What does it mean to lay aside every weight that ensnares us (Hebrews 12:1)?

from the old testament

• Ever since humanity first rebelled against God (Genesis 3:1–7), both humans and creation have been corrupted (Genesis 3:14–19; cf. Psalm 14:3). That rebellion and subsequent corruption are why it’s impossible for us to be righteous before we are saved. Even believers are affected, making us easily distracted from obeying God despite loving Him.
• A key Old Testament example of this is David. Called “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) and remembered as a righteous king (1 Kings 15:5), he still struggled greatly with sin. While God blessed the beginning of his reign as king, the second half was filled with pain, largely due to David becoming entangled in sin (2 Samuel 11). While he repented of his sin (see Psalm 51) and God forgave him, his kingdom nearly fell as God removed some protections to let David feel the consequences of his sin (e.g., 2 Samuel 15:13–16:14).
• When God spoke to rebellious Israel through Isaiah, He said, “Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged” (Isaiah 1:4). He described His people as “laden with iniquity.” Despite being rescued by God, having His Law, and dwelling with Him, Israel continued to drag along their sin, which ultimately led to God removing them from the Promised Land.
• David and Israel both stand as warnings as to how sin, left unchecked, can ruin one’s future on earth and even jeopardize one’s eternal state.

from the new testament

• Hebrews 12:1–2 reads, “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
• In Hebrews 11, he had listed a great number of Old Testament faithful men and women who had faith in God and ran well. No one in that list was perfect. For example, David is in that list despite his sin. The key was the runners' but faith in God’s promises. God was the one who helped them complete the race, and they pressed on even after failure because they believed in God.
• Hebrews 12:1 uses the illustration of a marathon to show that the Christian life is not an easy sprint. It’s a protracted marathon that requires effort. Weight is counterproductive in a race just like sin works against believers, slowing them down. When the author of Hebrews says, “lay aside every weight,” he is referring to the weight of sin and other distractions that slow one down from running faithfully to the end.
• Earlier, he warned about a particular danger of sin: “exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). Sin has a hardening effect on one’s heart. It makes a person unable to distinguish right from wrong and even to believe that something sinful is either not that bad or actually good. That is the “sin which clings so closely” in Hebrews 12:1. It’s wrapping around the heart, causing one to become unfaithful and even to give up the race.
• As noted earlier, the Old Testament “runners” didn’t complete the race on their own. God, through His Spirit, enabled them to persist in their belief. Today, all believers have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them (Romans 8:9). While we must actively lay aside the weight, the Spirit’s help is key (cf. Galatians 5:22–23).
• Indeed, Paul said it was “by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body” (Romans 8:13) and described our efforts as crucifying “the flesh with its passions and desires,” which is how we “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24–25).

implications for today

The Bible uses the relatable imagery of racing to help us think rightly about what it means to be a Christian. Just like how we want to avoid weight in a race, we want to avoid sin in the Christian life. This is because sin hardens our hearts (Hebrews 3:13) and makes the race harder. It’s difficult to pursue Jesus while also doing the very things that Jesus came to destroy (1 John 3:8)!

So, sin affects us, but how does that make the race harder? It’s a compounding effect. When we sin, we not only pierce ourselves with various griefs (1 Timothy 6:10), hurting our Christian race in the short term, but that sin also reduces our sensitivity to future sin. Like how a drug addict requires more and more drugs to feel the high they once had, the more we sin, the more we need to sin to be able to feel it. Over time, we become so accustomed to it that it stops feeling like sin. When that happens, and without realizing it, we stop running.

Sin is deceitful. It is killing us, and we don’t even notice it's happening. Therefore, throw aside all sin. Like a runner, get rid of everything that is causing you to lose the race.

But as you do, also take courage. You can do this because Jesus saved you and the Holy Spirit dwells in you. That doesn’t mean you stop running because God will do the work; it means the Spirit is like the wind at your back, conforming you to the image of Jesus, helping you get rid of sin, and helping you complete the race.