Hebrews. One of the complex books in the Bible. It’s author is not yet known at least by the many scholars who have attempted to lock down its author. It is argued that it was written sometime during the latter half of the 1st century. During this time there was a sport known as pugilism. That is an ancient word of Latin origin to mean boxing. Like modern day boxing or wrestling there would be an arena and two men would box each other as the people watched and cheered. You’ve probably watched some ancient roman movies and this is the imagery here. The author in verse 4 speaks of our struggle against sin as one who is fighting in the arena and usually in those games blood would be shed. The more blood shed the merrier the event would be. You are the man in the arena. Sin is your opponent. You are throwing your punch and it is feeble. Sin throws his punch and gets you right in your chin. Down on the floor you find yourself. The cloud of witnesses gasp wondering if you are going to stand up again. In the cacophony of noise, you see the referee looking at you helping you to get up again. By now you are bloodied. You cannot even see. Your tooth is out. One eye is shut. Your head is swollen. Sin is definitely winning. As you are down there on the floor you wonder why try again. Why stand? Why don’t you just give up. Sin is mocking you. You are clealy not getting out of this arena alive. It looks like you are condemned to die. Like Samson you are ready to die with the ‘Philistines’.
Sin. Like a sore thumb it just refuses to go away. It sticks out. We are all very familiar with this man called sin. He is there constantly. To understand this, we must go back to the very beginning. At the dawn of humanity. We know that story in the garden of Eden. Sin is not a Johny come lately. He is there at the onset of what we called life. He is older than you. He was there long before you were conceived. He owns this place. You are just in his space. Sin is not going away. Many have attempted to beat him and he has held them captive. Who do you think you are trying to fight sin?
7 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. James 4:17 This for me is the best definition of sin. It is as personal as it gets. It is fighting battles no one knows about. I wish it would be only that. It is not. Sin is beyond personal. Sin is universal. Gal 5:19 speaks of the works of the flesh as obvious. They are well known. Sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry…the list goes on. Problem is there are those that are not known. Those that are personal. What James is speaking of in James 4:17. Only you know what you promised God to do but did not do it. They are those that categorize sin in two parts; sins of omission and sins of commission. Omission -you have not even committed ‘that’ obvious sin. You are not fornicating. Good. You have not done anything on that list. But you are not praying. My friend, you have committed a sin. (1 Sam 12:23). Then there is the sins of commission. Those things you know that are wrong but you do them. It is Romans chapter 7 all over again. Oh wretched man I am. Who shall deliver me from this?
John comes to our rescue with the verse 1 John 8-10 (MSG) If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—simply come clean about them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.
Now that we have gotten that out of the way -we are sinners. All of us have sinned and fallen short. Rom 3:23. What is Hebrews talking about? Resisting sin, to the point of shedding your blood? Remember we looked at Paul’s war being against principalities, rulers and this is our fight as well. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:26-27. Paul encourages us to keep our focus. To keep fighting. We must get to the finishing line. We also looked at how we react when we fall. Being convicted versus being condemned. It is complex friends. It is stumbling and getting back up again. It is staying in that ring, just refusing to quit and therein lies the victory against sin if there is any. The fact that you refuse to give up. The fact that you bounce back up again. The fact that you say I will try again. Sin is perplexed that you are still here. Fighting.
My appeal to you today is don’t stop fighting. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Heb 12:3). The verse preceding the fight against sin. Don’t grow weary. Don’t lose heart. He is with us. He promised to never leave us nor forsake us. Deut 7-8 (MSG) Then Moses summoned Joshua. He said to him with all Israel watching, “Be strong. Take courage. You will enter the land with this people, this land that God promised their ancestors that he’d give them. You will make them the proud possessors of it. God is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t worry.”
You are in the arena. Fighting. Boxing. But you are not alone. God is with you. The Holy Spirit is there with you and this is what this makes this fight different from every other. You are not alone. He is that referee who was reaching out to you to stand up. He is biased towards you. He is not playing fair to sin. He is pulling strings in here. You have won even when the world thinks otherwise. Of course you think so too. How did I win? I was beaten to a pulp but I won. You won because He is the righteous judge. Because He who began a good work in you must bring it to completion. Phil 1:6
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