Run the Race

Hebrews 12:1-11

Main Idea: Christians ought to look to Jesus, who endured the full weight of suffering, and trust in the Father’s benevolent providence through all trials and hardship.

1. Run the Race (12:1-3)
   1. The spiritual race
   2. The source and perfecter
   3. Consider Jesus
2. The Father’s Discipline (12:4-11)
   1. The place of the Lord’s discipline
   2. The purpose of the Lord’s discipline

The author of Hebrews provides a list of faithful examples in chapter 11. He then uses these examples as a basis for urging his readers to remain faithful. But the point of this passage is not to look to our earthly fathers but to look to Jesus, our ultimate source for finding strength and for obtaining a proper understanding of the heavenly Father’s discipline. Believers look to Christ because he endured suffering for the church’s salvation. The hostility he bore was the hostility his people deserved. None of the Old Testament figures suffered or acted for the elect in the way Christ did by substituting himself. Christ, therefore, is the key focus.

Run the Race

Hebrews 12:1-3

The New Testament is full of metaphors. Jesus frequently uses agrarian metaphors, such as the parable of the Wheat and the Weeds. We also find many military and athletic metaphors in Paul’s epistles. Here the writer of Hebrews employs a clear athletic metaphor, which again indicates that he was probably writing to a congregation of Hellenized Christians in one of the great cities of the empire. The athletic metaphors would make the most sense where the games were most prominent, in a city like Alexandria, for instance. Thus, the author calls us to a great race. This great race is one that takes place in a stadium filled with Old Testament saints. This is not merely a coliseum of spectators; it’s a coliseum of enduring saints who have already finished running.

The Spiritual Race

The last four chapters of Hebrews contain the author’s spiritual exhortation to endure. He begins chapter 12 with the word therefore, which is his hinge from examples of Old Testament saints to application in the life of the believer. No athlete would intentionally run a race carrying weights, so believers must “lay aside every hindrance.” One of the most horrifying truths about sin is that it clings to the sinner. Christians would like to say that once we have come to faith in Christ, sin assaults us no more. Unfortunately, it’s not easily shed. God’s Word never says that sin will stop assaulting or enticing us after conversion. Instead, Scripture gives warnings and examples, as Paul does in Romans 7. Sin is a real threat with which Christians must constantly contend. This is why the author commands us to throw it off and lay it aside. If we don’t, we won’t endure.

We must also run the race “with endurance.” In typical races the vast majority of people only watch. Very few actually run. In the Christian life, the starting pistol has been fired. From the moment of our salvation until the moment of our death, all are running a race. Paul tells Timothy, “I have finished the race” (2 Tim 4:7). All believers want to be able to say the same. Finishing the race is the product of endurance. God’s elect endure to the end and finish the race set before them.

No believer runs with endurance by his own strength. We are beset with weaknesses. What endurance we run with is entirely of Christ. We only endure because we belong to him. As 1 Peter 1:5 teaches, we are being guarded by God’s power. But this does not mean that we passively endure. God does not honor the saints of the Old Testament because they were passive. They were actively faithful. Likewise, God calls us today to a race that requires active faithfulness.

The Source and Perfecter

What will be the key to our strength? The author just took us through the catalog of the faithful in Hebrews 11. It begins with Abel and ends with those unnamed who were stoned, sawn in two, killed with the sword, or otherwise afflicted and mistreated. The world was not worthy of these, forcing some of them to wander about in deserts and mountains, to live in dens and caves. At this point the reader might assume that he would be told to look to that great host of witnesses. But that is not what the author states! Verse 2 tells the church to look to “Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith.”

Christianity is not a cult of hero worship. It is centered on the singularity of Jesus Christ. We are not here because of Abel, Moses, Abraham, or even those who were sawn in two or those who wandered the earth living in caves. The church exists because Jesus died and rose again, and the only way to endure is by looking to him. This great cloud of witnesses encourages and inspires us, but the One who keeps us in the race is Christ alone.

