Read with Me
Hebrews 12:14-17 (HCSB)
Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness—without it no one will see the Lord. Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling many. And make sure that there isn’t any immoral or irreverent person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for one meal. For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected because he didn’t find any opportunity for repentance, though he sought it with tears.
Listen with Me
In addition to not turning away from salvation through faith in Jesus and back to the useless rituals of Judaism, the writer of Hebrews urges two more things. The first is simply to live in peace with everyone.
In a world where hatred, discord, and even warfare were the norm, the disciples of Jesus stood out as lovers of all mankind. And as Jesus taught, and as the Holy Spirit enabled, they did not only live in peace with their fellow Christians. They loved even their enemies, and continually did good to both those who were like them, and also to those who were very different from them.
This love for others did not spring from human emotions, which are always tainted and skewed by self-interest. It came from God’s own heart through the Holy Spirit who lived and worked in every one of His people. This self-sacrificial, impartial agape love seeks to do good to everyone without considering who they are or what they have done. And it can only happen in and through the lives of disciples of Jesus because they are the only ones who possess the Holy Spirit.
The second thing that the writer urges is holiness. The writer takes Jesus’ beatitudes to its logical conclusion. Jesus said, “The pure in heart are blessed, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8) Modern Christians tend to tread around this truth, adding qualifiers like “see God more clearly” or “see God at work in their lives”. But the writer of Hebrews strikes closest to Jesus’ original meaning. If the pure in heart, the genuinely holy, are the ones who see God, then without that genuine holiness, it is not possible to see God or to stand in his presence.
The writer then details some of the signs and symptoms that will keep someone from this holiness, some of which might surprise modern readers. The writer takes for granted the reality that actual sin negates holiness, which truly should be intuitive, although he does specifically include sexual immorality, which tends to become endemic in any secular society and can draw in even Christians. But he also points to bitterness of heart as a block to real holiness.
Bitterness and anger that is allowed to remain in a person’s heart because of unforgiveness poisons every part of that person’s life, their actions, their attitudes, their relationships with other people, and their relationship with God. As Jesus pointed out, our own forgiveness relies on our complete forgiveness of others (Matthew 6:14-15) so that no bitter root has the opportunity to grow in our hearts.
The other thing that can cost us our holiness, and thus our relationship with God, is what the writer refers to as irreverence. Irreverence is more subtle than outright sin, although it is just as deadly. Irreverence comes about as we live our day-to-day lives rooted in our own agendas, leaving out any consideration of God’s agenda or God’s plans for us. Far too often we as God’s people live most of our days in ways virtually indistinguishable from the non-Christians around us. We start our days with the news or social media, ignoring prayer and God’s word. We then go through our workdays or school days with no consideration for what God would like us to do in those places, blind to the opportunities to be salt and light, and deaf to God’s voice calling us to touch the lives of someone nearby.
When we live like that, even though we are considered believers by ourselves and others, we are living as practical atheists instead of living as intentional Christians, ambassadors of God’s kingdom everywhere we are. And unfortunately, like Esau, we only realize our error when we find ourselves ineligible for a blessing, a guiding word, or even an answer to prayer, things that are reserved for those who are genuinely holy and completely devoted to God and to His kingdom.
Pray with Me
Father, this opens up a whole dimension of spiritual dynamics that far too few of us have ever considered. Far too many of us harbor unforgiveness and bitterness in our hearts, unwilling to extend forgiveness to others, and feeling justified in ignoring Jesus’ instructions because of the hurt we have endured. Far too many of us are guilty of the practical atheism you describe here, considering that we are simply living a normal Christian life when, as the writer of Hebrews points out, it is anything but normal from Your viewpoint. Forgive me, Lord, for the times when I have been less than holy, less than faithful, less than attentive to You and Your agenda, and help me to live as a holy follower of Jesus from now on. Amen.