Running the Race - Part 1

Hebrews 12:1-4

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

Over the past several weeks I have been working hard with this passage. This semester I am in a class where we are going step-by-step and verse-by-verse through the book of Hebrews. As part of our requirements for the class, we have to write a paper on one section of the book. So I have been working on this paper for quite some time now, reading commentators views on the passage, looking up key words in the passage, and trying to figure out what the author of Hebrews is saying. Now the problem comes with relaying that information to you. I highly doubt that you want to read a 15+ page paper about 4 verses. So I am going to give you parts, or chunks, of my paper that I feel will help you understand this passage. Now to prevent an extremely long blog post, I will do this in parts as well. Today I am going to give you the introduction to my paper that looks at the passage as a whole. In the days to come we will look at some of the verses specifically, look at the historical background of this passage, and finally look at an application for our daily lives. So after this very long introduction to this new series, here is a quick introduction to Hebrews 12:1-4.

The beginning of chapter twelve in the book of Hebrews serves as an important transition between the example of the faithful ones mentioned in chapter eleven and the encouragement given to the congregation in chapter twelve. When reading this passage, it is important to understand who the author is referring back to as a “cloud of witnesses” when looking back to chapter eleven. It is also important to understand the role Jesus plays in the Christian faith, both in His crucifixion and exaltation. One who does not understand these examples of faithful men will not understand the importance of the exhortations provided. This passage deals with the ways in which these men and women have shown faithfulness and how a contemporary Christian can continue to “run the race” while turning away from sin and looking towards Christ. When studying this passage, one must consider why the author uses the examples of past witnesses and Christ and what relevance that has for Christians in today’s society.

So as we go verse by verse, we will look at this sports imagery and how that helps one further understand the meaning of this passage. But let me go ahead and say that the main point that I hope you get out of this passage is endurance. We are called to endure through the Christian life, focusing on Jesus, as we go through life's mountain tops and valleys.

Matt