Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Follow peace with all people by an active, earnest and continuing pursuit, and follow holiness as wholeness for God in a life that glorifies Him. Without that holiness no one will see the Lord, enter heaven and dwell in God's presence, or have part with Christ and see His glory. That seeing requires coming very close to Him in this present life, for character is not changed at His coming and saints in heaven will first have been saints on earth. Holiness is agreement with God in perfect obedience after Christ's example, inward in the heart and outward in purity of conduct, separation from sin and the world, and love to the neighbor. It cannot be gained by human power but comes through Christ's sacrifice and grace as sinners repent, believe, cooperate with God, and are sanctified day by day until the warfare closes.
Pursuing Peace with All
The command is to actively, earnestly and continually pursue peace with every person together with holiness, because without holiness no one will see the Lord. It requires a life at peace with all people and a holy life as the character God’s children must possess. That pursuit includes helping those who struggle rather than pushing them further from the way, strengthening the weak, helping those at risk of stumbling, and taking care not to lead young believers into doubt or unbelief. It calls for seeking perfection as God’s church by helping and strengthening one another without self-exaltation, accusation, or harshness, through love and obedience to the truth, with preparation for immortal life taking place in this life. It also requires faithful conduct in relationships and service, and vigilance so no one fails of God’s grace and no root of bitterness springs up to trouble the community and defile many.
Peace is to be pursued as far as possible, by bridling unholy anger, refusing words that stir up strife, and sometimes remaining silent rather than answering provocation. Meekness learned under Christ’s yoke helps believers rule their spirits and learn from Him. Holiness necessary to see the Lord and enter the realms of peace includes purity and honesty, requiring turning from angry, spiteful words and passionate acts, overcoming them through God’s grace and relying on Christ’s blood for cleansing. Living peaceably, as shown by Daniel, includes respect and obedience toward those in authority wherever this does not conflict with loyalty to God, for peace does not require yielding on principle or abandoning duty.
The holiness to be followed means wholeness for God and holiness of service, doing everything for God’s glory and living so others see good works and glorify God. This is the work of heaven’s unfallen angels and the pattern of Christ’s life on earth, which Christ commands every believer to do. Seeing God depends on this holiness, and the call requires diligent watch lest anyone fail of the grace of God, lest a root of bitterness spring up to cause trouble and defile many, and lest anyone become a fornicator or profane person like Esau who sold his birthright for one morsel of meat. Esau’s fault was having no respect for sacred things, sacrificing spiritual things for gratification of appetite and for selfish indulgence, pleasure, and gain, while Christ has brought within reach and secured for every person high temporal and spiritual blessings as the birthright of every soul born into the world, purchased at infinite cost, and Esau represents those who have not tasted their privileges but sell their birthright for gratification of appetite or love of gain.
The words are direct and personally significant, holding out the highest incentive to form a character God can approve, so no laborer together with God in the darkness of error need be hopeless or sink into discouragement. They command laying aside every weight and besetting sin and running the race with patience while looking to Jesus, enduring chastening that afterward yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness, lifting up hanging hands and feeble knees, and making straight paths for the feet so the lame is healed rather than turned out of the way. They are a voice from eternity beckoning sinners to the Saviour and to glory, calling them to look to the Lord Jesus as the only Saviour of sinners, to have the will in all things conformed to the will of God, and to pray to be instructed in the gospel with assurance that God will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask, so that looking unto Jesus gives peace and rest to the soul and turns attention from man to God. The verse was placed on a memorial as an enduring call directing passers-by toward the Saviour and glory.
Holiness Needed to See Lord
Without holiness no one will see the Lord and no one will see God, enter heaven or God's city and heavenly courts, have part with Christ and see His glory, or dwell and live in God's presence. The requirement joins pursuing peace with everyone to living a holy life, lifting up hanging hands and feeble knees and making straight paths for the feet through faith and intelligent knowledge of Scripture so the lame is healed rather than turned out of the way. It calls everyone professing to be a child of God to carry Christ's spirit and teachings into everyday life, to examine himself critically against the only standard of righteousness, to help those struggling rather than pushing them aside, to avoid bitterness that troubles and defiles many, and to exert every power in God's service with the ministry of angels and Christ's help as merciful helper to the tempted.
