Faith is top-class sport! When you think of a race, you usually think of: competing against each other, wanting to be the best, wanting to be better than the others, doing it for your own honour, your own achievements. But the reason for comparison in Hebrews 12 is very different! Instead of competing against each other, the believers are going to live together for Christ—not solo but as a church team. It is not about who is the best or who crosses the finish line first. This is not about winners and losers. You follow Christ and with him you can never lose—thanks to his love you may be a co-conqueror, who crosses the finish line gloriously (Romans 8:37).
1 Therefore, 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,