“Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” Hebrews 12:12-17
A straight path is so much easier to walk than a crooked one. Have you ever walked a winding way? How about a cluttered path? A hiking trail with boulders, brush, or fallen tree limbs? I am not a fan of heights. On a hiking trail, on the side of a mountain, the last thing I want to see are obstacles or tree roots that can trip me.
I live in a area of the US that is prone to landslides. It doesn’t take driving very far into the mountains before the signs warning of potential landslides begin to pop-up along the roadside. I’ve seen the mess and devastation an event like that can cause. Road crews work 24/7 to clear the roadway. Even after the road is opened again, the boulders line the sides of the road- not to mention the mud and twigs and tree branches.
It’s interesting that in the Bible, we find the imagery of a road, path, or way used to describe our walk with the Lord. Perhaps the most famous reference to this is John the Baptist’s quotation of Isaiah: “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” John 1:23 (ESV). We know from the gospels that John was sent before Jesus, to prepare his way. Scripture tells us that everyone who repented through John the Baptist’s message of repentance accepted the message of Jesus when they heard it. Their hearts had been prepared! Just as a physical path can be cleared to make way for something, in the case of the people listening to John, accepting the message of repentance cleared the way for Lord to speak to and plant his word of salvation in their hearts. Here we see that mystery at work, the same mystery we see in the gospel: God preparing hearts to receive his word AND also the response in obedience from those he calls. Ultimately, he is the author of our faith. How wonderful it is when people hear the gospel and respond in belief!
This side of Jesus’ resurrection, we are still called to make a straight way for the Lord. How? Obedience to Christ and the will of the Father.
Let us run!
“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. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV).
The metaphor used in this verse is a bit different, but still involves the imagery of a person on a path, except this time it’s for a race. The focus here is on believers being hindered by sin and the reality of it’s effect on our walk with God (our race!). I imagine the sin here as a vine that reaches out and catches the brother or sister in Christ by the leg when they wander into temptation. The scripture says it’s easy to get entangled!
Dear believer, child of God: sin comes easy. This isn’t a rebuke, it isn’t condemnation- it is a warning born out of the deepest love a believer can have for another believer. Sin is sticky, sin traps, sin closes in before you know it and entangles. Fathers, mothers, teachers, pastors, elders- people of God: we need to talk about this! Too often we are encouraging our brothers and sisters in Christ to run their race hindered, using grace as a reason for not throwing off the things God is calling us to throw aside.
Fearing offense
Passages like this one can feel like an offense, because it sets an expectation for a life lived within the boundaries God has designed. But it is our metrics for obedience that are broken, not scripture. Why are we called to hide the word in our hearts, in order to not sin against God? Because in our natural state, our hearts will often argue with the voice of the Holy Spirit. This is why we see the repeated warnings in the Bible not to follow after our own hearts! When we have studied, memorized, and know what scripture says- we are able to skillfully use the Sword of the Spirit to destroy all arguments (from outside and from inside) that set themselves up against the Holy Spirit’s leading and the Bible.
What’s the catalyst?
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit changes a person from the inside out – and it’s a crazy amazing thing to experience (and witness!). Habits begin to change and mindsets shift as Jesus moves into central focus! In John 15:2, Jesus talks about this cleaning process, when we are part the vine (abiding in Jesus Christ!) the Lord prunes (or cleans) us. Why? Because he wants us to bear more fruit! We are being changed to look and act more like the Savior who purchased us! We’re not our own masters any more (although one could make the argument we never were our own, but rather under compulsory obedience to sin). If we truly love Jesus, we will desire and strive to obey him! And when we fall short (which we will) we repent and do the opposite of our fleshly nature’s desires.
Our choices within grace
“Obedience isn’t legalism, it’s a symptom of Salvation.” -C.S. Lewis
The love of God draws us to live holy lives! But we have a choice- we can continue to live hindered, even as the voice of the Lord is asking us to set sin aside. We can run entangled, and grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). This is what the apostles are warning of in so many of their letters, don’t harden your heart! When God says, “drop it,” those called by his name need to drop it! When he says “throw it off,” we need to throw it off! Will we sin as believers? Absolutely! But we are grieved by it and we fight against it, knowing that thanks be to God- this isn’t it (Romans 7:21-25). We are to take off the old self and put on the new (Colossians 3:9). I agree with C.S. Lewis, to assert that morality (as put forth in scripture) is nothing more than legalism, is a destructive doctrine that ultimately keeps those who accept it entangled. Too many Christians walk on eggshells, afraid any boundary set might be perceived as an offense to grace. But we can know for certain that there are boundaries and that good and evil do exist. Our choices matter to God! We’re called to prepare our hearts before the Lord. In this season, we as children of God need to stay awake as we watch for our Savior and cooperate with the work He wants to do in our hearts. Ultimately, it is His work! And we are called to walk (through his indwelling power!) in freedom, holiness, and repentance.
