Scripture | Hebrews 12:4 “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin.”
Observation | First, we must look to what was written just before this if we are to be a real student of God and His Word. The book as a whole contains a divine connection between the old and new covenant. The author shows that Jesus is the great fulfillment of the old sacrificial system, the old priestly system and such. Then, Chapter 11 is a list of almost fifty examples of how faith, which is confident sureness (11:1), has always been the path of approval before God (11:2, 39). True faith gains God’s approval. Further, true faith always results in obedient works. Why? Because faith confidently trusts in BOTH the promises and the divine directives spoken in the Word of the Lord, so that from such great confidence every path of life is directed. Even in the face of the worst opposition, they remained faithful to God’s way when it was so far removed from man’s (11:36-38).
Second, it is from such a “great cloud of witnesses” of obedient faith “surrounding us” in scripture that we are to “lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangle us (12:1).” This is the divine directive given to us in light of the witness of the men and women of faith in chapter 11. Every sin and even what is not sin we are to rid from our lives so that we can live a life of both confident and obedient faith. As we look to Jesus, our supreme example of faith and obedient, He will perfect us, just as He gave us faith (12:2).
Third, we note as students of God’s Word that there is a divine command to resist sin AND whatever weighs us down as we run the race of obedient faith (12:1-3). God calls this “striving against sin.” The original word for “striving” is antagōnizomai, from which we are not far from the truth when we hear our English word “antagonist.” The origin of “agōn” draws the thought of the original readers to the struggle of a contest within a stadium, which were most often fought to the death. Luke 22:44 describes Jesus “agony” in facing His atoning death for us on the cross. Receiving punishment sufficient for the sins of the World (1 Jn 2:2; Heb 2:17), when He Himself was without sin (Heb 4:15). Our Savior’s agony, or striving, was so great that He sweat blood. If we have true faith, we are to fight against sin and temptation in the same way. We are to actively and fervently strive against anything that is not pleasing and glorifying to our God.
Fourth, we are to strive against sin to the “point of shedding blood.” Those who contend against an active pursuit of holiness and obedience for Jesus are in perilous error. They make the Lordship of Christ evil (Jude) and cause a devilish false-guilt to those who would walk the ancient path of fighting so seriously against sin and stumbling blocks. In the face of such internal opposition to God and His Word, those of such faith as the witnesses of the previous chapter (Heb 11) must be willing to “experience mockings and floggings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. (Be) stoned… sawn in two… put to death with the sword… be destitute, afflicted, mistreated (Heb 11:36–37).”True striving against sin and stumbling blocks is such a serious and active fight, that it may in the end cost us our lives. Yet we find, as we fix our eyes on Jesus, as we look to eternity and the Love God has for us, stiving to live according to His way in Scripture and on His paths we find it to be un-measurably more worthy of whatever sacrifice we might have to make in this short life.
Application | What are we willing to go through to resist sin and whatever weighs us down from a life lived for God? Are there stumbling blocks we need to remove at any cost from our lives? Who in our lives discourages us from a faith that is so confident in God’s Word that we trust and obey with striving? Can we correct them from such dangerous biblical error, or do we need to remove such people from our lives (2 John 10-11)? What sin am I entangled in (Heb 12:1) that I must repent of with striving? What “weights” and stumbling blocks do I need to cast out of my life so that I can walk on the ancient paths of God in true obedience and true faith?
Prayer | Father, in this age sin is not taken seriously. I confess I have become stained by the world (James 1:27) in the way it sees sin and lives in it. Please, make sin utterly sinful in my eyes through the effective-power of Your Word (Rom 7:13). Show me the sin in my life and everything that puts sin before me. So that I might fight and strive against sin and temptation so seriousness. Give me Your strength, that from this day forward I can pour out my life in this battle, even to the point of such persecution that I sacrifice my life to win the victory over sin and error. So that I might live for you, by faith. For your glory alone. Amen.
