"The Race of Faith"

Hebrews 12:[1-4]--"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 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 has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin."

The Bible often refers to our Faith as a race for life. The race for faith is a race for endurance. Just like running in a marathon we must not look back lest we fall and stumble. We often can get distracted by many things while running this race. Satan will try to distract us by putting things in our path that will cause us to get discouraged to the point of giving up. I often get distracted by conflicts, lost family members, financial problems, health issues, not living up to my own expectations, and my own sin, just to name a few.

In this verse sin is what can so easily entangle us and weigh us down. We have to be careful not to become tangled in our own personal sin that we get tangled up and trip. We must stay daily in God's word so that we do not become entangled and our hearts become unreceptive to God's word. This is what was happening to the Hebrew people in this passage.

In the past I have gotten so caught up in myself that I just wanted to give up because it seemed I had been running....and running...and running, to the point of exhaustion. The problem was, I was trying to run the race of faith in my own strength and had forgotten that Christ had already completed my faith. The Lord revealed to me many truths through this passage about Christ. Without Christ's strength our efforts to run this race of faith are futile. The key to running this race and making it to the finish line is only found by looking to Jesus.

Even though we will endure difficult circumstances and conflict in our Christian walk we are reminded and encouraged to persevere because of Christ. The writter of Hebrews reminds us of four things about Christ that will empower us to persevere in our faith.

1. Christ is the Author and Finisher of our Faith.

We can look to Christ because He is the object of our faith and salvation. Christ is the originator and perfector of our faith. He has perfectly completed it.

John 19:30--"So when Jesus had recieved the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head He gave up His spirit."

2. Christ Endured the Cross.

Even when Christ was tempted to give up he did not. He remained determined and willing to suffer in obedience to God.

Philippians 2:8--"And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."


3. Christ bore the Contradiction of Sinners.


It says in the last part of verse two that Christ despised the shame. Sinners laughed, scorned, and beat Christ. Christ didn't give up even when He had to endure such hostility.

John 19:[1-3]--"So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands.

4. Christ is sitting on the Throne at the right hand of God.


After Christ's death He ascended to heaven and is currently sitting at God's right hand interceding for us. Therefore, proving that He conquered death and the grave and has perfected and completed our faith. Because of Christ's righteousness we can stand perfect before God.


Hebrews 10:[11-13]--"And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool."


Just as a marathon runner has to look and press forward to recieve the prize, we too must not look back but consistantly keep our eyes on the prize; which is Christ. If we want to win this race we must look to Jesus. There will be times that we are so tried from running that we will have to rest but we must not grow weary or give up and quit. When we experience trials and or tests from the Lord in our life we must not allow our circumstances to cause us to become a weary runner whose arms are downcast and knees are wobbling. Instead, we must renew our strength by reflecting on Christ and get a second wind so that we can continue the race and endure to the end.

Hebrews 12:[12-13]--"Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed."

Philippians 3:[12-14]--"Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Paul uses the analogy of a runner to describe our spiritual growth. He says we have not reached the goal of christlikessness yet, but we must continue to persue it. This should be the goal of every Christians life. Christ is our preeminent example of how we are to persevere to the end. In order not to give up or get discouraged in this race of faith we must consider Christ. We may become exhausted and even persecuted but it will be nothing compared to what Christ went through. I have been encourged by this passage because Christ lives in my heart therefore I know I have the strength to keeping running in this race until may santification has been completed.

Galatians 6:9--"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."

1 Corinthians 10:13--"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."


We must always look to God and seek to grow closer to Him because He is the only one that can keep us from stumbling. God uses all the things we go through for our sanctification therefore we can take comfort in the fact that God is working all things together for our good. God's grace is sufficient for us to complete this race for His glory. We may take no pleasure in our suffering but we can rejoice because Christ's power rests upon us. In Christ we have all the power we need to run and not get weary. May we run with confidence the race God has set before us.

Serving our Lord Together,
Michelle Harrison