Hebrews 12 begins with a mighty affirmation. That affirmation is that you can be in a hall of fame, a list of greats, a meeting of the magnificent men and women of faith. The chapter begins, "Therefore, let us run the race ...." This affirms the truths of Hebrews 11 and makes a deduction from those truths. It affirms that the individuals and groups of Hebrews 11 were people of faith. That is to say, they believe that God is [His existence] and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. They were people who lived for the future and the invisible. Yet the beginning of Hebrews 12 intends to leave that list open for new members. "We also ourselves can run that race ...."

Run the race in light of the encouragement. We run the Christian race and live the Christian life under encouragement from a vast number of observers. The apostle presents the Christian life as if lived in a gigantic stadium. Who has not felt the electrifying power of a capacity crowd in a stadium? The apostle knew of the Greek and Roman coliseums. The world's largest stadium today is the Strahov Stadium in Prague, Czechoslovakia. It was completed in 1934 and can accommodate 240,000 spectators. The second largest stadium in the world is the Maracana Municipal Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. That stadium accommodates 205,000 people. Can you imagine the sheer human energy and intensity that characterizes gathering places like that?

The apostle says that we are to live the Christian life as if in a stadium conscious of the presence of others. The location of those others is surrounding us. They encircle us and go up and up forever. The number is expressed by the word "cloud" of witnesses. The word refers to a cloud that fills the whole heavens. It is not a detached cloud, but a horizon-filling cloud.

Now use your imagination. Your Christian life is lived under the view of an encircling multitude who have gone before you, beginning with those listed in Hebrews 11. You should not imagine a few people, but every horizon packed with towering ranks of saints whose faith is now made perfect.

What is the function of these witnesses? It is two-fold. First, they are witnesses in the sense that they testify to you, they are attestors to you, they give a witness to you. A stadium filled with witnesses like a cloud are all saying something to you. They are speaking with love and sympathy, not with judgment and anger. They have run the same race, even yet more difficult. What are they saying in their witness?

They are saying first of all that they are real human beings who conquered by faith. They would tell you, "We are not a group of plastic saints." Look at the list. A drunk like Noah, a liar like Abraham, a trickster like Jacob, a person of power and passion like Samson, and David with his well-known sins. These are not perfect people. In fact they were not even close to perfect people. Their counterparts are sitting right here today. Yet they lived lives of faith as defined by Hebrews 11:1, 6.