Holiness is necessary for salvation and for eternal and immortal life, and for readiness to meet Christ at His soon coming. It is moral excellence of character to be cultivated, valuable for present peace of mind and for preparation for eternal life when people will see and know God, and Christ lived in perfect obedience so that through His grace men and women may live obedient lives as He lived. Preparation for immortal life must take place in this life, with God's church seeking perfection while helping and strengthening one another without self-exaltation, accusation, or harshness. Holiness as a life of perfect obedience was understood as an attainment beyond what was then called justification, leading to the conviction that justification alone was not enough to be sure of eternal life and to seeking holiness of heart to be fully accepted by God and ready to meet Christ.
The ungodly and unrepentant who do not pursue holiness cannot inherit or enter God's kingdom as holy beings and have no place among the holy, for inheriting it requires resisting and overcoming sin. Pure and holy hearts alone fit Christ's followers to become subjects of His heavenly kingdom. Seeing the Lord requires coming very close to Him in this present life by following peace with all men and holiness. No character transformation will happen at Christ's coming or afterward and there will be no chance to reform then, for the change from earth to heaven does not change character, habits of speech and action mold character and go down into the grave and rise unchanged, saints in heaven will first have been saints on earth, and defects of character left unconquered bar people from the heavenly mansions and separate them from the presence of the pure and holy God. Righteous character must therefore be sought now, not by building human righteousness but by washing robes white in the blood of the Lamb, by becoming holy in probationary life beginning as a saint on earth in the home where words and actions reveal true character and are recorded in heaven, by developing a pure and holy character with mind in harmony with God's mind, and by earnest wholehearted work to make eternal life sure.
Mercy opens the gates into the city of God to the obedient, while justice stands at the entrance and demands holiness and purity in all who would see God. Justice is satisfied to grant every obedient soul full privileges as a member of the royal family, a child of the heavenly King, but defective character cannot pass the gates mercy has opened to the obedient. Were mercy to open the gates to the whole race irrespective of character, the peace, happiness and harmony of heaven would be broken, producing disaffection and rebellion worse than before Satan was expelled, since the happiness of the redeemed results from characters formed in this life after the image of Christ. Because Jehovah is holy He requires His people to be holy, pure and undefiled, and those who worship Him sincerely and truthfully are accepted by Him and, when they walk humbly and uprightly and trust in Him, are under His protection in the time of God's judgments. Holiness is required to see God and to stand in the fearful test ahead, so those who minister in sacred things must become converted and seek preparation and readiness now while pardon may still be found, and even where pardon is granted the unholy course brings terrible loss because the scars made upon the soul remain.
Context of Surrounding Exhortation
The command to pursue peace and holiness stands together with lifting up hanging hands and feeble knees and making straight paths for the feet so the lame is healed rather than turned out of the way. This strengthening work means lifting drooping hands and weak knees, helping the faltering and those at risk of stumbling, and healing injured believers rather than turning them aside or pushing them further from the way. It is done through faith and intelligent knowledge of Scripture, by carrying the spirit and teachings of Christ into everyday life, and by looking critically at oneself and comparing character with the only standard of righteousness. It is the special work now required of God's people, done not alone but with the ministry of angels and the help of Christ as merciful helper to the tempted, exerting every power in God's service. The highest incentive to form a character God can approve is held out here, so that no laborer together with God in the darkness of error need be hopeless or sink into discouragement.
The same command belongs with looking diligently lest anyone fail of the grace of God and lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble and defile many. This calls for guarding against hatred and bitterness that trouble others, against falling away from God's grace, and against spreading grievances, suspicion, and distrust. Words have great influence for good or evil, so conversation must be guarded against sowing evil in weak minds that have no vital connection with God, telling lack of confidence in brethren, dwelling on motes of difficulty until faith snaps, manufacturing grievances or demanding special consideration and favor, and letting the devil use tongue and voice to ruin those weak in the faith. Causing suspicion so others think evil and accuse puts them on a track where they cannot be at peace with brethren and sells the birthright for a morsel of human sympathy and praise, for which account must be given at the day of final reckoning.
The warning continues against fornication and profaneness like Esau, who for one morsel of food or meat sold his birthright and afterward was rejected from the blessing and found no place of repentance though he sought it with tears. His fault was having no respect for sacred things, sacrificing spiritual things for gratification of appetite and for selfish indulgence, pleasure, and gain. Sinful appetite is shown by him to cause loss of an inheritance that cannot later be recovered, even when sought with tears, and believers must flee youthful lusts and avoid even what is stained by sin. Christ has brought within reach and secured for every person high temporal and spiritual blessings as the birthright of every soul born into the world, purchased at infinite cost. Esau represents those who have not tasted the privileges that are theirs but sell their birthright for some gratification of appetite or for love of gain.