Verse 2 describes Jesus in two ways:

• Source
• Perfecter

The meaning of the word source is clear. Jesus is the One on whom our faith is founded. He is both the cornerstone and the capstone. He is the unshakable ground on which our hope and salvation rest. Without him, our faith is futile and we have no basis for belief. If Jesus is not who he says he is, then our faith is in vain (1 Cor 15:14-15). It is not an overstatement to say that the entire Christian faith rests on the validity of Christ’s person and work.

He is also the perfecter of our faith. Does that mean that he alone perfectly lived the Christian life? Although that’s true, that’s not the author’s point. That would be superficial. By perfecter he means “finisher” or “the One who completed it.” Christ’s work was perfect when he said, “It is finished,” and when the Father honored his obedience by raising him from the dead. Christ’s work is still perfect today. As the author has made abundantly clear, Jesus continues to act as our mediator and will succeed in bringing his people home. In other words, Christ has done all things necessary to secure our salvation, and he will see his work through to the end.

This passage is exhilarating for Christians even without the context. But the context of the athletic games adds a further layer of depth that’s not there without it. Athletes competed in the games to win the prize at the end. In the ancient Greek and Roman games, the prize at the end generally was a laurel crown. It was not worth much itself, but earning it brought considerable fame. In the ancient world, fame was difficult to acquire. People were typically famous due to noble birth, inherited wealth, or military genius and prowess. Through athletics, people could become well-known, improve their standing, and enter a new realm of life as the champion. After those games, the winner was granted the honor of sitting with royalty. This is how the author describes Christ at the end of his race. Christ endured the cross for us, not because he was looking for monetary or societal gain or because he wanted to wear a laurel crown. Instead, he despised the shame, refusing to see it as shame, and wore the crown of thorns for our good and his Father’s glory.

Consider Jesus

The writer again reminds his people to consider Jesus in verse 3. The author isn’t asking them to merely take Christ under consideration. By consider, he means to hold up Christ as a model and to constantly look to him for inspiration and encouragement. Jesus shows his followers how to be found faithful in the end. This is not a new argument in Hebrews. The writer is echoing his exhortation from chapter 3. The only way to endure and stand firm is to consider Jesus. He endured great hostility in the race.

It doesn’t take much pain to get our attention or much hostility for us to feel persecuted. There are persons right now enduring vehement physical persecution because of their faith in Jesus Christ. There are people being flogged, beaten, imprisoned, separated from their families, and even martyred in his name. I was in the Middle East several years ago, and I met an Iranian pastor who had scars on his back from being beaten by the secret police with chains. It was an unforgettable sight. This is the kind of hostility the author of Hebrews is talking about.

While the increasing secularization occurring in the West may marginalize and malign Christians, this passage specifically speaks of physical persecution and the shedding of blood. This is a reality for many Christians around the world, which evokes the extreme persecution first and second century Christians experienced. Thinking of physical hostility, the writer of Hebrews reminds us that our Redeemer was tortured. Jesus was flogged, whipped, and endured this hostility against himself. Considering what Jesus Christ endured will help us endure in a world that continues to grow more and more hostile and opposed to Christianity. We must fix our eyes on him if we are going to persevere.

The Father’s Discipline

Hebrews 12:4-11

The struggle is not just against persecution. It’s also a struggle against sin. In other words, the author is saying that resisting the temptation to fall away can also be described in terms of resisting the temptation to fall into sin. The temptation to avoid persecution or to abandon the faith is ultimately the temptation to submit to sin.

The “not yet” in verse 4 is critical. Although some Christians might not yet have experienced physical persecution, it remains a real possibility for all of us. We must always remember that the comfort we know now is not guaranteed to last forever. Things can change quickly, and in many parts of the world they do. Almost instantly, countries change regimes, constitutions, or law enforcement approaches. Persecution of Christians can happen anywhere at any time, and it can quickly lead to the shedding of blood.

