Posted by Chris on 6/1/2007, 1:58 pm Please be patient with the following, and give it a chance to speak, for it will seem wordy but I consider it worth reading (obviously, otherwise I would not have gone to the trouble of typing it out! Ha). With love to you all in Christ Jesus “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”(Heb 12:2) In this verse the word ‘our’ has been added, as though there is an Ellipsis here (something missed out) but in fact there is no ellipsis here at all, and the word ‘our’ should not have been added. It should read: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of faith” This has come as a surprise to me, because I have always thought that this applied to the faith of the individual, but it is in fact FAITH ITSELF that is spoken of. I read this in ‘Figures of Speech’ by Dr Bullinger. He goes on to say; (quote) “In the preceding chapter (ch.11) we have many examples of faith. Each one exhibits some particular aspect of faith in its perfection. For example; in Abel, we have the most perfect example of faith in connection with WORSHIP: in Enoch the most perfect example of faith’s WALK: while in Noah, we have the most perfect example of faith’s WITNESS, and so on through the chapter; the historical order corresponding with the theological and experimental order. Each is like a portrait in which some particular feature is perfect: while the chapter concludes with two groups of portraits; the one illustrating FAITH’S POWER TO CONQUER (verses 32-25), and the other illustrating FAITH’S POWER TO SUFFER (verses 36-38). Then chapter (12) continues, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses* let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking (ie., Gr. aphorontes, looking away from) unto.” Unlike these examples, which each had only one aspect of faith in perfection, Jesus had every aspect perfect. His was a portrait in which every feature was perfect for He is the Beginner and Ender of faith. He leads the van and brings up the rear; He is the Sum and the Substance of faith. it is not ‘our’ faith of which Jesus is here the Author and Finisher, but faith itself. The Greek goes on to say, “looking off unto the author and finisher of faith - Jesus.” Looking off from all these human examples, each of which after all exhibited only one feature of faith, unto Him who is the perfect ‘Prince’+ and ‘Leader’ of all faithful ones and the ‘Author’ of faith itself - even Jesus, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Notes: + The word translated ‘author’ is (Gr. archeegos) really an adjective, ‘leading‘, ‘furnishing’ the first cause then it means a ‘leader‘, but it is more a ‘chief leader‘; hence it is sometimes rendered ‘Prince’. ‘Originator‘, ‘beginner‘, and ‘author’ are ie., ‘the author and giver of life‘; Acts 5:31, ‘exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour‘; Heb.2:10, “to make the ‘Captain’ of their salvation perfect,” ie., the ‘author’ of their salvation. Hence, ‘princely-leader’ is a meaning which embraces all the others.
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Dear Forum,
Chris ...
* ie., those who gave testimony or evidence by their words, their life or death. There is no idea of eye-witnesses in this word, as though they were beholding or looking upon us. The witnesses referred to are the examples of faith cited in Chapter 11.
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