Peace and Holiness

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, 

without which no one will see the Lord.” 

(Hebrews 12:14 NKJV)

    We need to make every effort to live in peace and to be peaceable (Romans 12:18), BUT it should never come at the expense of our holiness; without holiness we will not see God.

• We need to be kind without becoming soft toward sin.
• We need to be loving without disregarding or watering down God’s truth.
• We need to be just without lacking compassion.

    Jesus exemplified all these qualities for us. He maintained His holiness while teaching and admonishing people. He loved people so much that He couldn’t bear to let them remain unknowledgeable about God and His goodness. He pointed people toward the One source from which they could obtain true peace. He, with love, corrected them, guided them, and taught them.

    “Speaking the truth in love” will go a long way in helping others know God and it will help us to grow up in Jesus (Ephesians 4:15)! There are so many manmade doctrines and “trickeries of men”, leading unknowledgeable people astray – they seek peace but cannot find it in ever changing/adapting doctrines – but with God there is TRUE PEACE, a constant source of knowledge that has never and will never change, and a love that grows greater the more we seek Him!

    Please take time this week to read and consider these verses: Ezekiel 3:18-21, James 5:19-20, and Galatians 6:1-2

    And now let's include the verse that follows in Hebrews 12:

"Pursue peace with all people, and holiness,
without which no one will see the Lord:
looking carefully lest anyone fall short
of the grace of God, lest any root of
bitterness springing up cause trouble,
and by this many become defiled."
(Hebrews 12:14-15 NKJV)

    “Defiled” is the opposite of “holy.” We don’t want “defiled” to describe us or others. Defiled would mean that one has fallen short of God’s grace, it was not sought for and therefore not obtained. When this happens, “roots of bitterness” can spring up and cause serious trouble.

What is a “root of bitterness”?  This term is mentioned in Deuteronomy 29:18-19, when God commanded the Israelites to get rid of their foreign idols. I think it is worthwhile to put those verses in front of us.

“ …and you saw their abominations and their idols which were among them—wood and stone and silver and gold); so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood; and so it may not happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall have peace, even though I follow the dictates of my heart’—as though the drunkard could be included with the sober.” (Deuteronomy 29:17-19 NKJV)

    A root of bitterness can crop up when one becomes resentful of being told what to do, what they have to change about themselves, and/or what they have to give up.

    Have you experienced a root of bitterness yourself? I have! Usually, these roots first test the soil of our hearts when we are young and become resentful of our parents telling us “no” all the time.  And when they aren’t saying no, they’re telling us to “clean your room, take out the garbage, and lose your attitude”! We grow bitter and angry and plot and plan parental avoidance methods, so as to bypass hearing their endless rules.  It makes life miserable for everyone involved.

    When this same resistance transfers to God and His commands, we not only continue to make life harder for ourselves, but we also are endangering our souls. We, like the mistaken Israelites, may say in our heart, ‘I don’t have to give that up, I can still have peace' or 'I don’t need to do EVERYTHING God says; His words are more suggestions for good behaviour than actual rules or guidelines! I’m fine, I can just do what suits me! I’m a good person, God loves me! It’s all good!'

    We cannot follow the dictates of our own heart and claim peace for ourselves. We cannot disregard God and think we will be counted among the righteous.

“”Woe to the rebellious children,” says the LORD, 

“Who take counsel, but not of Me, and 

who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, 

that they may add sin to sin.”” 

(Isaiah 30:1 NKJV) 

    True peace comes only from God. His ways are constant – they do not become obsolete or outdated – they are consistent in their benefit and their wisdom! God tells us that if we want to have a good life, a peaceable life, we need to depart from evil and do good, we need to seek peace and chase after it diligently, tirelessly pursue it (Psalm 34:11-15, 1 Peter 3:10-12)! We must do all that is necessary on our part to always come back to a place of peace with God first, and then live at peace with others around us (Romans 12:18).

    We know the glories of God, His goodness, His grace! Let’s never compromise our love and appreciation for Him by calling wrong, right (or ‘okay’), for the sake of peace. God calls us to be holy – that is top priority. Peace comes through speaking the truth in love.

Are you ready to do that? Are you willing to stand against the wiles of the devil and speak God’s truth without compromise? Are you ready to deny self, take up the cross and follow Jesus in obedience to all God has commanded (Matthew 16:24-26)? These are essential components in our pursuit of peace! God’s ways are a benefit; His commands overflow with wisdom! Turn away from your own notions of what you think is good and let God’s words guide you towards true peace!

You can do it! So can I!!