Have you ever felt spiritually exhausted, constantly wondering if you’ve done enough for God? In this episode, we unpack Hebrews 12 and explore the difference between trying to earn God’s approval and resting in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Instead of running a fear-driven treadmill of religious performance, believers are invited to fix their eyes on Jesus and run the race in the freedom, grace, and security He already secured on the cross.

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The Unveiling Mormonism podcast pulls back the curtain on Mormon history, culture and doctrine. Join us for new episodes every Monday.

Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org/mormonism.

Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.

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Have you ever felt exhausted trying to be “good enough” for God? For many people coming out of Mormonism or other works-based religions, faith can feel like a treadmill that never stops speeding up. You keep trying harder, hoping you’ll finally measure up.

But Hebrews 12 gives us a completely different picture.

After spending eleven chapters explaining who Jesus is and what He accomplished on the cross, the author says, “Therefore… run the race.” Hebrews 12:1-2. The difference is this: Christians don’t run to earn God’s love. They run because Jesus has already secured it.

Jesus already did the work.

Hebrews teaches that Jesus is the perfect sacrifice for sin. He paid the penalty we could never pay and sat down at the right hand of God because the work was finished. Hebrews 10:11-14. Salvation is not about trying harder—it’s about trusting Jesus.

That’s why Hebrews 12 tells believers to “strip off every weight” and run with endurance. Hebrews 12:1. Some weights are obvious sins, but others are things like fear, pressure, perfectionism, or constantly trying to please people. Those burdens can keep us from fully resting in Christ.

The chapter also gives practical encouragement for following Jesus:

• Embrace God’s loving discipline. God trains His children because He loves them, not because He wants to punish them. Hebrews 12:7
• Pursue peace with others. Christianity calls us to honesty, humility, and reconciliation. Hebrews 12:14
• Pursue holiness. God changes us from the inside out through His Spirit. Hebrews 12:14
• Encourage one another. Christians are meant to help each other remember God’s grace. Hebrews 12:15
• Uproot bitterness. Hurt and anger can poison our hearts if we hold onto them too long. Hebrews 12:15

One of the most important verses in the chapter says that Jesus is “the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” Hebrews 12:2. Jesus doesn’t just start salvation and leave us to finish it ourselves. He is both the author and finisher of our faith.

That means believers don’t live in fear of losing God’s love every time they fail. Instead, they live in freedom, knowing Jesus already secured victory through the cross.

Hebrews 12 ends with an incredible promise: believers are receiving “a kingdom that is unshakable.” Hebrews 12:28. Our hope is not built on our own performance or worthiness. It is built on Jesus.

So stop trying to earn what Christ already paid for. Fix your eyes on Jesus and run the race in freedom.

In this episode, we explore Hebrews 11 and discover that real faith is not built on visible proof, emotional experiences, or religious performance—but on trusting the unshakable character of God. Looking at the “Faith Hall of Fame,” we’ll see how biblical faith looks backward at God’s faithfulness, forward to His promises, and trusts Jesus even in the uncertainty of the present moment.

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The Unveiling Mormonism podcast pulls back the curtain on Mormon history, culture and doctrine. Join us for new episodes every Monday.

Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org/mormonism.

Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.

Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.

Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.

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We live in a world that wants visible proof for everything. People trust what they can measure, touch, and verify. But Hebrews 11 teaches that real faith goes beyond what we can physically see.

Hebrews 11:1 (NLT) says:

“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”

The author of Hebrews was writing to people who were tempted to go back to religious systems because following Jesus had become difficult. They were losing comfort, security, and approval. Hebrews reminds them that true faith is not rooted in visible religion or performance—it is rooted in Jesus.

Hebrews 11:3 says that by faith we understand God created the universe by His command. Biblical faith begins by trusting God as Creator and believing He is sovereign over all things.

If God spoke the universe into existence, then He is powerful enough to sustain us today.

The chapter then walks through the stories of Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and others who trusted God even when they didn’t receive everything they were promised during their lifetime.

Hebrews 11:13 (NLT) says:

“All these people died still believing what God had promised them.”

