John Calvin Commentary Hebrews 12:4

"Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin:" — Hebrews 12:4 (ASV)

You have not yet, resisted unto blood, etc. He proceeds further, for he reminds us that even when the ungodly persecute us for Christ's sake, we are then contending against sin. Into this contest Christ could not enter, for he was pure and free from all sin; in this respect, however, we are unlike him, for sin always dwells in us, and afflictions serve to subdue and put it to flight.

In the first place, we know that all the evils in the world, and especially death, proceed from sin; but this is not what the Apostle addresses. He only teaches us that the persecutions we endure for the Gospel's sake are also useful to us, because they are remedies to destroy sin. For in this way God keeps us under the yoke of his discipline, lest our flesh become unrestrained; he also sometimes thus restrains the impetuous, and sometimes punishes our sins, so that in the future we may be more cautious.

So whether he applies remedies to our sins, or intervenes before we sin, he thus exercises us in the conflict with sin, to which the Apostle referred. Indeed, the Son of God favors us with this honor: he by no means regards what we suffer for his gospel as a punishment for sin.

We still need to acknowledge what the Apostle says here: that we plead and defend Christ's cause against the ungodly in such a manner that, at the same time, we are waging war with sin, our internal enemy. Thus God's grace towards us is twofold—the remedies he applies to heal our vices, he also employs to defend his gospel.

But let us bear in mind whom he is addressing here: namely, those who had joyfully suffered the loss of their goods and had endured many reproaches. And yet he charges them with sloth, because they were fainting halfway through the contest and were not pressing on strenuously to the end. Therefore, there is no reason for us to ask the Lord for a discharge, no matter what service we may have performed; for Christ will have no soldiers discharged except those who have conquered death itself.