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The points we have been exploring here related to the perseverance of the suffering faithful and the vindication of the same exercise a strong influence in Paul’s teaching presented in his letters. In his letter to the Romans, which was written to an audience that, for the most part, was not personally familiar with him, he makes this abundantly clear. After his exposition on justification and its relation to faith in chs. 3 and 4, Paul opens ch. 5 with the description of the present state of having peace with God and of the future hope of sharing the glory of God (i.e., the outcome of vindication; cf. 3:23). But if that hope is ground for boasting, so too is the present suffering/affliction ground for boasting. The suffering of the present time—which Paul will later say is not worth comparing to the glory to be revealed in/to us (8:18)—is part of a chain of production by which justification bears fruit in those who are made right with God. Suffering produces perseverance like stress and strain can produce strength (5:3). In turn, perseverance produces tried-and-true character (the term can be translated as “proof”). And that tried-and-true character in turn produces hope (5:4), a hope in which we have assurance by the love of God he has poured out in us by the Holy Spirit (5:5). Suffering thus forges the people who will share in the hope God gives in Christ because it follows the gospel path in which those who deny themselves, take up the cross, and follow Jesus will arrive in the hope he provides through his resurrection.
Indeed, we see that pattern also in Rom 8. I have already noted that Paul regards the sufferings of the present time as incomparable to the glory that will be revealed in Rom 8:18. The rest of the teaching in the segment makes clear that this glory will be made manifest in the resurrection, the redemption of our bodies (8:18–23). After all, this is what it means to be conformed to the image of Christ (8:29), both in crucifixion and in resurrection. He also reinforces this point at the end with his rhetorical question about whether the many forms of suffering can separate us from the love of Christ, which is in turn followed by a quote from Ps 44:22 (8:35–36). But the hope Paul has been proclaiming is the vindication for perseverance that fulfills what the speaker of the psalm was looking for. None of the many listed external forces can separate us from the love of God in Christ. Perseverance, empowered as it is by God, is a way of reflecting God’s image and likeness by reflecting his inexorable, faithful love, as illustrated in this teaching (8:37–39).
Elsewhere in Romans, we see the influence of this theme in brief exhortations. He instructs us to rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction, and persevere in prayer (12:12), three instructions that all feed into one another, relying as they do on making the gospel story our story. We also see the influence of Jesus’s teaching (noted in Part 1) in Paul’s instruction to bless those who persecute us, not to curse them (12:14). He even links perseverance with peaceful, edifying living with one another among the community of believers (15:4–5), since perseverance is a key virtue of being like Christ and thus of living properly with other people being conformed to his image (15:3, 6). Finally, he asks for prayers in anticipation of the enmity he expects from the unbelievers in Judea (15:31).
Paul does not often make reference to the theme in 1 Corinthians, but it appears in a couple crucial places. First, when Paul is rebuking the worldly values the Corinthians pursue by their factionalism and seeking for exaltation by worldly standards, Paul points to himself and other apostles (including those some of the Corinthians define themselves by in their factionalism) as demonstrating the opposite approach. They are like those put on display in a triumphal procession, for they have been hungry, thirsty, naked, beaten, and homeless, weary from working with their hands (4:11–12). This makes them dishonorable by worldly standards, but they are rightly honorable by kingdom standards, for they follow the teachings of Jesus in blessing when reviled, enduring when persecuted, and consoling when defamed (4:13). They are thus the dregs of society in the view of the world now, but they are those who will be vindicated in the age that is coming.
Second, in Paul’s teaching on resurrection, he links persecution to it in two places. One is that he calls himself the least of the apostles because he persecuted the Church of God (15:9; cf. Gal 1:13–17; Phil 3:6; 1 Tim 1:13). But it is a testimony to God’s resurrecting power that he brought Paul to life through such a radical change that a persecutor of the Church became an apostle attesting to the risen Jesus, being now a laborer persevering through all suffering to fulfill God’s purpose for him. The other place is in 15:30–32, where Paul explores for the second time (after vv. 12–19) the consequences for if there is no resurrection. Paul and his fellow proclaimers have put themselves in danger every hour in proclaiming the gospel. If there is no resurrection, then this endangerment is to no end. Courting fatality on a daily basis is hardly the best use of a life when there is no possibility of divine vindication and confirmation by resurrection to everlasting life. Such would be an illusory goal, even as the claimed union of the community in and with the risen Christ would be illusory. Paul’s statement of affirmation thus not only declares the danger he places himself in, but it also stands or falls with the link Paul has made between resurrection belief and the union with Christ. Likewise, as implied in vv. 32–34, if there is no resurrection to eschatological judgment in which people are vindicated or condemned for how they lived, then the evangelists have ultimately been wasteful with their lives, putting themselves through so much unnecessary trial. It is because of what Paul addresses in the rest of his resurrection teaching that they can be assured that their perseverance will be vindicated with resurrection to everlasting life.