The Place of the Lord’s Discipline

Recall that the author is writing to a Jewish congregation. His readers are Jewish converts. They are familiar with torah and with the Old Testament. They know the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament, including Proverbs, which is cited in verse 5. In Proverbs 3:11-12, Solomon was warning his son not to make light of the Lord’s discipline. He does not want him to scorn God’s discipline because discipline is a sign of sonship. The very presence of the Lord’s discipline in a person’s life is evidence that the person is loved by God. This concept is something that the readers are intended to understand instinctively. The concept actually works backward to a confused and generally undisciplined generation such as our own, but this is exactly the truth Solomon was trying to communicate to his son.

Administering discipline is a parent’s job. No one disciplines someone else’s children. The one who disciplines is treating the recipient like a son or daughter. When Solomon writes to his own son, whom he disciplined, he essentially says, “You should take the Lord’s discipline as the sign of how much he loves you, in the same way that I discipline you because I love you.” The writer of Hebrews assumes that discipline is an act of love by the righteous parent who understands his child’s need.

The Purpose of the Lord’s Discipline

Discipline is by nature unpleasant. It is painful, but it has a purpose. Parents know what they’re doing. Children don’t always know why they’re being disciplined or how the discipline is an act of love, but it’s not necessary that children understand these things at every point. If children understood all this in advance, they would not have done whatever it was that required the discipline. Certain lessons can only be learned by discipline.

The author continues his discussion and reveals the purpose of discipline. It is to bring “the peaceful fruit of righteousness” into the child’s life. Because the parent loves the child, he always disciplines in a reasonable, firm, authoritative, and yet loving and righteous way. A father shows his son that he loves him through his discipline. If he did not love him, he would let him run wild. But he wants this son to know the peaceful fruits of righteousness. To show him this, the father’s love must sometimes take the form of discipline.

People tend to think that things happen to them by chance. The truth is that things come into our lives by the sovereign intentions and purposes of the Lord. Not all things are good, but all things are for the good and edification of those who love God. Sometimes Christians have to keep faith when things do not seem to be for our good.

In Romans 8 Paul describes that God is working in all things for the good of believers. This doesn’t mean we need to be thankful for the development of tumors or other tragic things that happen. These aren’t things for which we would ask or pray. Yet even in difficult situations, God is working for our good. It’s this truth that the author has in mind as he writes this passage of Hebrews. God, as a loving Father, may be disciplining us, sharpening and maturing our faith.

When people think of discipline, they often think only of corrective discipline or punishment. But discipline is far more. It is teaching. God is making disciples through his discipline. It is tempting to complain about discipline and to think it is a sign that God does not love us. Christians question how God can work for good through horrifying loss. Yet God was working for our good in the gruesome death of his Son. If ever we doubt God’s love because of our circumstances, we can look to the cross and remind ourselves that God gave us his own Son so that we might in turn become sons of God.

Reflect and Discuss

1. Why is comparing the Christian life to a race such an apt analogy both for the author’s audience and for Christians today? How does the analogy of a race apply to your life?
2. What three things are the people told to consider in verses 1-3 to help motivate them in their run? How does knowledge of the “large cloud of witnesses” encourage you? In what ways does Jesus encourage you?
3. Why does the author tell us to “lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us”? What effects do sin and hindrances have on our spiritual races? How do they affect our endurance? Do you think these metaphors refer to the same thing? Why or why not?
4. What does active faithfulness look like? In what particular ways do you see Old Testament saints practicing active faithfulness? In what ways can you practice it in certain situations you experience?
5. What is the goal and finish line of the Christian race? In other words, why are we encouraged to endure? What did Christ receive for his endurance? How does considering Jesus motivate you to endure?
6. Why does God allow his people to endure persecution? What is the proper Christian response to it? List some of the various forms of persecution Christians experience.
7. Why might God discipline his church? What does the presence of God’s discipline in someone’s life indicate about that person? How should the Christian respond to evidence of God’s discipline in his life? How might this help to mature faith?
8. Why can Christians trust that the Father’s will is benevolent and perfect? What are some verses of Scripture that affirm the goodness of God’s character and his plan, even in the midst of difficulty?
9. How does discipline as described in Proverbs and in this passage of Hebrews differ from our culture’s concept of discipline? Contrast the purpose of the Lord’s discipline with the way the world uses it.