Their faith was not based on comfort or earthly success. Their confidence rested in the character of God and the promise of something better ahead.

Abraham is a perfect example. God promised him a nation, yet Abraham died owning only a burial plot. Still, he trusted God.

Biblical faith is not about getting everything we want right now. It is about trusting God even when life feels uncertain.

Hebrews 11 points us toward Jesus. The Old Testament believers looked forward to the coming Messiah, but today we live after the cross and resurrection.

Faith is not something we manufacture through religious effort or perfect feelings. Faith means trusting the finished work of Jesus and relying on God’s promises even when we cannot fully see the outcome.

Hebrews 11 reminds us to:

• Look backward at God’s faithfulness
• Look forward to God’s promises
• Trust Jesus in the present moment

Hebrews 11:6 (NLT) says:

“And it is impossible to please God without faith.”

Real faith is not about performance—it’s about dependence on God.

In this episode, we look at chapter 6 in Hebrews to discover how Jesus serves as the ultimate High Priest, retiring human gatekeepers and removing every ladder between you and the presence of God.

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The Unveiling Mormonism podcast pulls back the curtain on Mormon history, culture and doctrine. Join us for new episodes every Monday.

Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org/mormonism.

Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.

Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.

Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.

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For many, especially those coming from a Latter-day Saint background, the word priesthood is synonymous with a ladder of authority—a series of offices, keys, and lineages required to act in God's name. In this view, the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods are essential roles that men must hold to administer ordinances and bridge the gap between God and man.

However, a "crash course" in the Book of Hebrews reveals a radically different story. In the Bible, the priesthood isn't a ladder you climb to get more authority; it is the story of how God removed every ladder so you could finally walk directly into His presence.

In the Old Testament, the priesthood system served as much as a barrier as it did a bridge. The Tabernacle was designed in layers—the outer court, the Holy Place, and finally, the Most Holy Place. This innermost room, representing God’s presence, was strictly restricted. Only the high priest could enter, and only once a year with a sacrifice. As Hebrews 9:8 explains, this system was designed to show that the way into the holiest place was not yet freely open.

While many are taught that the Aaronic priesthood is a necessary office for today, Hebrews describes it as a "shadow system." Hebrews 7:18 goes as far as to call these Old Testament regulations "weak and useless" because they could never truly clear a person's conscience. They were a temporary fix that became obsolete the moment the true High Priest, Jesus, arrived.

The most significant point of tension lies in the Melchizedek priesthood. In the LDS tradition, this is a higher office given to many men. But Hebrews 7:24 says that Jesus holds His priesthood permanently because He lives forever. The Greek term used here implies that His priesthood is untransferable—it does not pass from one person to another.

If Jesus’ priesthood cannot be transferred, then no other man—past or present—can hold it. Jesus didn't come to restore a priesthood for men to hold; He came to be the Priest so that human mediators would no longer be necessary.

When Jesus finished His sacrifice on the cross, the massive curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. This was God’s "Emancipation Proclamation," signaling that the restricted zone is now open to everyone.

Today, we don't need a human gatekeeper, a temple recommend, or a specific office to reach God. Because of Jesus, every believer is part of a "royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9). We are invited to come boldly to the throne of grace, not because of our own authority or a certificate, but because of the finished work of Jesus Christ.

In this episode, we explore the shift from a system where the thinking is done for you to the "solid food" of studying the Bible for yourself. Drawing from Hebrews 5, we discuss the stinging rebuke to those who remain spiritually "dull" and why it’s time to move past the milk to a direct, living relationship with Jesus. It’s time to stop being a consumer of a religious institution and finally launch into the mission of God.

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The Unveiling Mormonism podcast pulls back the curtain on Mormon history, culture and doctrine. Join us for new episodes every Monday.

Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org/mormonism.

Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.

Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.

Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.

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In 2018, the story of Michael Rotondo went viral—a 30-year-old man sued by his parents because he refused to move out, pay rent, or help around the house. A judge finally had to step in and order him to "launch." While we laugh at the absurdity, the author of Hebrews delivers a similar stinging rebuke to believers who have been in the faith for years but are still "spiritually living in their parents' basement."

