In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
What is sin? The Greek word translated as sin in this verse is hamartia. It generally means something like missing the mark or wandering from the path. We might say that it is a failure to do what God wants me to do.
But it is more than just missing the mark. In this passage, sin is personified as our enemy. An enemy we are struggling with, potentially to the point of the shedding of our blood—an enemy seeking to disrupt our aim or entice us off the path.
In the context of this passage, we might understand that enemy to be embodied in the people who opposed Christ and who are hostile to us and our walk with Christ. The author was writing to believers who were facing physical opposition, likely from fellow Jews who opposed their faith in Christ.
Like Crouching Lion
But the sin that we struggle with is not just from outside sources. In Genesis 4:7, sin is personified as a lion, crouching at the door, looking to devour Cain. This lion was within him. It was his pride and anger that he was struggling with. And he failed to control it.
That example paints a different picture of Hebrews 12:4. It is not just about resisting those who oppose me. It is also an internal struggle. The struggle against taking the easy way. The way that will allow me to avoid shedding any blood, whether literal or figurative.
Sin, at its heart, is about me. It is my old nature. It’s about doing what I want to do, rather than seeking to please my Lord. And that desire can be strong and is something I have to fight against. But I must fight against it if I am to travel the path the Lord has laid out for me.
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