Hebrews 12:12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.
After presenting the Hall of Faith in chapter 11, featuring those Old Testament Characters who endured all sorts of persecution, yet remained faithful, the writer begins this chapter with the ultimate example: Christ. We, as his followers are to "run after" Him, seeking to be like Him. Doing so will require discipline, which God lovingly offers us as our Father. In the verses above, the writer then returns to the imagery of the race to describe the Christian life, both individually and as a team. We are to pursue personal holiness and unity as we run together with one another. The writer then closes this chapter with a contrast between living under The Law and living under Christ, showing how far superior and hopeful the new kingdom is.
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