The Author and Finisher

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 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 has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1-2

I love this passage. The guys that I disciple are in the process of memorizing all of Hebrews 12. We have spent some good time discussing these two verses. It would take about 30 or 45 minutes writing my thoughts/commentary to these two verses but I want to focus in on the phrase, "author and finisher." These two words are so rich and deep concerning the Lord Jesus that they demand some time spent focusing upon them.

Author. Faith originates with Jesus. I see this unfolding in two particular ways. First, Jesus is the originator of faith in general. Salvation through faith was His idea. He could have brought salvation through any means that He wanted to. He could have designed salvation to be attained through the keeping of the law, but He didn't. He could have hung a monetary price tag on salvation that you and I could have worked toward and eventual purchased with a treasure chest, but He didn't. He could have set up salvation for only the most moral do-gooders on the planet, but He didn't. The Lord Jesus has made, authored, salvation to come through faith in the work that He has already done on the cross. He designed it to be that way. Secondly, Jesus is the originator of faith for the individual. That goes deeper than just the system or means of salvation. This means that Jesus authored my salvation. I did not seek after Him (Rom. 3). I did not choose Him (John 15:16). Faith began in my heart because the Father began drawing my heart toward Jesus (John 6:44; Heb. 7:25). This overwhelms my heart. To think that Jesus pursued me, purchased me and began the work of faith in my heart is, well, overwhelming. Wow!

Finisher. Faith ends with Jesus. Just as with the truth of faith's authorship, it's ending unfolds in two particular ways as well. To really understand these two aspects however, you have to see a deeper understanding of the word finisher. Finisher can also be understood as perfecter. Our faith becomes perfect in Jesus. That really means that our faith finds it's perfect match in Jesus. There will be many, many very faithful people that will spend eternity in hell. Having great faith is not the key. There are Hindu men that have devoted themselves to crawling on all fours for the rest of their lives because they really, genuinely believe that by doing so they will find favor with one of their millions of gods. The emphasis is not about how much faith you have, it is what/who you have placed your faith in. This lands the heart of the Christian squarely in Jesus. He is our perfect match. In Christ, our faith is made perfect. Secondly, Jesus will bring an end to our faith. What? Is that true? That doesn't sound right. I know it doesn't, but it is true. Think about it. On the day that you and I see Jesus face to face, will we have any need for faith? Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now

faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." On the day that I see Jesus face to face I will not hope for Him and I will be seeing Him. Faith will disappear. It will be finished. What began in the heart of God in eternity past will fade away in the light of His wonderful face. Wow!

I know that I have only scratched the surface of the these two words and their implications. I encourage you to dig into God's Word and let it's richness soak into you. As for me, I am gonna keep pondering, but I am gonna do so over an ice cold slice of watermelon.