STRIVING AGAINST SIN. Hebrews 12:4 In this passage, sin is personified as a living enemy that attacks us from within [v.1] and from without [v.4]. The subtle effects of sin can catch us unawares, or the open opposition of sin can intimidate us to the point of discouragement and defeat. Like the first readers of this epistle, we are not immune to focusing on ourselves and how we are being treated by those who oppose the Gospel, rather than looking unto Jesus who endured “unto blood.”
When the Lord Jesus Christ was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He “sweat, as it were, great drops of blood.” He endured the crown of thorns, the scourging, and the nails as He suffered to bring us to God. Many of the Old Testament saints, mentioned as “a great cloud of witnesses,” resisted unto the blood.” The word “striving” means “antagonizing,” in the sense of engaging in serious conflicts. They did not compromise with sin or accept it as inevitable. They did not “go along” with sin but, in faith, looked unto Jesus. We know the value of the blood He shed because it has cleansed us from all sin. His blood was “precious blood” that redeemed us.
When we consider the value of the blood of Christ as He suffered and compare it with the suffering of some of God’s people, the insignificance of our suffering should motivate us to endure and resist the pressure and power of sin. Our trials and struggles against sin and persecution will seem smaller in our minds when we “consider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself.”
The Hebrew believers were growing weary, though they had “not yet resisted unto blood.” The thought of yielding is unworthy of those who have such a glorious Leader as our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. There is a special crown for those who are faithful unto death [Rev.2:11].