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Lay It Aside

Updated: Jul 25

The Discipline of Repentance and Removal

Hebrews 12:1


Every Christian who desires to grow in holiness must wrestle with this reality: sanctification begins not by addition, but by subtraction. Before you can grow, you must lay aside. Before you can run with endurance, you must lighten your load.

Hebrews 12:1 gives us a clear command:


“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…”


This is the discipline of spiritual subtraction — a God-given, grace-empowered calling to “put off” the things that hinder spiritual growth. This act of repentance and removal is not optional. It is essential for anyone who desires to follow Christ faithfully.



The Double Hindrance: Weight and Sin

The verse gives us a dual focus: lay aside every weight and the sin which clings so closely. These are not identical. Sin is always evil and must always be repented of. But “weights” can be morally neutral things — habits, hobbies, relationships, time-wasters — that become spiritual liabilities.


John MacArthur explains, “The sin mentioned here is not specified, because any sin that entangles a believer’s feet and hinders his spiritual progress is in view. But even non-sinful things, if they impede godliness, must be discarded.”


Matthew Henry similarly warns, “We must take heed of what would hinder us in our way and in our work — every weight, and especially the sin which doth so easily beset us.”


In a culture that exalts busyness and productivity, we are often tempted to treat everything as essential. But Scripture calls us to evaluate our lives through a different lens: Does this help me run to Christ? Or does it slow me down?



The Language of “Laying Aside”

The Greek word for “lay aside” (ἀποτίθημι, apotithēmi) means to cast off, to put away, to strip down.


It’s the same word used in Ephesians 4:22: “Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires…”


And in James 1:21: “Put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness…”


And again in 1 Peter 2:1: “Put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.”


This is the recurring command of the New Testament: Put off. Lay aside. Strip down. Cleanse. The Christian life is not merely about learning new information — it is about repentance and the removal of old patterns, worldly affections, and spiritual baggage.

We are not meant to run the race of faith dressed in the clothes of our former life.



Spiritual Growth Begins with Repentance

Many Christians mistakenly believe that spiritual growth starts by gaining something — more knowledge, more discipline, more spiritual activity. But Scripture teaches us that true growth begins with repentance.


You must start by chiseling away. You must start by "laying aside." You must start your spiritual growth and spiritual maturity by saying, "I must decrease and He must increase."


That’s not just poetic — it’s Biblical. Jesus said in Luke 9:23: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”


You don’t grow by accumulating — you grow by dying. You grow by pruning. Just as a gardener must cut away the unproductive branches, so too must the believer trim back everything that does not serve the goal of holiness.



What Weighs You Down?

So what should be laid aside? The obvious sins — lust, anger, pride, greed — must be put to death. But we must also be willing to examine the “weights” that are not sinful in themselves but have become spiritual hindrances.


Two key tests:

  1. Where do you spend your time?

    Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21). Time is one of our clearest indicators of spiritual priorities.

  2. Where do you spend your money?

    What we invest in reveals what we truly value. Are your finances geared toward eternity or consumed by the temporary?


Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:23, “'All things are lawful,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful,' but not all things build up.” The question is not simply: Is this sinful? But rather: Does this help me run?



The Race Demands Readiness

Athletes don’t compete in heavy garments. Ancient Greek runners competed nearly naked to ensure no hindrance. They understood that every ounce mattered. Spiritually speaking, we must adopt the same mindset.


Paul instructs in Romans 13:12–14:

“The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light… put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”


Christian maturity involves learning to say “no” to what weighs us down so that we can say “yes” to what fuels our faith.



Conclusion: The Freedom of Letting Go

Laying aside sin and weight is painful. But it is also freeing. It is the first step in spiritual transformation. Hebrews 12 teaches us that the race can only be run with endurance when we are spiritually streamlined — free from the entanglements of sin and the excess baggage of this world.


Are you carrying unnecessary burdens? Are you justifying habits that are weighing down your soul? Ask the Lord to show you what needs to be laid aside. Then, in the power of the Spirit, strip it away — for His glory and your good.


Sanctification begins with surrender. Growth begins with letting go.


So, Christian — lay it aside. The race awaits.

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