“Looking Unto Jesus”
The Holy Spirit is urging us to go on in faith, to persevere to the end, running with patience the race that is set before us, enduring hardship, overcoming difficulties, resisting temptation, laying aside every weight of care that would hinder us and the sin that so easily besets us. In a word, the Lord God here calls for every believing sinner to make whatever sacrifice is necessary, and do whatever it takes, no matter what the cost may be, and follow Christ.
The claims of grace are universal. The Lord God claims dominion over our whole life. If we would follow Christ, nothing can be held in reserve. Either he is Lord of all, or he is not Lord at all.
Upon
what grounds can such sacrifice, such commitment, such consecration and
devotion be expected? How can reasonable, responsible men and women be expected
to live such a life? What will inspire such devotion? What will effectually
motivate a person to such wholehearted consecration? We find the answer in
Hebrews 12:2.
The
only way we can run the race set before us, the only way we can live in this
world by faith, the only way we can enter into the glory and bliss of eternal
life with Christ is by “looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our
faith.” Oh, may the Lord our God give us grace ever to be found looking
unto Jesus! Salvation is “looking unto Jesus.” If we would persevere in
faith, if we would continue in the grace of God, if we would keep our hearts in
the love of God, we must ever be found “looking unto Jesus.”
The
Lord Jesus Christ is the solitary object of our faith. These three words, “looking
unto Jesus,” are much, much fuller than our English translation suggests.
They are immense. The words would actually be more accurately translated,
“Looking away unto and into Jesus.”
Salvation
is “looking unto Jesus.” Salvation begins, in the experience of it, with
looking to Christ (Isa. 45:22). Salvation is here described in its continuance
as “looking unto Jesus.” Salvation ends in exactly the same way, “looking
unto Jesus” (1 John 3:2). It is written, “And they shall see his face!”
The
Holy Spirit calls for us to turn our eyes away form everything else and fix
them upon the Lord Jesus Christ alone. If we would be saved, we must look to
Christ alone. If we would continue in the grace of God, we must look to Christ
alone. Let him have no rival. Look away from that great cloud of witnesses to
Christ. They will be a hindrance to faith if they keep you in anyway from
looking to Christ. Look away from yourself to Christ. Looking to yourself will
keep you from looking to Christ. Look away to Christ for eternal
life—redemption—justification—faith—repentance—mortification—sanctification—preservation.
Look away from the course you must run unto Christ. If you spend you soul’s
energy looking at the course, you will soon be overwhelmed. Look away from
other runners in the race to Christ. Anything, anyone to whom you look, to any
degree, takes your eyes off Christ. Look to him alone and look to him always.
These words, “looking unto Jesus,” suggest that as we run our race looking
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to Christ alone, we must ever be looking into him. We must look away to Christ, with the eye of faith, ever gazing into his infinitely glorious Person. Faith begins with but a glimmering revelation of the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The more we look unto Christ the more fully we see him; and the more fully we see him the more we see into him and perceive who and what he is.
Let us always be found “looking unto Jesus the Author of our faith.” The word translated “author” is another word that is full of meaning. It is one of those Greek words that has no exact equivalent in English. This is the word that is used in Hebrews 2:10 when Paul calls the Lord Jesus Christ, “the Captain of our Salvation.” It comes from a root word that means “commence.” Here, Paul holds the Lord Jesus Christ before us as that One who is the Author of faith. He is the One who commences faith. We would have no faith, if he did not give it to us and work it in us by the omnipotent power of his grace (Eph. 1:19; 2:8; Phil. 1:29; Col. 2:12).
But there is more here than that. Notice that the word “our” is in italics, indicating that it was added by our translators. Without question, the Scriptures universally teach that Christ is the One by whom we have that faith that looks to him alone as its Object. But the intent of the Holy Spirit here is to teach us that Christ is the One who is the great pioneer and example of faith. That is to say, if we would know what it is to live and walk in this world by faith, we must look to Christ as the Pioneer who struck out the path and blazed the trail before us. Multitudes lived by faith in the Old Testament. Multitudes have lived by faith since. Multitudes live by faith today. But, if we would find a man who truly and perfectly lived by faith, if we would find an example to follow, we must look away from all others, “looking unto Jesus the Pioneer of our faith.”
Yes, our blessed Savior lived in this world as a man by faith, ever trusting God. Let us follow his perfect example. He said, concerning the Lord our God and his God, “I will put my trust in him” (Heb. 2:13). God the Father put his trust in his Son as our Surety in the covenant of grace (Eph. 1:13). And God the Son put his trust in the Father as a Man while he lived in this world. What an example he is! What a pioneer trail he blazed for us to follow! He walked with God, looking always unto the Father, speaking and acting in childlike dependence upon the Father. By faith he looked away from all discouragements, difficulties, and oppositions, committing his life and his cause to the Lord his God, who had sent him, to the Father whose will he had come to fulfil. By faith he resisted and overcame all Satan’s temptations. By faith he endured all the trials brought upon him by his Father’s wise and good providence. By faith he performed all those signs and wonders in which the power and love and salvation of God were symbolized. Before He raised Lazarus from the grave, he thanked God who heard his prayer. By our Savior’s example we are taught what it is to believe God, what it is to live by faith. Let us ever be “looking unto Jesus the Pioneer of our faith.” He trusted in God. He gave us the command, “Have faith in God,” out of the fulness of his own experience (Pro. 3:5-6).