The writer of Hebrews commands us to lay aside sin if we ever want to run the race with endurance. But is that all?

Every Weight

It’s not just sin that keeps us from running well. We are called to lay aside every weight. Imagine that you are running an endurance race. There are things that take you off the course, that you have to avoid. You can’t start running in the wrong direction if you ever hope to finish the race. This is sin. But those aren’t the only things that keep us from running well. Imagine that as you are running the race, you begin to pick up and put on a weighted vest. Then you run further and pick up some ankle weights. Then you pick up dumbbells to carry. Pretty soon, this race has turned into a crawl. Finally, someone walks by and says, “Man, if you’d just lay aside those weights, you’d run with more endurance.” That’s exactly what the writer of Hebrews is calling us to. We must not only lay aside those things that are sin, but also those weights that slow us down?

What are these weights? Well, they’re not sin. That should really strike you. There are things that are not sin that can slow you down in the race. These are anything that hinder you from running the race well. There are some who have set such a low bar, that the only thought in running the race is, “Is this sin?” That’s a good question. But if that’s the only question you ask, then that’s a bad metric.

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