Paul says much more about his and his fellow apostles’ perseverance in faithful obedience through suffering in 2 Corinthians, the letter where he most extensively reflects on what his ministry is. In fact, the thanksgiving section of this letter (1:3–11) is occupied with giving thanks to God for his consolation in the midst of affliction. The consolation he and his fellow workers receive from God in their sufferings is, in turn, what they pass on to others. Perseverance thus makes them better comforters/consolers to others. The one who enables this perseverance is none other than the God who raises the dead (1:9), who thereby provides the ultimate consolation for those who persevere by providing them everlasting vindication for their perseverance.
The next relevant text is in 4:7–12. Here, I will simply reiterate what I noted already in my entry on resurrection in 2 Cor 4:13–5:10:
In light of his larger comparison and contrast extending back to ch. 3 between the ministries of the old and new covenant, Paul describes the gospel as removing the veil of glory for those who will receive it, glory which he describes in 4:6 as “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” But he says this glorious treasure is one the apostles carry around in “earthen vessels” (4:7). This type of image serves at least two functions. One, it prepares for Paul’s description of the “inner person” in our text, which is being transformed by the Spirit who is working within the apostles (cf. 3:17–18). Two, more immediately, it introduces the notion that Paul describes from vv. 7–10 of the apostolic ministry as a cruciform one, defined by affliction and suffering, rather than presently visible glory. Their glory is in the message that they speak, but their bodies reflecting that glory will only be an eschatological condition after the resurrection. For now, they carry around the dying of Jesus in their body, because they know that in their body the resurrection life of Jesus will also be manifested. This is the pattern of participatio Christi, of participation in the gospel story, that characterizes the apostolic ministry in particular and the Christian life in general, which Christians signify by their baptism. As the suffering of the apostolic ministry—which Paul manifests most extensively in this letter—participates in the suffering and death of Jesus for the benefit of others (that they may receive life), so too will the resurrection to everlasting life participate in the resurrection life of Jesus. For now, as in vv. 11–12, the testimony to the resurrection glory appears in the suffering of their mortal bodies, since the gospel ministry and the suffering it brings leads others into the resurrection life of Jesus.
Paul also describes the commendations of the apostolic ministry in 6:3–10. The first ten commendations of the ministry he mentions in vv. 4–5 all concern suffering for the ministry—perseverance, afflictions, hardships, distresses, beatings, imprisonments, tumults/riots, labors, sleeplessness, and hunger—with the first one being what enables him to go through all the trials by which the ministry is commended. Only after listing these ten things does Paul then discuss what would more naturally be considered positive characteristics in vv. 6–7. Verse 8 then describes this ministry as continuing in both glory and dishonor, as well as ill repute and good repute, for the duty has been to persevere through it all. As such, as described in vv. 8c–10, the apostolic ministry is characterized by paradox in that they are held as deceivers but are true, as unknown but are well known, as dying but are alive, as punished but are not put to death, as sorrowful but are joyful, as poor but are enriching many, and as having nothing but possessing all things. One way one could describe Paul’s teaching here is that the first commendation of perseverance is what holds everything else together, as it is what makes the many trials of the ministry into commendations and not defeaters, it is what brings the more positively stated qualities to bear in both good and bad situations, and it is what gives the apostolic ministry its paradoxical character. Otherwise, the worldly appearance characterized in vv. 8c–10 would have the last word, rather than the vindicating word of God spoken in the gospel and embodied in resurrection to everlasting life.
On two other occasions in this letter, Paul notes his personal sufferings for his audience. The first is in 7:4–7, which reflects that dynamic of perseverance in suffering and consolation that we noted in ch. 1, though this time from the angle of the Corinthians providing consolation to Paul through Titus while Paul and Timothy (and probably others) were pressed in Macedonia by external conflicts and internal fears. The second is in 11:23–33, Paul’s great catalog of sufferings that goes beyond even what Acts tells us. As in ch. 6, these sufferings are commendations of his ministry, showing his tried-and-true character as an apostolic witness for the risen Jesus and his gospel. It may not be what the world thinks of as “commendation,” but this list of sufferings shows how he has made the gospel story his story in taking up his cross to follow Christ, knowing, as he has said earlier in the letter, that God will raise him to everlasting life as he did Christ. This God who makes a way where there is no way had told Paul concerning his thorn in his flesh that his grace is sufficient, for power is made complete in weakness by the God who raises the dead. This is why Paul boasts in these demonstrations of his weakness, for they show forth God’s power in him embodied in his perseverance through them all (12:9–10).
