They finished the race that was set before them having set aside the sin which plagues so many Christians – the sin of unbelief. Knowing that we too are following in the footsteps of such a great a cloud of witnesses, let us endeavour to lay aside every weight that hinders our personal Christian life so that we do not fall into the sin of unbelief, which can so easily beset us in the race of life – and let us run with patient endurance the race that is set before us, looking to JESUS, the Author and Finisher of our faith. "Therefore," we are exhorted,  "since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us". And as we look at their example, we are challenged in our own race through life, to forget the things which are behind, to discard anything and everything that might impede our progress or hinders our witness, as we reach forward to complete God's plans and purposes for our lives.It is the sin of unbelief that can so easily ensnare and entangle us, for unbelief can become an unbearable weight on our heart, which fosters fear and chokes our faith. Hebrews 12:1 - Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, May I patiently endure all the obstacles in life in the power of the Holy Spirit and help me to be a living witness to Your Word of truth, in Jesus name I pray, AMEN. Loving Father thank You for the many people of faith in scripture who bear witness that Your Word is trustworthy and true. New International Version. Ibid., Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. When trust in God begins to falter, it is unbelief that hampers our progress. Peace and holiness are to be our spiritual condition as well as our spiritual position. Answer: “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. It is only through the empowering of the Holy Spirit that we can "Pursue peace with all, and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord.". At Hebrews 12:26-27 is explaining that the “things that have been made” by hands other than God’s—the entire present system of things,—are to … Verses 1 and 2 of chapter 12 flow naturally from the end of chapter 11, providing a direct application of the points made in that passage. We are holy unto the Lord because we are set aside by God and positioned in heavenly places in Christ.. and we are to be holy because the Lord our God is Holy. pursue with constancy the course that God has purposed for us and to continue, Hebrews 12:1 Treasury of Scripture Knowing, Last Night (Easter Reflections - (intro). Λέγων, saying) Here three things are quoted from the Old Testament, by which the preceding discourse of the apostle is admirably confirmed, by Chiasmus, in retrograde order. Hebrews 12:14 Treasury of Scripture Knowing, Last Night (Easter Reflections - (intro). Hebrews 12:17, ESV : "For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears." There are many perils and dangers for the one that fails to pursue peace and rejects Christ's call to holiness. Let not your heart be troubled or fearful". What Does Hebrews 12:14 Mean? Unless we are saved by faith we cannot have peace with God and unless we are walking in spirit and truth we will not know the peace of God. When we choose to walk in fleshly disobedience and carnal disbelief... when we take hold the privileges of the New Covenant in contempt or when we fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, the consequences of sin will result in irrevocable loss - 'saved - yet as though by fire'. Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. We are reminded that this world is not our home and as sojourners in a foreign land will have to undergo the same sort of hostility, the Lord Jesus endured from sinners who opposed Him. [⇑ See verse text ⇑] In this passage, Christians are instructed to maintain a Christ-honoring lifestyle, even in the face of persecution (Hebrews 12:3–4). But now that we have been saved by grace through faith in Him we are to strive to live in peace with all people and to pursue godly consecration and holiness of heart - without which, we are told, no one will ever see the Lord. Therefore the article τὸν in Hebrews 12:25 does not prevent it from being one and the same person who spoke on earth and who now speaks from heaven. I have so often spotted my garments by pursuing things other than Your perfect peace, Your holy purity and Your godly will for my life. Hebrews 12:1. Update : Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, Help me to keep the eyes of my heart fixed on Jesus and I pray that the life that I now live in this body may reflect my heavenly position in Christ - in Whose name I pray. For the apostle mentions Christ says, in the words of the Old Testament, Hebrews 2:12, Sons. Hebrews 12:2, CSB: "keeping our eyes What Does Hebrews 12:29 Mean? Earlier verses commanded believers to seek peace and personal holiness (Hebrews 12:14). Father, thank You that I have been redeemed, sanctified and set apart by You because I am Your blood-bought child. Hebrews gives us a wonderful list of people who are commended by God for their faith. What does Hebrews 12:1 mean? How important, therefore, that as an act of will, that we seek to lay aside all the seeds of doubt and disbelief, and to shake off everything that ensnares and hinders us, so that we pursue with constancy the course that God has purposed for us and to continue, with steadfastness, the race that is set before us. 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. I do not give to you as the world gives. Hebrews 2:13, at the end, I and the children. [⇑ See verse text ⇑] Chapter and verse divisions were not part of the original written texts of the Bible. How necessary to hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, and to pursue peace and holiness, for our God and Saviour.. Whose promises are faithful and true. It is not so much that these Old Covenant saints are spectators of our progress through life, but their lives bore witness of their faith in God and trust in His word - a faith that we are to emulate as we press on in our Christian walk.Life is a race, which has a finishing line and we are exhorted to set the eyes of our hearts and the determination of our spirits on to the goal of our calling – and that goal is a Person, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. ... Hebrews 12:29(NASB) Verse Thoughts. