Run A What?

Let me show you something from the book of Hebrews that was pointed out to me in passing by a friend and mentor. His statement was short and to the point but not developed. I wanted to see if his suggestion held up upon a closer examination. So I went digging in the gold mine that is the word of God and uncovered a beautiful nugget of truth.



 Look for a moment at Hebrews 12. Verse 1 is a beloved verse and committed to memory by many a saint. Though memorizing scripture is a good and wonderful thing, no single text ever existed apart from a context. In fact, more often than not a text takes on a new and better significance when viewed within its proper context. Specifically, the question I want to pose is this: What is the writer of Hebrews attempting to convey when we are supposedly exhorted to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us…” (NIV)? To determine the answer we will begin with this single text but never lose sight of a greater context in which this text is rooted. As one looks at this verse an interesting “problem” presents itself. This problem is rooted in the term translated “race”. The Greek term translated “race” is pronounced agonos. Now even someone unfamiliar with Greek can no doubt think of some words that could be derived from agonos (maybe agony for example). The important thing to note is that this term is used no less than 6 times in the New Testament. The only place people translate it “race” is here in Hebrews 12. Everywhere else it is best translated as a “struggle” (see 1 Thessalonians 2:2 and Philippians 1:30 for example). Also, I can find no instance of it being used anywhere in the common literature of the 1^st Century (Paul and the writer of Hebrews day) to mean “race”. So in light of this, is “struggle” the preferred translation and not “race” here in Hebrews 12. So far it would seem so, but we still must consider the immediate context.


We are running out of time so flip back quickly to Hebrews 11. This entire chapter is committed to men and women, heroes in the faith if you will, who trusted the Lord even in the face of severe ridicule, rejection, trials, sufferings of various kinds, and even death. In short they did not run a “race” but a “struggle”. So when we come to Hebrews 12 and read that we should be mindful of those witnesses and “run the race” we ought to wonder what race since they really did not seem to be involved in a race? On the other hand, if we are to “run with perseverance the struggle set before us…” it makes all the sense in the world. As we follow Jesus we, too, will “run a struggle” just as those Old Testament saints did and Paul did and others do today. But the One whom we follow is absolutely worth it!