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14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. ~ Hebrews 12:14-15
We return today to the development of our faith in the God of the Bible and the practical outworking of that faith as we endure trials of various kinds. The main thrust of today's passage is making it our priority to live out of the holiness or perfection the Lord Jesus earned on our behalf. As a result, being at peace with God will enable us to be at peace with ourselves and others. We can not be at peace with others until we are at peace with the Lord for ourselves. This is why the Lord Jesus came to earn our perfection and subsequent acceptance before God.
Today's verses are not a means to our justification before God. They are a means to our sanctification. The writer of Hebrews is not suggesting that we can earn the favor of God by pursuing peace and holiness. Our ability to live out of Christ's perfection is realized in our lives through being at peace with God, ourselves, and then, others.
The phrase, "Make every effort to live" is one word in the Greek. This Greek word episkopeĊ means to take oversight. As believers in the Lord Jesus, we are to take the oversight over our choices to be defined by God alone. Even though we have the perfection of Christ assigned to our account before God, it does not automatically mean we will live at peace with God, ourselves or others. Since we are at peace with God, we should be peacemakers.
In Matthew 5:9 we read, "You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family."
Again, we can never earn God's favor which is a gift the Lord Jesus purchased and earned for us. When we understand that we are secure positionally before God in Christ, we should be at peace with God, ourselves and others. Having believed on the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we have peace with God. We have experienced the imputed righteousness of Christ. The question is: Do we live out of that acceptability before God, ourselves and others? If Christ is not defining us, we will not live out of this position. This is why the writer of Hebrews has so emphasized the utter value of our pursuit of the Lord. And, it is not as if the Lord does not want to be found by us, but, if we are not willing to bow our will to His, we will not be defined by Him.
In v.15 we read, "See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many."
The Message translation of this verse puts it this way: "Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent."
Bitterness is toxic to the effectiveness of God's grace in our lives. Bitterness is like emotional suicide. It is holding onto a hurt that someone has exacted upon us. Bitterness turns us into a perpetual victim. When we are always the victim, we find ways to justify our poor choices. I find it mind blowing when I think of how it is so much easier for the bad or the evil desires yet within to triumph in my life over the good of Christ's presence. In this case, our injured condition beats up our accepted position in Christ. When we lose sight of God's grace He has extended to us, we will not be gracious to others. In fact, as the writer of Hebrews points out here, we will be great hosts for bitterness.
Now, it is foolish of us to be defined by the lesser things of this world because, as in this case, bitterness in our hearts contaminates love in our souls. In the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul exhorts us to "let no bitter root develop in you." And, the greatest prescription for bitterness is the grace of God.
The second half of v.15 reads, "...that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many."
Unchecked bitterness always develops deep roots and these roots are very difficult to uproot. The roots of bitterness are hidden but they have many expressions out in the open. Overcoming bitterness means letting go of grudges. Holding a grudge comes out of our inability to express anger directly. When our hearts are bitter, God is not real to us. Bitterness blocks the rays of God's gracious love toward us and through us. And, the greatest way to abandon the power of bitterness in our lives is to grant a home in our souls for the active grace of God.
This is why we are exhorted in Jude 21 to "keep ourselves in the love of God." The diligent maintenance of God's love in the uppermost in our thoughts arms us against the evil of an unforgiving heart. The Living Bible renders Jude 21 this way, "Stay always within the boundaries where the love of God can reach and bless you." We must be diligent to remind ourselves, frequently, that God loves us. And, that His love is unmerited and unconditional. This is the posture out of which we are to approach God, ourselves, and others.