The command also belongs with laying aside every weight and besetting sin, running the race with patience while looking to Jesus, and enduring chastening that afterward yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. The warning about seeing God connects to the pure in heart seeing God. Impurity obscures spiritual sight, while beholding Christ and becoming like Him helps discern God's character. Holiness here means obeying God's commandments, whose law is a transcript of His character, and shaping conduct after Christ's example.
Nature of True Holiness
Holiness is agreement with God, wholeness for God, and a life of perfect obedience shaped after the example of Christ, who lived in perfect obedience so that through grace obedient lives may be lived. It means obeying the commandments, whose law is a transcript of the divine character, and returning to loyalty to God by separating from sin, for sin has marred and nearly erased the divine image and the gospel works to restore what was lost through cooperation with God. Coming into harmony with God and receiving His likeness requires knowing Him, which Christ came to reveal, and turning to the path of holiness requires complete transformation of character, a pure heart, and a life ruled by God's law, without which a person remains in sin and perishes.
Holiness is moral excellence of character to be cultivated, purity of soul and of heart and conduct, and fellowship with God that fits for life with holy angels in heaven, where nothing sinful can enter the city of God. It requires separation from the world and no fellowship with its unfruitful works of darkness, fleeing youthful lusts and avoiding even what is stained by sin, and turning from all sin to meet the conditions to become sons and daughters of God. This moral excellence is part of the character required for eternal life, valuable both for present peace of mind and as preparation for when people will see and know God.
Holiness is inward, planted in the heart where evil must be corrected, so that Christianity controls the life, and it is more than outward conduct or mere form of godliness, which is like cleansing only the outside of the cup while impurity remains within. It removes selfishness and sin and produces right actions and abundant good works, and nothing short of it enables successful living out of divine principles, for even pure doctrines will not save unless brought into contact with the life and the heart is purified through obedience to the truth. When Christ abides in the heart, purity, refinement, peace and love become evident in the life and even in the countenance, establishing character in piety, virtue and purity, and those who enter heaven must have a perfect, Christlike character to meet the Lord in peace.
Entire sanctification is complete conformity to God's will pursued in thought, prayer and action, with the heart purified from inherited and cultivated wrong tendencies and cleansed from sin, which cannot be replaced by outward changes. It means being redeemed from all iniquity and purified as a peculiar people zealous of good works, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts and living soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, perfect even as the Father in heaven is perfect. It also calls for building one another up in faith with a spirit of love rather than self-exaltation, self-estimation, contempt for others, selfishness, or conduct that divides and harms fellow believers, since such evils arise from Satan's influence.
Holiness is the imputed righteousness of Christ as uprightness and purity dwelling in believers by faith, with love, forbearance, meekness and all Christian virtues becoming part of their being and working the works of God. It never covers cherished sin but is the wedding garment of Christ's righteousness required to enter the marriage supper of the Lamb, received by combining human effort with the divine power waiting to be given while following Christ as the model of divine character and being holy in all conduct.
Holiness requires purifying the soul through obedience to the whole truth and gaining victory over every besetting sin, including pride, selfishness, love of the world, and every wrong word and action, for only holy beings can dwell and live in God's presence. This preparation to stand in the day of the Lord must be made now before the time of trouble and the plagues when opportunity and the Mediator's pleading will have ended, and without that victory none can share the refreshing nor can the latter rain fit the unprepared to stand before a holy God. It is reached by a thorough work of repentance in which all dross is separated from the character, a higher standard is reached, and self no longer appears prominently, letting the principles of the Bible guide all that is done and said while putting away assumption of authority not given by God, all oppression, and all exalting or putting down of fellow men.
Holiness requires no fellowship with covenant-breaking iniquity, and without it no one can enjoy the blessings of the covenant. It requires repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ with a true heart, guarding one another's interests, being true and faithful, as frank and open as the day, and refusing to defraud or gain by fraud and secret plotting. Men and women are channels through which grace flows to the world, and holiness means putting on Christ and revealing His attributes, with the Lord working with those who are truehearted.