For those coming out of the LDS Church, this passage hits a specific nerve. Many have spent decades in a system that often keeps members in a state of perpetual spiritual infancy, relying on a central organization to dictate what to think, what to eat, and how to interpret every verse of Scripture. When the "thinking has been done for you," spiritual muscles atrophy.

In Hebrews 5:11-14, the author stops a deep theological discussion on Melchizedek to sigh: "You are spiritually dull and don't seem to listen." The Greek word for "dull" is nothros, meaning sluggish or lazy. Maturity requires moving past "predigested" milk to the "heavy meat" of the Word.

Biblical maturity requires Inductive Bible Study. Instead of "proof-texting"—searching for verses to confirm what a leader has already said—true study follows three steps:

1. Observation: What does the text actually say? (Not what a manual says it says).
2. Interpretation: What did it mean to the original audience?
3. Application: How does this change my life today?

Maturity isn't just about knowledge; it's about discernment. Hebrews 5:14 says the mature have "trained themselves" (gymnaso—the root of "gymnasium"). It’s about learning to recognize right and wrong based on the character of God, not just a handbook of instructions.

The "mic drop" moment of the passage is this: "You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others." The goal of the Christian life isn't just self-improvement; it's multiplication. The cure for spiritual dullness isn't more consumption—it's contribution. We don't mentor others to become worthy; we do it because Jesus is worthy, and He has already transferred His perfection to our account.

It's time to stop being a consumer and start being a contributor. The eviction notice is on the door: it's time to grow up and launch.

In a culture often focused on maintaining a perfect outward appearance, the Word of God serves as a precise scalpel that penetrates past our masks to expose the hidden motives of the heart. This isn't a process of condemnation, but a necessary surgery led by our High Priest, Jesus, who was pierced for our transgressions so that we could be truly healed.

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The Unveiling Mormonism podcast pulls back the curtain on Mormon history, culture and doctrine. Join us for new episodes every Monday.

Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org/mormonism.

Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.

Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.

Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.

Donate Now

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The Unveiling Mormonism podcast pulls back the curtain on Mormon history, culture and doctrine. Join us for new episodes every Monday.

Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org/mormonism.

Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.

Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.

Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.

Donate Now

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In this episode, we unpack seven powerful reasons for the incarnation, showing how Jesus didn’t just make salvation possible—He came down to accomplish it.

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The Unveiling Mormonism podcast pulls back the curtain on Mormon history, culture and doctrine. Join us for new episodes every Monday.

Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org/mormonism.

Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.

Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.

Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.

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Why Did Jesus Have to Become Human? (Hebrews 2)

Last week we explored the “cosmic Jesus”—the Creator and Sustainer of all things, the exact imprint of God’s nature. But Hebrews 2 brings the focus down from the throne of the universe to the dust of humanity, asking a deeply personal and essential question: Why did Jesus have to become human?

In this episode, we unpack seven powerful reasons for the incarnation straight from Hebrews 2. Jesus became human to represent us, to take on a body capable of dying so He could pay for our sin, and to decisively break the power of the devil through His death. He didn’t just make a way for us to save ourselves—He accomplished the work fully and finally.

We also explore how Jesus frees us from the fear of death, becoming not just a distant Savior but our compassionate High Priest who understands our struggles firsthand. As both fully God and fully man, He is the perfect bridge between us and God—the priest who is also the sacrifice. And because He experienced real temptation and suffering, He is able to help us in our daily battles with sin and doubt.

This conversation also highlights a key contrast between biblical Christianity and Mormon theology. Rather than a system where we climb a ladder of effort and obedience to reach God, Hebrews presents a radically different picture: God came down to us. The incarnation isn’t about Jesus progressing to something greater—it’s about God rescuing humanity.

If you’ve ever felt like God is distant, or wondered if you’ve done enough to be accepted, this episode offers hope. Jesus didn’t come to help you earn salvation—He came to be your salvation. The ladder didn’t go up. It came down.