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Pastor's Blog November 14, 2019
"Holiness and Our Brothers and Sisters"
{Scroll over scripture reference to read the scripture or reference.
Did you ever consider that the practice of holiness might entail looking out for each other and helping each other follow Jesus?
Last week we looked at Hebrews 12:10, where we saw that God's holiness is connected to God training, teaching, and fitting us to live righteous lives. This week we are challenged by Hebrews 12:14, which says, "Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord" (NIV). It can be tempting to think that this biblical passage is simply (and unhelpfully) telling us to be holy, and then glibly informing us only holy people get to be saved. In fact, however, that is not what Hebrews 12:14 is saying.
The next few verses define what it means to make every effort to live in peace and be holy, as well as clarify what holiness actually looks like. The NIV begins verses 15 and 16 with the word "see"; the Greek of Hebrews 12:14-17 can be a little difficult to smoothly translate, but the word "see" does a good job of highlighting the basic thrust of these verses: this is what you're supposed to do to be holy. And what are you supposed to do? Watch out for each other!
The "holy" actions these verses describe are communal in nature: make sure no one falls short of God's grace (v. 15); make sure bitterness doesn't grow up in your midst to cause trouble and defile many (v. 15); make sure no one is sexually immoral (v. 16); make sure no one is "godless" (literally, to profane or desecrate something by walking all over it or disregarding it) in imitation of Esau, who didn't care about his birthright and sold it for a single meal (v. 16). At its heart, Hebrews 12:14 maintains that the actions which define holiness are about encouraging each other and helping each other as we continue to grow in our relationships with Jesus.
Making every effort to live in peace with others means, according to Hebrews 12:14-17, that you desire their good; striving to be holy means that you endeavor to help your brothers and sisters in their walks with Christ. Lovers of God, as we seek to worship God today, let us remember that our fellow believers are not competition. Instead, they are spiritual family whom God has gifted to us so that we may grow closer to him and see him at last in his holiness.
God Bless.
Pastor Nathaniel Gamble
