Heb 12:4

“There are two kinds of consolation, apparently opposed to one another, but yet contributing great strength each to the other; both of which he has here put forward. The one is when we say that persons have suffered much: for the soul is refreshed, when it has many witnesses of its own sufferings, and this he introduced above, saying, "Call to mind the former days, in which after ye had been illuminated ye endured a great fight of afflictions." The other is when we say, "Thou hast suffered no great thing." The former, when the soul has been exhausted refreshes it, and makes it recover breath: the latter, when it has become indolent and supine, turns it again and pulls down pride. Thus that no pride may spring up in them from that testimony to their sufferings, see what he does. "Ye have not yet" (he says) "resisted unto blood, striving against sin." And he did not at once go on with what follows, but after having shown them all those who had stood "unto blood," and then brought in the glory of Christ, His sufferings, he afterwards easily pursued his discourse. This he says also in writing to the Corinthians, "There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man," that is, small. For this is enough to arouse and set right the soul, when it considers that it has not risen to the whole trial, and encourages itself from what has already befallen it. What he means is this: Ye have not yet submitted to death; your loss has extended to money, to reputation, to being driven from place to place. Christ however shed His blood for you, while you have not done it for yourselves. He contended for the Truth even unto death fighting for you; while ye have not yet entered upon dangers that threaten death.”

“For short periods and at prescribed times, power has been given to the demons to incite people whom they control to exercise a tyrannical hostility to the City of God. Thus, they are able not only to receive sacrifice from those who offer it and to seek it from those who are well disposed but also to extort it violently from the unwilling by means of persecutions. However, this power is not a menace to the church but rather an advantage, since it helps to fill up the number of its martyrs. And these the City of God esteems as its most illustrious and honored citizens, just because they have resisted the impious so valiantly, even "to the shedding of blood, striving against sin."”

“There are two kinds of consolation, opposite to one another: one is when someone says to another, "You have suffered much, remember this"; the other is when they say, "You have not yet endured anything great." The first encourages a weary soul that has many witnesses of its suffering; the other humbles a soul that intends to exalt itself and rouses a careless one. Paul now uses both of these kinds with regard to the Hebrews. For having said above that they "endured a great struggle of sufferings" (Heb. 10:32), and having persuaded them to imitate their former selves, he now, on the contrary, shows that they have not yet accomplished anything worthy of praise, lest they become proud. And notice his wisdom. Having reminded them of the Old Testament saints who endured such great sufferings, and of the Lord Himself, he then shows that their afflictions are insignificant. For, he says, you have not yet reached the point of death; you endure persecutions and the plundering of property, but Christ went as far as death. By the word "struggled" he shows that although sin strongly resists them in some way, they remain firm and strong in the fight — one that is, admittedly, not yet favorable, but rather easy. "Struggling against sin." Against the devil, who is sin itself, as its inventor and instructor; or against sin itself and its shameful passions, which are hostile and destructive to us.”

“670. – Then when he says, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood, he gives the reason for this. As if to say: You should not grow weary in your tribulations, because you have not endured as much as Christ. For He shed His blood for us: 'This is the blood of the new covenant which shall be shed for you' (Mt. 26:28). But you have suffered the loss of your goods. Yet it is a greater work to give one's life than external possessions; although sometimes the root from which it springs, namely, charity, might be less. Hence he says, In your struggle against sin you have not resisted to the point of shedding your blood for Christ.”

“not yet resisted unto blood--image from pugilism, as he previously had the image of a race, both being taken from the great national Greek games. Ye have suffered the loss of goods, and been a gazing-stock by reproaches and afflictions; ye have not shed your blood (see on Heb 13:7). "The athlete who hath seen his own blood, and who, though cast down by his opponent, does not let his spirits be cast down, who as often as he hath fallen hath risen the more determined, goes down to the encounter with great hope" [SENECA]. against sin--Sin is personified as an adversary; sin, whether within you, leading you to spare your blood, or in our adversaries, leading them to shed it, if they cannot through your faithfulness even unto blood, induce you to apostatize.”