Struggle against Sin

Hebrews 12:3-17

In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

Having already used the metaphor of a foot race, the author, in today’s verses, uses the metaphor of a boxing match. The original audience of the epistle had been fighting against sin and felt that their struggle was too hard to bear. They are reminded that things could be much worse as they have not yet shed their blood in order to resist sin. What is the sin that is being fought? The sin we fight against may be of two kinds: 1-either it is sin in ourselves or 2-sin in those outside of us. Our foes could be demons or other people. We must therefore fight against both kinds because both kinds tempt us to turn away from Christ. The people of God are continually at war with the forces of darkness. We have to face the enemies of God whether they are evil authorities, neighbors, or friends who hate Christ. All of these enemies conspire to make us give up our confession. All of them seek to draw us away from Christ. Facing these enemies effectively means that we trust in God despite anything that may come our way. We must resist the sinful urge to abandon Christ in favor of comfort and physical safety. We must confess Christ even if it brings us financial loss, abandonment, or, in extreme cases, death. The original audience of Hebrews had been fighting these foes with vigor. They were stumbling and needed encouragement to carry on. They needed to remain faithful soldiers for Christ will have no discharged soldiers, only those who have conquered death itself. All of us must war against those enemies that would seek to draw us away from Christ. We are always tempted to give in to those things that Christ hates. In prayer, ask God to keep you from succumbing to temptation, and if you are continually indulging in a certain sin avoid tempting situations until you are strong enough to resist them.

Source: S C Ball April 23, 2024