The theme is not as prominent in either Galatians or Ephesians, so we can briefly review both books here. Perseverance through suffering in faithful obedience is implied in Gal 6:12, when Paul says that those who are trying to compel his audience to be circumcised do so to avoid persecution for the cross of Christ. This is informed by Paul’s awareness of the current situation that he alludes to in 4:29 and 5:11, as well as his own time as a Jewish persecutor described in 1:13–17. That is, his opponents fail in the respect of perseverance by not representing the cross of Christ in the message they proclaim and embody by their actions, unlike Paul who is willing to face suffering for the gospel he proclaims. Paul also briefly mentions his sufferings, including being “an ambassador in chains” in Eph 3:13 and 6:18–20. He says his sufferings are for the glory of his audience (3:13), showing how he embodies the cruciform life in his perseverance, and he asks for prayers so that he may continue to persevere. This includes prayer that when he speaks words may be given him to proclaim the gospel, much as Jesus taught his disciples in the Gospel texts we noted in Part 1.
Of all of Paul’s letters written from prison, Philippians is the one that most frequently appeals to our theme of interest. He refers to the Philippians as being his partners in God’s grace as well as in his imprisonment and defense of the gospel (1:7). Thus, perseverance is a quality that they share with him, as also shown in how his imprisonment has contributed to the advancement of the gospel, since his brothers and sisters have shared in his perseverance in being emboldened by Paul’s imprisonment (1:12–14). We also see the role that the expectation of vindication plays in Paul’s perseverance in 1:19–21 in his expressed confidence that in his speaking with all boldness Christ will be exalted. He expects the same of his audience, though he exhorts them to live worthily of the gospel they proclaim in anticipation of their reception of vindication (1:27–30). As such, he can rejoice even as he is being poured out as a libation and can call others to rejoice in the midst of suffering with him (2:17–18).
Both persecution and vindication are especially prominent in Paul’s teaching in ch. 3. As I have already written on one part of this chapter, I will not dwell for too long on vv. 8–12. What is necessary to note is that this text demonstrates how the gospel story itself empowers, builds resilience, and inculcates perseverance, for the participatory union with Christ has this gospel pattern to it that Paul describes in terms of knowing Christ, the power of his resurrection, and the participation in his suffering, thereby being conformed to his death. It is by this story and the union of oneself to the Christ at the center of it that one can attain the resurrection that is “from out of the dead,” meaning the resurrection to everlasting life like Christ. Paul presses on towards this goal in perseverance because it is his hope, not something he has attained just yet. He calls on his audience to think in the same fashion, to be empowered by it to live into the gospel story and to press on towards the goal of its ending (3:12–15). To attain what we hope for, it is necessary to hold fast to what we have already attained (3:16). Paul thus presents himself as an example of perseverance—as 2 Corinthians shows most vividly that he is—alongside others that he calls for us to consider (3:17). He, they, and we will be vindicated over those he identifies as enemies of the gospel, for their end is destruction, but ours is heavenly citizenship in the heavenly Savior we await to return who will transform our bodies to be conformed to his glorious body (3:18–21). He is able to resurrect and transform (as is necessary for a resurrection to everlasting life) by the same power through which he puts all things in subjection. We will have to explore this last theme in more detail another time, but for now it is noteworthy that this whole last section of ch. 3 shows how vindication further motivates perseverance in the present, for this vindication and exaltation by way of resurrection shares in Jesus’s own vindication and exaltation after his crucifixion. This is why Paul praises the Philippians for becoming his joint partakers in suffering (4:14).
One of Paul’s most intriguing statements of this theme is in Colossians. Paul notes in this letter that he is currently in prison (4:10, 18; cf. Phlm 9–10, 13) and that sets in context the statement that he strenuously contends with the energy of Christ who works in him (1:29) as a statement of perseverance. But what most intriguingly frames these statements is his declaration in 1:24 that has often given readers pause: “Now I rejoice in the sufferings for your sake and fill up what is lacking of Christ’s afflictions in my flesh for the sake of his body, which is the church.” One will see a variety of translations, often in terms of word order, to attempt to come to terms with what is said here, though my translation follows the word order closely (with the exception of genitives being moved before what they modify in Greek, whereas they typically appear afterwards in the Greek). This statement strikes as problematic because it seems to imply that Paul is making up for a lack of Christ’s suffering on the cross, and there is nothing else like such an idea in Paul’s writing or elsewhere in the NT. Rather, we should see this as similar to what we have previously seen in Phil 3 and elsewhere. What Paul is filling up is what is envisioned in that proverbial “last full measure.” As in Phil 3, he is filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions in himself by becoming more fully conformed to Christ’s gospel story by knowing the participation in his afflictions, that is, of the suffering inflicted on him, even to the point of sharing in his death. He is doing this for the sake of the Church because his perseverance in faithful obedience through suffering is for the practical spiritual benefit of the Church, not its salvific benefit. It is part of his apostolic commission, as articulated most vividly in 2 Corinthians, to proclaim the gospel message and to embody it in his suffering for the sake of its proclamation with a view to sharing in the vindication of Christ’s resurrection.
