¹ 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 …

Turning the corner from theology and illustration, we now come to application, the grand “so what?” of Hebrews. Since Christ is superior to angels, Moses and the Levitical system, and is a high priest in the order of a better priesthood, namely that of Melchizedek, and since there is a whole parade of faithful people that have gone before us who dared to believe God’s word (chapter 11), how then should we believers live today? Those faithful people of old are pictured as sitting in the grandstands watching us perform in the arena of life. Their lives have witnessed to a faithful God, and now it is our turn to carry the baton of faith forward.

Two responses follow: to lay aside and to run. First, we should lay aside, that is, remove from our lives any hindrance or sinful patterns of behavior. The author does not enumerate any particular sin. He refers to anything that may slow one’s progress in faith. This may vary from Christian to Christian; what hinders one, may not hinder another.

Now obviously, sin needs to be repented of. But the struggle here does not simply mean to confess sin, or even just to resist sin. You need to extract anything in your lives that supplies even the distraction of temptation. This is essentially what Jesus taught, “If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell” (Matt 18:9). Paul adds, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Rom 13:14). If certain movies cause you to lust, then don’t go to those movies. If reading the news causes you to fret over the world’s state of affairs, then don’t buy the newspaper. If associating with certain people leads you to join in their negative attitudes and gossip, then the solution is to avoid those people. Remove anything from your life that entangles you and keeps you from running the good race of faith.

The second response is to “run,” a frequent metaphor of Paul’s for the progress of faith in the Christian life. This is not a lollygag stroll. “Run in such a way that you may win” (1 Cor 9:24a). This requires endurance, especially for the original readers in the face of pressure to turn back to the old system of religion. Hold on, look ahead and stay focused; keep your eyes on the target!

Lord, though I get weary in my walk of faith, I want to stay fixed on the true goal, namely, Your son the Lord Jesus Christ.