“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
SIMPLE EXPLANATION: The book of Hebrews presents Jesus as the Savior of the world and the Great High Priest of Israel. He is the AUTHOR of our faith that God will save humanity from its sin. God will FINISH what He promised! We have a great cloud of witnesses that died without having experienced what they had been promised. All those promises will be fulfilled when Jesus returns to resurrect the dead.
RELIGIOUS EXPLANATION: We have a great cloud of witnesses who are looking over the balcony of heaven and watching our every move and cheering us on when we do good and shaking their head in horror when we sin. So we better go to church, quit drinking, smoking, chewing, cursing and having too much fun in the world because Grandma is watching our every move. We are in a race for our eternal destiny and how we live and the choices we make will determine whether we are saved to sit with Jesus at the right hand of God in heaven or burn in hell for all eternity.
One explanation gives peace and hope and is the promise of God - the other is an attempt to scare the hell out of us and is a promise of a flawed religion formed in the mind of men. Paul, however, opted for peace and hope…
“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us” (Romans 5:6-11; Romans 8:30-21)