Genuine holiness is lost by turning from God's Word to false ideas and worldly concerns and failing to live and speak so as to commend the gospel. Mere profession of Christ while denying Him by works, engaging in controversy over faith while asleep to Christianity, leading others in recklessness, and regarding iniquity in the heart make prayer amount to nothing. Unless there is thorough change and decided correction of defects of character to match the life of Christ, those who refuse reproof become less susceptible to the Spirit, more blinded, with less wisdom, self-control, moral power and zeal for religion, and will finally apostatize and yield hold upon God entirely.
The holiness necessary to see the Lord is shown by loving the neighbor God purchased even when that person's conduct gives no reason to admire them, for obeying God's will makes holiness evident. Refusing to love in this way shows that a person does not partake of the divine nature and cannot behold heaven's purity.
Receiving Holiness Through Christ
Sinners are under sentence of death for disobedience and must separate from sin and return to loyalty to God or be condemned and punished, and only by Christ's sacrifice can the conditions laid down in the councils of heaven be met. He came to earth and lived a life of perfect obedience and died that sinners might live, thereby bringing salvation within reach and giving power through His grace to become loyal subjects of God's kingdom and to live obedient lives as He lived, for such perfect obedience is necessary to salvation and to seeing the Lord.
This holiness cannot be attained by human power or human strength alone but comes through divine grace as people submit to the discipline and restraining influence of the Spirit of truth. It is a continuing work and transformation in which God works and believers cooperate by cultivating right habits, keeping on striving to overcome faults and sin, persevering, and seeking the Saviour's wisdom, strength, and help. Christ's righteousness makes true obedience acceptable and complete.
Holiness is a required condition of salvation that must not be neglected, joined with faith and obedience and calling for cooperation of the human with the divine. Salvation is a free gift to be obtained on no other condition, yet it cannot be enjoyed without action by the sinner in coming to Christ now and believing He will receive him, for Jesus stands with open, outstretched arms ready to receive sinners now as Saviour and as a most precious friend who gives eternal life. Faith and works go together and are dead alone, for works do not save but are the fruit of living faith which reveals itself in action.
Holiness requires repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ with a true heart, and the Lord will work with those who are truehearted. It is conversion and the new birth that change the life into conformity to God's will, shown by an entire transformation of character and the fruits of repentance in daily conduct, so that good works become a delight, Scripture guides and tests thoughts, words, and deeds, godly company is chosen over wicked company, and self-love and vanity are renounced in order to live for God. God estimates a person for what he is, not for what he professes to be, and only those complete in Him have genuine religious life, which means doing the personal work of examining motives and overcoming faults, guarding one another's interests, being true, faithful, frank and open, refusing fraud and secret plotting, putting on Christ and revealing His attributes as channels of His grace.
Sanctification is not an instantaneous work and not an emotion but the work of a lifetime, carried on day by day by praying, putting away sin, overcoming, and gaining experience daily until the warfare closes. Faith in God's promises is exercised through earnest work in which God works within people to will and act according to His good pleasure, calling for constant watchfulness and wholehearted, willing service, for half-hearted effort is not enough.
Holiness requires a deeper inward work of grace in mind and heart, purifying the soul through obedience to the whole truth and gaining victory over every besetting sin, including pride, selfishness, love of the world, and every wrong word and action. This preparation must be made and gained now in this present life before Christ comes and before the time of trouble and the plagues, when opportunity to prepare and the Mediator's pleading will have ended and there will be no chance to reform then, for no character transformation will happen at His coming or afterward. Righteous character must be sought now, not by building up human righteousness but by washing robes and making them white in the blood of the Lamb, which is the righteousness of the saints, for none but holy beings can dwell in God's presence and those going on in sin cannot be taken to heaven.
The subject of sanctification must be presented plainly and simply in the home so every member of the family may become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ to an incorruptible inheritance, for to see God a person must become holy in this probationary life, first as a saint on earth in the home. Words and actions in the home reveal true character and are recorded in heaven, so profession, calling, influence, or having the privilege of the Word while disregarding its precepts avails nothing, and profession of faith is worthless without home religion marked by kind speech, tender thoughtfulness, Christlike love, forbearance, and unity. Habits of speech and action mold character, what is cultivated goes down into the grave and rises unchanged, there is no transformation of character or conversion of heart at the coming of Christ, and defects of character must be repented of and overcome through Christ's grace while probation lasts as the fitting up for the family above, for those persisting in discord are not fit for heaven unless transformed, while one formed in Christ's character here will be prepared for heaven and at home in its society.
