PERFECTION

PERDITION

OR

A 12:1.

ENDURANCE (hupomone).

Race (agon) set before us.

Entangling sin (hamartia).

B 12:2. a Looking away to Jesus (apo).

b Captain and Perfecter of faith.

ENDURANCE (hupomeno). Joy set before Him.

B 12:2,3.  b The right hand of the throne of God.

a Consider Him (analogizomai).

A 12:3,4.  ENDURANCE (hupomeno).

Opposition (antagonizo).

Sinners (hamartolos).

With so great a cloud of witnesses as is found in the Scriptures ever with us, we are exhorted to take heart and

run with patience or endurance the race set before us. Two things are enjoined, viz. (1) `Lay aside every weight'

and (2) `Lay aside the easily entangling Sin'. He who would go on unto perfection must bear in mind the two

sources of hindrance, (1) Weight, (2) Sin. The first is not of itself sinful. To one it will be riches, to another home

ties, to another health, to another liberty. Each will know best what it is that hinders in the race. The second is sin

in one of its many aspects, `easily entangling'. It is not so much external `sins' that are in view, but the old man, the

old nature, the flesh. A reference to 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 plainly shows this:

`Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every

man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we

an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under

my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be

a castaway (disapproved)'.

Then follows a passage dealing with Israel and the temptations in the wilderness; this is parallel with Hebrews 3

and 4. The passage, `I keep under my body', recalls the opposite walk of those `whose end is perdition', `whose

God is their belly'; (Phil. 3) - another passage dealing with a prize.

The greatest encouragement however is found not by looking at the great chain of witnesses, and certainly not by

contemplating impediments and entanglements, but by the gaze being directed away to the Lord. In Hebrews 10:37

the soon-returning Lord was the encouragement to endure. In Hebrews 12:2 the victorious Leader at the right hand

of God is the attractive power. The word `looking' is really `looking away', looking away from all lesser patterns,

even those of Hebrews 11, and from all the weaknesses and hindrances found in self, looking away to the Lord

He has two titles here that are suggestive. `The Author and Finisher of faith'. Author is archegos, and we have

the word already in Hebrews 2:10 translated `Captain', and in close association with the next title, `Finisher' for that

is really `Perfecter'. `It became Him ... in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain (archegos) of their

salvation perfect (teleioo) through sufferings'.

We are back again therefore in Hebrews 12 to the original theme: the need to go on unto perfection, the suffering

that is associated with it, and the example of those who drew back unto perdition (Heb. 3 and 4).

`Who for the joy that was set before Him'. The word `for' here is anti, which sometimes bears the meaning

`instead of'. This has given rise to an interpretation of the passage to the effect that the Lord gave up the joy that

was before Him, and in its stead endured the cross. This, however, does not fit the context. The whole tenor of the

epistle in general, and the particular example here is that, because of the joy that lies ahead, we can endure the

suffering now.

That is the character of the example of Abraham and Moses, given at length in chapter 11. For the joy set before

Abraham he was content to live a pilgrim and a stranger. For the joy set before Moses he turned his back on the

treasures of Egypt. For the joy ahead of these Hebrew believers they were exhorted to endure. In this sense the

sentence should be translated. Over and over again our problems would be solved if we allowed the Word more