(Article for publication week of 2-12-2015 AD)
"Follow
peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
(Hebrews 12:14).
Dear reader, please heed with all seriousness our text -
"without holiness", you will not see God in Glory. The way that leads
to God, is the holy way. A man is not saved apart from holiness. You may see
God without any money, but you will never see God without holiness. You may see
God without health, but you will not see God without holiness. You may see God
without any earthly friends, but you will never see God without holiness.
Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.
Let us hear the
faithful preacher, Arthur Pink regarding holiness. "To 'follow' holiness
is to live like persons who are devoted to God- to His glory, to His claims
upon us, to His cause in the world. It is to make it evident that we belong to
Him. It is to separate ourselves from all that is opposed to Him. It is to
mortify the flesh, with its affections and lusts. It is to cleanse ourselves
from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit. (2 Corinthians 7:1). It is
a life task from which there is no discharge while we remain in the body."
I think that we
can see from the text the close connection with following peace with all men
and following holiness. The experts in the Greek grammar tell us that that the
second clause is in the singular, indicating that holiness is the thing without
which we cannot see God. However, the close connection between following peace with all men and following
holiness indicates that the former is a
vital part of our sanctification. In these two expressions we see our duty to
God and to our fellow man, as seen also in the Two Tables of the Law, to first
love God with all our being, and the Second to Love our neighbour as ourselves.
Christians are exhorted to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute
us and use us spitefully. We are to be at peace with all men as much as lieth
within us (Romans 12:18). The servant of the Lord is forbidden to strive (II
Timothy 2:24). So, I think we can see here that following peace with all men,
including our enemies is fundamental to also following after holiness.
Now I have a
word of cheer for the poor, downcast children of God who have quit their former
hopes of their own righteousness and are trusting in Christ for imputed
righteousness. Such calls to holiness as we issue are a two edged sword; with
one side we warn the careless world-ling and the antinomian church member that
you will never see God without
following holiness. With the other side we comfort the true children of
God that our text does not say that you can save yourself by your own personal
holiness. We can no more save ourselves by our own holiness that we can by our
own righteousness. But the text plainly says you must "follow" holiness,
that is you must be in pursuit of it. This is a description of the longings and
desires of the heaven-born soul who longs to be holy as God is holy- who longs
to be conformed to the image of Christ- who longs to be rid of this sin nature
forever. This describes the child of God who is mortifying sin and all the
while mourning within at how powerful it still is within his sorry self! The
true saint knows that he has not attained unto holiness, but he is ever in
pursuit of it. Brother Rolfe Barnard, who was instrumental in my own conversion
had , I think one of the best comments I have ever heard on Hebrews 12:14. He
said, " you may never catch up with holiness, but you better take out
after it!" AMEN!
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