Holiness was understood as an attainment beyond what was then called justification and as necessary for eternal life, leading to the conviction that justification alone was not enough to be sure of eternal life. This produced seeking after holiness of heart in order to be ready to meet Christ at His soon coming and to be fully accepted by God.
Holiness must be inwrought in character as the essential qualification for seeing the Lord, receiving the seal of the living God, and receiving a passport to enter the mansions Christ has prepared. It means purity of heart and conduct, with which indulging base passions and sin is incompatible, so the impure in mind, the fornicator, the adulterer, and the coveter do not meet the standard and will not be sealed, those living for sinful passion cannot rightly value the soul or understand and experience salvation, each person must answer whether his character corresponds and is fitted for those mansions, and a defect in character bars from heaven.
Eternal holiness is beyond the grasp of human beings without the means God provides, and it is an eternal standard essential to seeing the Lord. Among those means are the encouragement and help of those strong in faith to raise those weak in faith to a higher standard, for those who keep hold of their own souls and hold firmly can impart knowledge and strength to the weak and needy.
Practicing Peace and Holiness
Following peace with all people and holiness is Christianity in practice, giving oneself to the Lord to be prepared to work for Him and living as Christ lived to promote peace and harmony. In practical work this means approaching people with tenderness and love to heal rather than to control or drive them, and overcoming objectionable traits whether inherited or acquired by testing each one by God's rule of righteousness and firmly resisting through Christ's strength. It means making straight paths so the lame are not turned out of the way and refusing any influence that breaks the hold of a trembling soul on God.
Keeping the command means keeping baptismal vows of death to sin and new life in and through Jesus, repenting and being converted, seeing where mistakes were made, maintaining God's grace, and working out Christ's likeness. It requires dying to self as the cure for selfish haughty mental and moral disorder that will not give up its own way even to save its own soul. Striving to be first, working for self-promotion, picking flaws in others, and allowing a root of bitterness to spring up violate the command, dishonor God, serve Satan, and hinder the advance of His work.
Pursuing peace requires working together in kindness, courtesy, brotherly love, mutual respect and harmony with no separate parties, fitting together in kindly courteous brotherly order. It means being like-minded with the same love and one accord, doing nothing through strife or vainglory but in lowliness esteeming others better than self and in honor preferring one another, without unkind criticism or tearing down another's work. Pursuing peace requires guarding conversation because words have great influence for good or evil. Never are Satan-prompted words of accusation, criticism and discouragement against fellow workers to be spoken, listened to, or passed on to strengthen others in an evil work, for such criticism plants an evil leaven that spreads like leaven in meal until a root of bitterness troubles and defiles many. Such speaking sows evil in weak minds that have no vital connection with God, tells lack of confidence in brethren, dwells on motes of difficulty until faith snaps and they look large, manufactures grievances and demands special consideration and favor, litters the pathway with rubbish that wastes precious time to clear, robs faithful workers of strength and hope and faith, and lets the devil use tongue and voice to ruin those weak in the faith. Causing suspicion so others think evil and accuse puts them on a track where they cannot be at peace with brethren and sells the birthright for a morsel of human sympathy and praise, for which account must be given at the day of final reckoning, while the path of holiness is lived by following Christ as a humble sincere Christian, learning from Him daily, and practicing patience, forbearance, and guarded speech in a life that pleases God. Believers are instead to overcome selfish passions and grievances rather than dwelling on them or speaking evil, and to encourage one another and help those who are struggling.
Pursuing peace requires removing all rubbish of disunion, leaving no wound unattended and no obstruction to corrode and break forth. It means going to the one thought to have erred, inviting anyone with a grudge to meet alone, humbling the soul before God, conquering pride, confessing wrong instead of vindicating a hasty harsh course, respecting the conviction of the Spirit, and refusing to continue at variance with brother or sister. So hearts are softened, mind spirit and soul are healed with the oil of grace, the King's highway is cleared, and the preached Word becomes tenfold more precious. Pursuing peace forbids pressing personal opinions upon those whom God has instructed and exercising kingly power over brethren. It requires walking straight forward in the path of duty without turning from integrity for personal advantage, fixing the mind on heavenly things with resolve to see the King in His beauty because He gave His life, and refusing to exert influence against Christ's truth to please any human being. It requires merging a firm determined personal will into the will of God and listening to the counsel of brethren instead of setting the will against them and imperiling the cause, with a heart softened and subdued by the Spirit especially as the great day nears.
