Humanity has long viewed being resilient (to remain the same through adversity) as the virtue most vital to a person or thing’s success. Serious consideration of the evidence however tells a very different story. Resilience – though effective in the short term, fails in its ability to achieve success over the long haul. This due to the fact that God’s design was never resilience, but antifragility. If we are therefore to be successful in getting to the Reboot, we must become antifragile.

Antifragile (def.) = To improve or get stronger through adversity.

1. The human body is a good example of God’s antifragile design.

1.1. God did not design our bodies to remain the same through adversity but rather improve and get stronger.

1.2. Examples:

1.2.1. Weightlifting: the adversity suffered by the muscles through weightlifting causes them to grow and get stronger.

1.2.2. Running: the adversity suffered by the cardiovascular system through running causes an improvement to our heart and lung’s ability to pump oxygen through the body.

1.2.3. Fasting: the adversity experienced by not eating for long periods of time causes an improvement in cell repair, insulin sensitivity, blood pressure and weight loss.

1.2.4. Adaptive (or Acquired) Immunity: the adversity of sickness causes our immune system to get stronger.

1.2.5. Learning: the adversity of study and memorization causes the brain to form new neural pathways and strengthen old ones.  

2. Though God has designed our spirits to also become antifragile, it won’t happen without effort from us.  

2.1. Unlike our physical bodies, our spirits are not designed to automatically get stronger when subjected to adversity. For that to happen, requires participation or effort from us (1Pe 5:8-10) = Notice our effort is necessary to the adversity we face - resulting in antifragility – or God making our spirits stronger.

2.2. That God’s goal/expectation in adversity is to produce antifragility and not simply resilience is confirmed by several texts:

1) (Jam 1:2-4) = Trials (adversity) is meant to make us stronger/better (antifragile).

2) (Act 7:22-36) = God subjects Moses to a “Newtonian” form of adversity to make him strong/competent enough to be Israel’s ruler and deliverer.

3) (Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 26, 3:5-6, 12-13, 21-22) “To him who overcomes” = IOW: To him who does what is necessary to become antifragile - i.e., to become stronger through adversity (“overcomes” [Grk., nikao] – same word translated in Rev 6:2 as “conquering and to in order to [kai hina = Denotes purpose/result] conquer” = Becoming stronger through battle/adversity in order to defeat the adversary).

4) (Heb 12:4-14) = The pursuit of holiness (v14 “sanctification” = v10 “holiness”) necessary to getting to heaven (v14 “see[ing] the Lord”) requires shoring up our deficiencies (v4) – which is the purpose of God’s “discipline” (i.e., bringing adversity into our life), so that we can improve/get stronger (become antifragile) – a process which also requires effort and the right attitude from us (vv12-13).   

2.3. What about Mat 7:24-28? = The context is J-Day not life’s adversities.

2.4. PNTM: 1) Jesus makes such antifragility (getting stronger through adversity) a condition to getting to heaven (i.e., receiving the various heavenly benefits is only promised to those who “overcome”) – which means resilience alone is not enough! 2) Believing that adversity automatically makes us spiritually stronger (antifragile) is a myth (and a popular one!). Such antifragility only happens when we are practicing God’s prescription (i.e. we do what is necessary to become spiritually antifragile).

3. Practice of the “three divine sisters” is God’s prescription for becoming spiritually antifragile.

3.1. (1Co 13:9-13) = The way we become antifragile through the adversity often associated w/our prophetic forecasts[1] – including the uncertainties dictated by its limited abilities (vv9-12) is by practicing God’s threefold formula of (v13) “faith, hope (and) love.” – historically known as the “three divine sisters”[2]

3.2. Other texts where we find the three divine sisters:

1) (1Th 5:8) = Notice the context is also overcoming (becoming antifragile in the face of) future adversity – (i.e., the Lord’s return [vv1-7]).

2) (1Ti 1:3-6) = The focus of a person’s ministry (v4 what you “pay attention to”) will determine whether their recipients are growing weaker (vv3-4 w/6) or stronger (antifragile) through the battles of life. The formula for the latter is (v5) “faith”, hope (what Paul means by “a pure heart and a good conscience” [TBD]) and “love.” (hence the reason this is to be our “goal” in ministry [“the administration of God”], vv4-5). That Paul is indeed prescribing these three as the formula for antifragility is confirmed by:

2.1.) his application to Timothy’s ministry (vv18-19 “Fight the good fight”) = Become antifragile/an overcomer in the adverse environment of ministry (see 2Ti 1:8, 2:3) through practicing the formula (v19a “keeping faith” and hope [“a good conscience”]).

2.2.) his warning of what may happen should he fail to do so (v19b “which some have rejected [rejected the practice of faith, hope and love] and suffered shipwreck”).   

3.3. If we are not therefore diligent to practice God’s formula (the three divine sisters), we should not expect to realize its goal (becoming antifragile). Not realizing the goal will make you vulnerable to the danger of apostasy should any portion of our “2030 forecast” be correct (1Co 10:12 “take heed” = Be careful).  

3.4. P(then)NTM: WE NEED TO DO A DEEP DIVE INTO THE STUDY OF THE THREE DIVINE SISTERS (faith, hope and love) since you can’t practice what you don’t understand! 

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO LEARN IN THIS SERIES:

1. How the three divine sisters specifically combat fragility (or contribute to antifragility).

2. How the three divine sisters are connected to another important set of three: light, life and love.

3. How the three divine sisters provide the answers to Life’s biggest questions.

4. How the three divine sisters provide the attributes most valuable to every human being.

5. How the three divine sisters provide the basic framework for understanding the entire Bible.

6. How the three divine sisters provide the basic framework for counseling (or diagnosing personal problems). 

7. How Christ is connected to – and at the center of everything (including all the previous points).

8. How truly beautiful, genius and good is God’s person, precepts and plan.

9. How truly disgusting, dumb and depraved are those who choose self and the world over God.

[1] Most prophetic forecasts include some form of coming adversity (e.g., the prophecies of Agabus - Act 11:28 , 21:11 ) since this: 1) has always been a part our calling as the people of God in a sinful world (Phi 1:29 ; 2Ti 3:12 ), 2) is effective in reducing stress/negative affects (expectation allows for mental preparation) (e.g., 1Th 3:3-4). 

[2] Referring to faith, hope and love as the “three divine sisters” may have originated with the first century church. At the very least, we find evidence of its existence in the second century (See the fable of St. Sophia).