In Hebrews 12:1 the apostle Paul turns attention away from considering the faithful men and women of pre-Christian times to the spirit-begotten Christian congregation and the course of divine service that lay ahead of these spirit-begotten Christians. So in Hebrews 12:23, he is not reverting to what he had been discussing in Heb chapter 11. In view of these facts the expression “the spiritual lives of righteous ones who have been made perfect” presents the “congregation of the firstborn who have been enrolled in the heavens” from a different viewpoint and therefore is no needless repetition of what has been said in Heb 12 verse 22. There is accordingly no need for trying to apply it to another class of God-fearing persons like the faithful men and women of former times from Abel to John the Baptizer.

Really today this “great crowd” is walking by faith just the same as the faithful men and women of pre-Christian times did.