"For the Joy" - Kim Hoffmann
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:1-2
As Christians, our main battle in life is fighting against our sinful nature in order that we would put on the nature of Christ and become more like him in every aspect of our lives. The author of Hebrews – in light of the great faith and perseverance of Old Testament characters such as Abel, Abraham, and Jacob – encouraged his readers to “lay aside every weight, and sin”, and to “run with endurance” the race that was set before them, just as Jesus “who for the joy set before him endured the cross…” And indeed, it’s vital to our Christianity that we give up and lay aside temptations and things that don’t lead us to Christ. You may have heard the common illustration of marathon runners preparing for their races by shedding extra weight, cutting out sugars and unhealthy foods, and wearing lightweight clothing to help them simply focus on the task of running with as few distractions as possible. In the same way, we as Christians are urged to lay aside weight and commanded to repent and turn from our sin so that we can run to Christ wholeheartedly with endurance.
Running with endurance, persevering in faith, and repenting from sin are all common themes throughout the New Testament, and are things we as Christians will face daily. Perhaps there are things we’ve added into our lives that are not sin but are habits that cause us to become stagnant in our faith. You may be asking “What counts as ‘weight’ in my life? What should I be ‘laying aside’ for the sake of running after Christ?” Immediately there may be a few habits, temptations, or sins that pop up in your head, and only you know what those things are. These things are different for everyone, but ultimately the ‘weight and sin’ in our lives is characterized as anything that takes the place of spending precious time in communion with Jesus, anything we treasure above Christ, and even our own unbelief and doubt in who Jesus is and what He accomplished on the cross.
Look to Jesus
Our ultimate encouragement to lay aside and throw off weight and sin is the author’s urge of looking to Jesus and his endurance through suffering and temptation while he was on earth! Jesus faced brutal temptation directly from Satan and experienced public mockery and insurmountable pain. Yet here in Hebrews it says that he endured the cross “for the joy that was set before him.” Jesus, though also fully God, perfect, and unable to sin, was still flesh and blood and faced real, worldly enticements. He suffered in the same ways we do (and much more) in regard to saying “no” to fleshly comforts and earthly power. Yet in light of the great work of the salvation he brought about for mankind, his display of God’s greatness, and his great reward in heaven for his obedience to God the Father, he endured it all – for the joy of all of those things set before him! And if we accept Christ, we too have joy set before us in heaven with Christ! In 1 Peter 1:3-6, we are encouraged by this: “According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice…”
So while our main battle on earth as Christians is fighting against our sinful nature and laying aside temptation and sin, we do it with joy for the joy set before us! We do it gladly, laying down everything that we might gain Christ more abundantly. Though temptation is real, and our human flesh is weak, it is not fought with willpower, for humans have very little of that. Rather, temptation is fought with the power we have in Christ who has already overcome sin and death for us. We endure with joy as well, knowing our reward is not here on earth, but in heaven! And so I encourage you to look into your life and heart and ask the Lord where there is unnecessary weight and sin you may be holding onto that may be distracting you from running at all or with endurance. I encourage you to gladly, and with the joy in front of you in Christ, lay it all aside and run endurance to the end.