The theme is crucial in 1 Thessalonians as well. I have explored it largely in relation to what I call “theological solidarity” in my article on 1 Thessalonians for Perspectives in Religious Studies entitled “Ecclesiology Under Pressure.” I will return to address that subject more fully another time. That theme of theological solidarity is ultimately for the purpose of building up communion and perseverance, as we see in Paul’s largely praising tone of this letter, especially in the first three chapters. He notes that the Thessalonians imitated Paul and his fellows (such as Silas and Timothy with whom he wrote this letter), and they imitated the Lord in that they welcomed the gospel in/with much affliction with the joy from the Holy Spirit (1:6). Such joy in the midst of suffering is, as we have seen many times thus far, one of the key marks of perseverance, as is encouragement in suffering, as the Thessalonians provide Paul and his fellows (3:7). Paul reiterates that the initial condition in which he and his fellows proclaimed the gospel was one of facing much opposition after having suffered in Philippi (2:2). He also returns to praising the church in Thessalonica for persevering in the face of suffering afflicted upon them by their countrymen in imitation of the churches in Judea who face such affliction from their countrymen (2:14). All of these assemblies are ultimately imitating Christ Jesus, who himself suffered at the hands of the Judean leaders (2:15), but who they know, by virtue of the gospel proclaimed to them, was vindicated by God for his perseverance in faithful obedience (cf. 1:9–10; 4:13–5:11). Indeed, the story of Christ shows why none of this affliction should be a surprise; Paul and his fellows even told the Thessalonians that they were destined for afflictions, and it was so (3:3–4).
Paul makes many of these same points in 2 Thessalonians written to the same audience. They are well encapsulated in 1:3–8, including in reference to the final judgment and its effect of vindication for those who have suffered for their faithfulness. The theme is also entailed in the teaching introduced here about the coming of the man of lawlessness in ch. 2, as Paul subsequently instructs his audience to stand firm and hold fast to what they have been taught, as opposed to those who will be taken in by the man of lawlessness.
Unsurprisingly, the theme appears in Paul’s farewell letter of 2 Timothy. In fact, it is present in every chapter. In ch. 1 Paul tells Timothy not to be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of Paul, his imprisoned witness. Instead, he calls for him to join him in suffering for the gospel, knowing that this suffering is in the power of God—meaning that God empowers the perseverance—because this gospel itself points to the ultimate vindication for perseverance in how Jesus has accomplished God’s purposes in bringing salvation, abolishing death, and bringing life and immortality through the gospel (1:8–10). He reiterates his confidence in vindication for perseverance because he knows the God who promised is trustworthy, and so he calls upon Timothy as well to hold fast through suffering to what he has been given (1:11–14).
He returns to the call to suffer for the gospel by pointing to three examples of doing what needs to be done: a soldier who follows orders, an athlete who competes according to the rules, and a farmer who does the work (2:3–7). He tells him to remember the gospel he was entrusted with about Jesus Christ raised from the dead and descended from David (2:8–9). He is in chains for this word, but the word is not chained. Indeed, it points to the vindication for perseverance both in Jesus himself being raised after his crucifixion in faithful obedience to God and in how Jesus’s descent from David demonstrates God’s faithfulness to his promises. Hence, as in Col 1:24 and other texts we have seen, Paul perseveres through everything for the sake of the elect to guide them into receiving those promises (2:11). Some of them are encapsulated in the word he quotes in 2:11–13, which restates points we have seen already about making the gospel story one’s own story. Namely, those who die with him will live with him, sharing in his resurrection as they shared in his suffering, and those who persevere will reign with him, sharing in his exaltation as they shared in his faithful obedience. This is implicitly what Jesus shows in his discipleship teaching which he attached to his death and resurrection prediction (though he also points to these promises otherwise), and the warning made here also reverberates what he says in warning that denying him will lead to his denial of them. In the end, his promises are sure, because he is faithful even when we are faithless.
In ch. 3, Paul draws particular attention to his example in 3:10–15. It is a crucial part of his legacy that he leaves to Timothy his teaching, his conduct, his aim in life, his faith, his patience, his love, his perseverance, his persecutions, and his sufferings. Timothy knows of Paul’s sufferings in his own region in Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, as reported in Acts 13:50–14:19. From his example, he ought to learn to expect persecutions, but also God’s faithfulness to deliver. Of course, Paul knows that God will not always deliver from sufferings and persecutions, as some will lead to death, but these are foretastes of God’s ultimate deliverance that can always be expected: the resurrection to everlasting life that he gave Jesus. Timothy and others will be surrounded by wicked people and swindlers who will go from bad to worse, but Timothy’s responsibility is to persevere in what he has been taught. He then reiterates these points in his final instructions to Timothy in 4:5 and his own example in 4:16–18.