Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God… (Heb 12:14-15a);
These verses have been quoted to me many times in fifty years by men who have been taught they had to live holy enough to be saved. At that exact point they turned away from any hope of ever being saved because they knew they could not live holy enough to be saved by it.
After several years of this I began to study these verses and other related verses with an open mind and considerable research in the Bible. Without going into a lot of detail here, I will simply say that I believe the Bible teaches when one repents of sin and the old direction of living and turns by faith toward the blood of Christ's death on the cross as complete payment for all their sin, something vital happens to that person inside. There is a new birth and a new nature!
A characteristic settles in upon that person that finds them following after peace with all men and following after holiness. The key words are: "follow after." Not having achieved perfection, but following after, in the direction of peace and holiness.
The new birth from God involves a radical change in the life of a repenting soul. They do not become perfect, but they do become endowed with a new nature from God. It cannot be copied or mimicked any more than the sap of a peach tree can be produced by tying peaches onto a tree.
We should carefully search our souls to make sure that new birth has taken place that has produced the change of following after peace with men and following after holiness. Peace and holiness are characteristics of the new birth and this endures for life. A backsliding Christian will be judged in this life by the Lord, even if it is counted as "a sin unto death"(1 Jn 5:16). Again, I have chosen the comments by Barnes as the best on these verses.
The Bible gives several characteristics that are true of everyone who is saved. This is one of them. Others include accepting Christ with the humble faith of a child and embracing Christ so that you are not ashamed of Him. There are others we will consider for a few days (DC).
Follow peace with all men - Do not give indulgence to …passions of strifes, see Rom_14:19. The apostle is referring to the trials which those whom he addressed were experiencing. Those trials seem to have arisen mainly from persecution, and he exhorts them to manifest a spirit of kindness toward all. This is the temper of the gospel. We are to make war with sin, but not with people; with bad passions and corrupt desires, but not with our fellow-men.
And holiness - Instead of yielding to contending passions and to a spirit of war; instead of seeking revenge on your persecutors and foes, make it rather your aim to be holy. Let that be the object of your pursuit, the great purpose of your life. Men might in such cases counsel them to seek revenge; the spirit of religion would counsel them to strive to be holy.
"Without which no man shall see the Lord - (Cannot locate soucrce of following comments.)That is, shall see him in peace; or shall so see him as to dwell with him. All will see him in the day of judgment, but to "see" one is often used in the sense of being with one; dwelling with one; enjoying one; see Mat_5:8. The principle here stated is one which is never departed from; Rev_21:27; Isa_35:8; Isa_52:1; Isa_60:21; Joe_3:17; Mat_13:41; 1Co_6:9-10.
"No one has ever been admitted to heaven in his sins; nor is it desirable that anyone ever should be. Desirable as it is that lost people should be happy, yet it is benevolence which excludes the profane, the impious, and the unbelieving from heaven - just as it is benevolence to a family to exclude profligates and seducers, and as it is benevolence to a community to confine thieves and robbers in prison. This great principle in the divine administration will always be adhered to; and hence, they who are expecting to be saved without holiness or religion, are destined to certain disappointment.
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but God will not admit one unrepenting and unpardoned sinner to heaven. It was the importance and the certainty of this principle which made the apostle insist on it here with so much earnestness. Amidst all their trials; when exposed to persecution; and when everything might tempt them to the indulgence of feelings which were the opposite of holiness, they were to make it their great object to be like God."
Lest any man fail - As every man is in danger, it is his personal duty to see to it that his salvation be secure.
Fail of the grace of God - Margin, "fail from." The Greek is, "lest anyone be wanting or lacking" - ὑστερῶν husterōn. There is no intimation in the words used here that they already had grace and might fall away - … but that there was danger that they might be found at last to be deficient in that religion which was necessary to save them. It is a proper…to inquire diligently whether.…when he comes to appear before God he will be found to be wholly destitute of religion (Barnes-Abbreviated).
Memory Verse This Week:
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in he glory of his Father with the holy angels (Mar 8:38).
Dan Carr
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