“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
The preceding chapter listed heroes of faith who lived their lives believing God and His promises. They are the great cloud of witnesses. The writer of Hebrews encourages us to run the race of life in the same way that they did. Don’t let anything hinder or entangle us so we can run the race successfully. How do we do that? We can only run the race effectively by focusing on Jesus. It is only through Him—what He has done for us—that we can live life the way it’s meant to be lived.
It is clear why focusing on Him is the key to right living. He is the “Pioneer” of our faith. The King James Version translates this as “Author.” He is the originator of our faith and the prime example of what it looks like. He endured the Cross because He could see the joy on the other side of it. That’s what our faith will do. It will keep us running because we see the joy at the finish line.
Just as important, Jesus is the “Perfecter” of our faith. No matter how we examine this Christian life it comes down to this. It’s all about Jesus. He gives us the faith to begin the race, He perfects our faith as we run the race and He is the focus or our attention when distractions would deter us from the finish line. Keep looking at Jesus. He is the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith.
