lives, lives without an anchor. Any teaching, any human intellect, any technical lie will sweep us around (Eph. 4:14). Trust God’s Word of Scripture to light up the beautiful path of faithfulness in Christ. Wrestle with it. Hope in it. Never let it go!
“Remember, God is as Great as He is Good!”
Noah R. Hunt
POIEMA: Created for Truth 