Pursuing peace means strengthening the weak, encouraging the discouraged, speaking gently to struggling ministers, and helping the lame recover rather than pushing them aside. It forbids unkindness, coldness, contempt, harsh decisions, unfeeling words and looks that turn weak souls from the path to Jesus, and requires encouraging words that help needy souls remain on that path and be healed rather than turned out of the way. Leaders must not turn weak souls from Jesus but help heal them, and those conformed to Christ's image and made new creatures strengthen every weak brother in faith, speaking no harsh or bitter words that discourage the soul but in lowliness esteeming others better than themselves. The verse is God's word to every member of the churches, including Sabbath-keeping Adventists, requiring pursuit of peace and a holy life. Claiming to believe the truth while continuing in sin violates the command, is lying in God's sight, counterworks His work, and leads others into sin, especially when lustful practices are not given up and sin is no longer discerned as sinful. Those who persist become defiled in conscience and corrupt in heart and thought, and are used as decoys to lure souls into unclean practices that defile the whole being, joined to the warning against fornication and profaneness like Esau who for one morsel sold his birthright and afterward was rejected and found no place of repentance though he sought it with tears.
The verse is a message to those who claim to be God's servants, especially responsible men in publishing institutions, calling them to humility as learners in Christ's school. Without that humility the softening subduing power of God cannot come into their lives and the Spirit cannot work with them in peace and holiness. The call brings freedom in preaching and softens and subdues hearts by the Holy Spirit, moving hearers to rise to request prayer. It leads those who have backslidden and are unhappy and troubled to return to the truth, and leads others to testify with great gratitude for the light and blessing received, connected with the assurance that God will act for those who come to Him and ask in faith, whose faith surrounds the soul with heaven's atmosphere and who receive Christ's promised rest.
Gaining everlasting life involves pursuing holiness and leading others in its path, living in true godliness and letting God sanctify. Old customs and habits that keep from practicing the truth hinder God's work and must be put away, and readiness must be made for the final review and for heaven. Such faith is shown in a consecrated life that seeks communion with God, resists worldliness and love of dress, bears the influence of Christ's righteousness as evidence of living faith, and pursues virtue with a submissive teachable spirit willing to be led. The pursuit calls for conversion and the personal work of examining motives and overcoming faults. It means surrendering one's own way and will to serve God rather than self, consecrating entrusted abilities instead of withholding them and leading others away from consecration, and representing faith by pure obedience free from self-exaltation so the world sees what following Christ means, for without decisive change of character and complete sanctification no one will see Christ.
In places dedicated to God speech and conduct must not be improper or lawless. This pursuit belongs with repentance from backsliding and cooperation in keeping the standard of truth uplifted. The verse is fulfilled not alone but with the ministry of angels and the help of Christ as merciful helper to the tempted, lifting believers out of weakness and discouragement to make straight paths so the lame are healed and to exert every power in God's service. Teachers, physicians, preachers and every helper have solemn obligation to act this holiness in example and teaching with zeal and burning love for souls, constantly learning and reflecting light upward away from prevailing errors, and anyone neglecting this and persisting in selfish plans is a false guide, while a pure holy character in harmony with God's mind must be developed to gain entrance to His presence and immortal life.
Follow peace with all people by an active, earnest and continuing pursuit, and follow holiness as wholeness for God in a life that glorifies Him. Without that holiness no one will see the Lord, enter heaven and dwell in God's presence, or have part with Christ and see His glory. That seeing requires coming very close to Him in this present life, for character is not changed at His coming and saints in heaven will first have been saints on earth. Holiness is agreement with God in perfect obedience after Christ's example, inward in the heart and outward in purity of conduct, separation from sin and the world, and love to the neighbor. It cannot be gained by human power but comes through Christ's sacrifice and grace as sinners repent, believe, cooperate with God, and are sanctified day by day until the warfare closes.
Pursuing Peace with All
The command is to actively, earnestly and continually pursue peace with every person together with holiness, because without holiness no one will see the Lord. It requires a life at peace with all people and a holy life as the character God’s children must possess. That pursuit includes helping those who struggle rather than pushing them further from the way, strengthening the weak, helping those at risk of stumbling, and taking care not to lead young believers into doubt or unbelief. It calls for seeking perfection as God’s church by helping and strengthening one another without self-exaltation, accusation, or harshness, through love and obedience to the truth, with preparation for immortal life taking place in this life. It also requires faithful conduct in relationships and service, and vigilance so no one fails of God’s grace and no root of bitterness springs up to trouble the community and defile many.