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12… Hebrews 12:1 What Does Hebrews 12:1 Mean? Because we are His children by faith we have been permanently positioned in-Christ, which has given us peace with God, the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. Hebrews 12:2, NLT: "We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. How important that our faith does not fail and that we stand firm in this evil day and strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble. Hebrews 12:14, KJV: "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:" Hebrews 12:14, NASB: "Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord." Or does faith entail more than this, as Hebrews 11:1, the only place a definition of “faith” is provided in the New Testament, seems to indicate? In the trials and difficulties of my life, help me to keep trusting You like this great cloud of witnesses. Peace I leave with you. But as God's blood-bought children, we are beloved of the Father, Who disciplines those He loves... so that through the sufferings of this world, we will be trained by it, and afterwards will enjoy the peaceful fruit of righteousness. ... Hebrews 12 exhorts the Church to maintain our hope in Christ - the Author and Finisher of our faith. What does Hebrews 12:1 mean? Hebrews 3:12 What Does Hebrews 3:12 Mean? We are commanded to be holy and consecrated unto the Lord in body, soul and in spirit, but we can't do this in our own strength. Help me to discard every encumbrance that may hinder my Christian progress and witness, and give me perseverance I pray, as I press towards the final goal. I do not give to you as the world gives. Jesus is also the “perfecter” of our faith—He is … Step by step it showed that Christ was superior to angels and of greater importance than Moses, Aaron and Joshua. My dear desire is that my life is truly holy and set apart for You, in thought, word and deed. It is a catalogue of men and women, named and unnamed, that stand as witnesses to lives that honoured the Lord – men like Abraham, who looked for a city, whose Builder and Maker is God; women like Sarah, who consider God was faithful to keep His promise. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of … strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble. My peace I give to you. When seeds of doubt are allowed to take root and flourish it renders us impotent in our Christian walk and taints our testimony. It is as we turn the eyes of our heart upon Jesus, and fix the thoughts of our minds on Him, that His peace like a river will flood our heart, and His holiness will become a practical reality in the life that is consecrated to Him. We are instructed to be holy in all our words and in all our ways – we are directed to be holy and blameless in His sight, and to pursue after peace and holiness - in love. For the author of Hebrews, “faith” is not just about a distant reality but about how our actions connect to that reality. Hebrews 12:10(NASB) Verse Thoughts The training and discipline of earthly parents which is given during infancy and childhood, is compared and contrasted with the perfect instruction and chastening rod that we receive from our heavenly Father. We are called to be holy and set apart unto Him.. for God is holy, but this cannot be achieved by our own efforts. What does Hebrews 12:16 mean? complete God's plans and purposes for our lives. They were men and women who trusted the Lord despite the terrible circumstances many of them had to face, but as we move into Chapter 12, that great cloud of witnesses is replaced by one wonderful Witness - the Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews chapter 12. Pursue peace with all, and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord: Following a beautiful chapter on faith, which reminds us of our privileged position in Christ and the glories that are yet to be realised in Him, Hebrews 12 exhorts the Church to maintain our hope in Christ - the Author and Finisher of our faith. For you to understand this particular scripture you must have read probably the whole chapter 2 to 3 verses above and after. Jesus is the supreme Witness, for He is the Son of the Most High, through Whom almighty God now speaks. He is the one who made the way into the Holy of Holies so that the rest of us could follow into God’s presence ( Hebrews 10:19–20 ). Hebrews 12:14, ESV: "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." Hebrews RESISTING UNTO BLOOD Hebrews 12:4‘Ye have not yet resisted’ - then others had done so; and the writer bids his readers contrast their own comparative immunity from persecution from the fate of such, in order that they may the more cheerfully do the easier task devolved upon them.Who were those others? At this point, the writer shifts to a practical lesson on HOW we are to live by faith, priorities he mentions are enduring on the journey and keeping our focus on Christ, not being distracted by the world around us. Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about, As the Israelites were encompassed with the pillar of cloud, or with the clouds of glory in the wilderness, as the Jews say; (See Gill on 1 Corinthians 10:1), to which there may be an allusion, here, since it follows, with so great a … There is however a Mimesis,[85] and the feelings of those are expressed who do not acknowledge Him that speaketh .— τὴν γῆν ) Γῆ ἘΣΕΊΣΘΗ , the earth was shaken , Psalm 68:9 , רָעָשָׁה , and Haggai uses this same word. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done." The book of Hebrews was particularly important for Jewish believers, in the early Church. We are to be holy by setting ourselves apart for Him, as a living sacrifice, "holy and acceptable unto the Lord" - surrendering to Him in every corner of our lives and every attitude of our being – surrendered to Him for His praise and glory – through time and into eternity. How important that we shed anything and everything that inhibits our progress and pursue the Lord Jesus, unfalteringly and unflaggingly. Chapter 12 begins, "since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses," referring back to them. Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus is the “pioneer” of our faith. AMEN. They are called “a great cloud of witnesses”, and indeed their lives demonstrate a trust in God that stands as a wonderful testimony to the faithfulness of God in their lives, and a great encouragement for us to run the race that lies before us, and press on for the high call of God, as we look to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith - Who endured the cross for our sake. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne." Question: "What does it mean to ‘run the race set before us’ (Hebrews 12:1)?" Hebrews 12:15 What Does Hebrews 12:15 Mean? Despite the many trials and tribulations they were called upon to face, these men and women obtained a good testimony through faith. He is the one who blazed the trail. But we are also to make every effort to maintain the inner peace of God, that surpasses human understanding - by maintaining a mind that is stayed in Him. Hebrews 12:12, KJV: "Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;" Hebrews 12:12, NASB: "Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble," Hebrews 12:12, NLT: "So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees." Let not your heart be troubled or fearful". See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; Hebrews 12:1 KJV Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the … Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you. As His children we are already at peace with God because He forgave us our sins by grace through faith. How necessary to hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, and to pursue peace and holiness, for our God and Saviour.. Whose promises are faithful and true. My peace I give to you. Hebrews 2:12. 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