Hebrews 12:1 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. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Some take this verse as
indicating that the "hall of fame" of faith from Hebrews 11 is watching
us from heaven, rooting and applauding for us as we move forward to engage in
the battles we must fight with Satan every day. This false concept leads some
to believe that those in heaven are watching over the living on earth. However,
the evidence that this is the case is inconclusive and unfounded in God's Holy
Word. We justly and correctly think of those in heaven as being happy,
tranquil, and untroubled about the evil and immorality occurring on this earth.
So, using the Word of God, it is problematic to say that our loved ones that
have passed on are watching us from heaven.
The writer attempts to demonstrate
that these Old Testament saints, spoken of in Hebrews 11, are witnesses of
faith and perseverance. The term cloud from the first sentence in this verse is
symbolic of a large number, in this case, a vast amount of people. Sin can and
does hinder us from the joy and peace we can enjoy from having a good and
healthy relationship with our Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit of God that
indwells within us can be stifled and clouded over by the sin we allow to
overtake our lives. Sin can entangle us to the point that we spend all of our
time focused on the sin itself, then we lose the determination to follow the
precepts of Christ and, consequently, will hinder our walk with our Savior.
There can sometimes be things
that are not sins but innocent obstructions and encumbrances that prevent us
from running the superior race (1 Corinthians 9:24; 2 Timothy 4:7). To run a
good race, the follower and believers in Christ Jesus must purge themselves of
anything that obstructs or impedes their relationship with Christ.
Consequently, we should reject any sin in our lives and anything that might
impede our walk of faith. Sometimes seemingly innocent things we are involved
in could debilitate our sanctification process and our spiritual growth.
Anything that might hinder our daily bible study or prayer life would fall into
this category. As followers and believers in Christ Jesus, we must be extremely
cautious that we do not feed and nurture ourselves on spiritual junk food but only
on the pure unadulterated Word of God.
A walk of faith and trust in
Christ Jesus will always subjugate and vanquish a self-reliant or
self-subsisting life. Trust in the promises and hope in God and Him alone will
always lead to a victorious life. Therefore, we must not allow Satan to
obstruct or thwart our race because of its eternal significance.
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