Hebrews 12
Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. God disciplines those He loves as a father. Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
HebrewsChapter 12 of 1329 versesBerean Standard Bible
In this passage: Jerusalem
If God speaks to you through Hebrews 12, record what He said in Doxa and come back to it.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Job's suffering though blameless — consider him who endured such opposition
“There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And this man was blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil.”
Read Job 1:1›In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you.
My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline
“My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke;”
Read Proverbs 3:11›For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.”
'The Lord disciplines the one he loves.' Proverbs' parenting wisdom applied to how God shapes us — discipline is proof of belonging, not rejection.
“for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights.”
Read Proverbs 3:12›The Lord disciplines the one he loves
“for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights.”
Read Proverbs 3:12›Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?
If you do not experience discipline like everyone else, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.
Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?
Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness.
No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it.
Therefore strengthen your limp hands and weak knees.
Make straight paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.
See to it that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his birthright.
Quoted in the Daily Lift, day 50: Why does the Bible call Esau godless?
For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. He could find no ground for repentance, though he sought the blessing with tears.
For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom, and storm;
to a trumpet blast or to a voice that made its hearers beg that no further word be spoken.
For they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.”
If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned
“And you are to set up a boundary for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful not to go up on the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.”
Read Exodus 19:12›The sight was so terrifying that even Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
Moses said: I am trembling with fear
“For I was afraid of the anger and wrath that the LORD had directed against you, enough to destroy you. But the LORD listened to me this time as well.”
Read Deuteronomy 9:19›Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to myriads of angels
You have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God
“In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.”
Read Isaiah 2:2›in joyful assembly, to the congregation of the firstborn, enrolled in heaven. You have come to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Quoted in the Daily Lift, day 4: How does Abel's blood point to Jesus?
Quoted in the Deeper Dive, day 4: What does "the voice of your brother's blood" mean in Hebrew?
Quoted in the Daily Lift, day 11: How does Genesis 9 point to Jesus?
Quoted in the Deeper Dive, day 11: Where do the image and the blood find their end?
See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if the people did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject Him who warns us from heaven?
At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth, but heaven as well.”
Once more I will shake the heavens and the earth
“I will shake all the nations, and they will come with all their treasures, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of Hosts.”
Read Haggai 2:7›Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens
“For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.”
Read Haggai 2:6›The words “Once more” signify the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that the unshakable may remain.
Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.
“For our God is a consuming fire.”
Our God is a consuming fire
“For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”
Read Deuteronomy 4:24›Read next
How to Hear God’s Voice: A Practical Guide for BelieversScripture is the record of a God who speaks. This guide covers how to hear Him today and keep what He says.Cross-references for Hebrews 12
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Hebrews 12:11 Corinthians 9:24
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize.”
“But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.”
“For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit,”
“My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke;”
Cross-references from OpenBible.info, licensed CC BY.
Hebrews 12 on Doxa
- Esau Sold His Birthright for Stew. Would You? (Genesis 25:27–34) · Quoted in the Daily Lift, day 50
- Cain and Abel: God's Warning Before the First Murder (Genesis 4) · Quoted in the Daily Lift, day 4
- Sin Is Crouching at Your Door: What the Hebrew of Genesis 4 Reveals · Quoted in the Deeper Dive, day 4
- God Blesses Noah: Why Human Life Is Sacred After the Flood (Genesis 9) · Quoted in the Daily Lift, day 11
- Made in God's Image: Why Shedding Blood Strikes at God (Genesis 9:1-7) · Quoted in the Deeper Dive, day 11
- What Is a Spiritual Birthright? Co-Heirs with Christ
- Historical Testimonies: Faith Through Persecution
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If God speaks to you through Hebrews 12
Doxa is where you record what God has said to you, in the words it came in, weigh it against Scripture with people you trust, and come back to it in the years that follow.