Peace is to be pursued as far as possible, by bridling unholy anger, refusing words that stir up strife, and sometimes remaining silent rather than answering provocation. Meekness learned under Christ’s yoke helps believers rule their spirits and learn from Him. Holiness necessary to see the Lord and enter the realms of peace includes purity and honesty, requiring turning from angry, spiteful words and passionate acts, overcoming them through God’s grace and relying on Christ’s blood for cleansing. Living peaceably, as shown by Daniel, includes respect and obedience toward those in authority wherever this does not conflict with loyalty to God, for peace does not require yielding on principle or abandoning duty.
The holiness to be followed means wholeness for God and holiness of service, doing everything for God’s glory and living so others see good works and glorify God. This is the work of heaven’s unfallen angels and the pattern of Christ’s life on earth, which Christ commands every believer to do. Seeing God depends on this holiness, and the call requires diligent watch lest anyone fail of the grace of God, lest a root of bitterness spring up to cause trouble and defile many, and lest anyone become a fornicator or profane person like Esau who sold his birthright for one morsel of meat. Esau’s fault was having no respect for sacred things, sacrificing spiritual things for gratification of appetite and for selfish indulgence, pleasure, and gain, while Christ has brought within reach and secured for every person high temporal and spiritual blessings as the birthright of every soul born into the world, purchased at infinite cost, and Esau represents those who have not tasted their privileges but sell their birthright for gratification of appetite or love of gain.
The words are direct and personally significant, holding out the highest incentive to form a character God can approve, so no laborer together with God in the darkness of error need be hopeless or sink into discouragement. They command laying aside every weight and besetting sin and running the race with patience while looking to Jesus, enduring chastening that afterward yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness, lifting up hanging hands and feeble knees, and making straight paths for the feet so the lame is healed rather than turned out of the way. They are a voice from eternity beckoning sinners to the Saviour and to glory, calling them to look to the Lord Jesus as the only Saviour of sinners, to have the will in all things conformed to the will of God, and to pray to be instructed in the gospel with assurance that God will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask, so that looking unto Jesus gives peace and rest to the soul and turns attention from man to God. The verse was placed on a memorial as an enduring call directing passers-by toward the Saviour and glory.
Holiness Needed to See Lord
Without holiness no one will see the Lord and no one will see God, enter heaven or God's city and heavenly courts, have part with Christ and see His glory, or dwell and live in God's presence. The requirement joins pursuing peace with everyone to living a holy life, lifting up hanging hands and feeble knees and making straight paths for the feet through faith and intelligent knowledge of Scripture so the lame is healed rather than turned out of the way. It calls everyone professing to be a child of God to carry Christ's spirit and teachings into everyday life, to examine himself critically against the only standard of righteousness, to help those struggling rather than pushing them aside, to avoid bitterness that troubles and defiles many, and to exert every power in God's service with the ministry of angels and Christ's help as merciful helper to the tempted.
Holiness is necessary for salvation and for eternal and immortal life, and for readiness to meet Christ at His soon coming. It is moral excellence of character to be cultivated, valuable for present peace of mind and for preparation for eternal life when people will see and know God, and Christ lived in perfect obedience so that through His grace men and women may live obedient lives as He lived. Preparation for immortal life must take place in this life, with God's church seeking perfection while helping and strengthening one another without self-exaltation, accusation, or harshness. Holiness as a life of perfect obedience was understood as an attainment beyond what was then called justification, leading to the conviction that justification alone was not enough to be sure of eternal life and to seeking holiness of heart to be fully accepted by God and ready to meet Christ.
The ungodly and unrepentant who do not pursue holiness cannot inherit or enter God's kingdom as holy beings and have no place among the holy, for inheriting it requires resisting and overcoming sin. Pure and holy hearts alone fit Christ's followers to become subjects of His heavenly kingdom. Seeing the Lord requires coming very close to Him in this present life by following peace with all men and holiness. No character transformation will happen at Christ's coming or afterward and there will be no chance to reform then, for the change from earth to heaven does not change character, habits of speech and action mold character and go down into the grave and rise unchanged, saints in heaven will first have been saints on earth, and defects of character left unconquered bar people from the heavenly mansions and separate them from the presence of the pure and holy God. Righteous character must therefore be sought now, not by building human righteousness but by washing robes white in the blood of the Lamb, by becoming holy in probationary life beginning as a saint on earth in the home where words and actions reveal true character and are recorded in heaven, by developing a pure and holy character with mind in harmony with God's mind, and by earnest wholehearted work to make eternal life sure.
