Perseverance And Hope

Ἀδιαλείπτως οὖν προσκαρτερῶμεν τῇ ἐλπίδι ἡμῶν καὶ τῷ ἀρραβῶνι τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἡμῶν, ὅς ἐστι Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς, ὃς ἀνήγκεν ἡμῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας τῷ ἰδίῳ σώματι ἐπὶ τὸ ξύλον, ὃς ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ· ἀλλὰ δι’ ἡμᾶς, ἵνα ζήσωμεν ἐν αὐτῷ, πάντα ὑπέμεινεν. Μιμηταὶ οὖν γενώμεθα τῆς ὑπομονῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐὰν πάσχωμεν διὰ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, δοξάζωμεν αὐτόν. Τοῦτον γὰρ ἡμῖν τὸν ὐπογραμμὸν ἔθηκε δι’ ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ήμεῖς τοῦτο ἐπιστεύσαμεν.  Παρακαλῶ οὖν πάντας ὑμᾶς, πειθαρχεῖν τῷ λόγῳ τῆς δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἀσκεῖν πᾶσαν ὑπομονήν, ἣν καὶ εἴδατε κατ’ ὀφθαλμοὺς οὐ μόνον ἐν τοῖς μακαρίοις Ἰγνατίῳ καὶ Ζωσίμῳ καὶ ῾Ρούφῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις τοῖς ἐξ ὑμῶν καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ Παύλῳ καὶ τοῖς λοιποις ἀποστόλοις· πεπεισμένους ὅτι οὗτοι πάντες οὐκ εἰς κενὸν ἔδραμον, ἀλλ’ ἐν πίστει καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ, καὶ ὅτι εἰς τὸν ὀφειλόμενον αὐτοῖς τόπον εἰσὶ παρὰ τῷ κυρίῳ, ᾧ καὶ συνέπαθον. οὐ γὰρ τὸν νῦν ἠγάπησαν αἰῶνα, ἀλλὰ τὸν ὑπέρ ἡμῶν ἀποθανόντα καὶ δι’ ἡμᾶς ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀναστάντα. Ἅγιος Πολύκαρπος Σμύρνης, Πρὸς Φιλιππήσιους Έπιστολή Source: Migne PG 5.1012c

Let us then continually persevere in our hope, and the pledge of our righteousness, which is Jesus Christ, 'who bore our sins in His own body on the tree,' 1 'who sinned not, and neither was cunning found in His mouth,' 2 but for us, that we might live in Him, He endured all things. 3 Let us then be imitators of His endurance; and if we suffer; 4 for His name's sake, let us glorify Him. For He has set us this example 5 in Himself, and we have believed that such is the case. I exhort you all, therefore, to yield obedience to the word of righteousness and to exercise all patience, such as you have seen before your eyes, not only in the case of the blessed Ignatius, and Zosimus, and Rufus, but also in others among yourselves, and in Paul himself, and the rest of the Apostles. This do in the assurance that all these have not run in vain, 6 but in faith and righteousness, and that they are now in their deserved place in the presence of the Lord, with whom also they suffered. For they loved not this present world, but Him who died for us, and who for us was raised again by God. Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, Letter to the Phillipians. 1 1 Pet 2.24 2 1 Pet 2.22 3 1 John 4.9 4 Acts 5.41 5 1 Pet 2.21 6 Phil 2.16, Gal 2.2