Title With all people... (Hebrews 12:14-17)
Contents The life of faith cannot be done well alone, but it does not mean that I can do it well alone.
“Pursue peace with all men and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (verse 14).
The church community, united in one body through Christ, should be at peace with one another, and all the saints should seek holiness in their lives. Because only then can we come to God.
Today's text talks about three things that the church community should strive to pursue in order to be at peace with each other and to pursue holiness.
First, we must carefully examine whether there are any who have not reached the grace of God. (verse 15a)
Here, 'those who have not reached the grace of God' can be interpreted in various ways, but they can be viewed in two main ways. First of all, it can be viewed as a person who has not yet reached salvation. This is because one of the greatest graces God has given us is spiritual rebirth, that is, the grace of salvation. (Ephesians 2:8-9) They go to church diligently, but those who have not yet experienced spiritual rebirth are diligent in devotion and service. There are many people who are not really sure about salvation. The church should carefully check to see if there are such people in the church, and if there are such people, it should help them to be saved by counseling and teaching them through the Word. Another 'those who have not reached God's grace' refer to those who have not yet experienced spiritual blessings and deep grace. There are many people in the church who have not yet experienced the spiritual blessings and graces that God allows, such as the presence of the Holy Spirit, the moving of the Word, the grace of praise, and the blessing of fellowship. The church should systematically nurture such people so that they can experience the divine grace from heaven.
Second, we need to look carefully to see if there is a bitter root that is causing trouble. (verse 15b)
The church is a community of diverse people. That's why it's always possible for people to stumble. Remember that a little fox can tear a vineyard down, and a small hole can break a bank, so we need to take care of each other so that no bitter root can develop among the saints. If each of us constantly examines our words and actions while thinking that "I can do what I can do to give birth to my own bitter roots," the church will become a beautiful community of love.
Who am I in the church?
Are you a person who has reached the grace of God and is experiencing it to the fullest today?
Do you ever say or do something that causes bitterness in others?
Have you ever taken God's grace lightly?
I hope that today will be a day to find out what I must do for the church community that achieves peace and holiness and put it into practice.