Mercy opens the gates into the city of God to the obedient, while justice stands at the entrance and demands holiness and purity in all who would see God. Justice is satisfied to grant every obedient soul full privileges as a member of the royal family, a child of the heavenly King, but defective character cannot pass the gates mercy has opened to the obedient. Were mercy to open the gates to the whole race irrespective of character, the peace, happiness and harmony of heaven would be broken, producing disaffection and rebellion worse than before Satan was expelled, since the happiness of the redeemed results from characters formed in this life after the image of Christ. Because Jehovah is holy He requires His people to be holy, pure and undefiled, and those who worship Him sincerely and truthfully are accepted by Him and, when they walk humbly and uprightly and trust in Him, are under His protection in the time of God's judgments. Holiness is required to see God and to stand in the fearful test ahead, so those who minister in sacred things must become converted and seek preparation and readiness now while pardon may still be found, and even where pardon is granted the unholy course brings terrible loss because the scars made upon the soul remain.
Context of Surrounding Exhortation
The command to pursue peace and holiness stands together with lifting up hanging hands and feeble knees and making straight paths for the feet so the lame is healed rather than turned out of the way. This strengthening work means lifting drooping hands and weak knees, helping the faltering and those at risk of stumbling, and healing injured believers rather than turning them aside or pushing them further from the way. It is done through faith and intelligent knowledge of Scripture, by carrying the spirit and teachings of Christ into everyday life, and by looking critically at oneself and comparing character with the only standard of righteousness. It is the special work now required of God's people, done not alone but with the ministry of angels and the help of Christ as merciful helper to the tempted, exerting every power in God's service. The highest incentive to form a character God can approve is held out here, so that no laborer together with God in the darkness of error need be hopeless or sink into discouragement.
The same command belongs with looking diligently lest anyone fail of the grace of God and lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble and defile many. This calls for guarding against hatred and bitterness that trouble others, against falling away from God's grace, and against spreading grievances, suspicion, and distrust. Words have great influence for good or evil, so conversation must be guarded against sowing evil in weak minds that have no vital connection with God, telling lack of confidence in brethren, dwelling on motes of difficulty until faith snaps, manufacturing grievances or demanding special consideration and favor, and letting the devil use tongue and voice to ruin those weak in the faith. Causing suspicion so others think evil and accuse puts them on a track where they cannot be at peace with brethren and sells the birthright for a morsel of human sympathy and praise, for which account must be given at the day of final reckoning.
The warning continues against fornication and profaneness like Esau, who for one morsel of food or meat sold his birthright and afterward was rejected from the blessing and found no place of repentance though he sought it with tears. His fault was having no respect for sacred things, sacrificing spiritual things for gratification of appetite and for selfish indulgence, pleasure, and gain. Sinful appetite is shown by him to cause loss of an inheritance that cannot later be recovered, even when sought with tears, and believers must flee youthful lusts and avoid even what is stained by sin. Christ has brought within reach and secured for every person high temporal and spiritual blessings as the birthright of every soul born into the world, purchased at infinite cost. Esau represents those who have not tasted the privileges that are theirs but sell their birthright for some gratification of appetite or for love of gain.
The command also belongs with laying aside every weight and besetting sin, running the race with patience while looking to Jesus, and enduring chastening that afterward yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. The warning about seeing God connects to the pure in heart seeing God. Impurity obscures spiritual sight, while beholding Christ and becoming like Him helps discern God's character. Holiness here means obeying God's commandments, whose law is a transcript of His character, and shaping conduct after Christ's example.
Nature of True Holiness
Holiness is agreement with God, wholeness for God, and a life of perfect obedience shaped after the example of Christ, who lived in perfect obedience so that through grace obedient lives may be lived. It means obeying the commandments, whose law is a transcript of the divine character, and returning to loyalty to God by separating from sin, for sin has marred and nearly erased the divine image and the gospel works to restore what was lost through cooperation with God. Coming into harmony with God and receiving His likeness requires knowing Him, which Christ came to reveal, and turning to the path of holiness requires complete transformation of character, a pure heart, and a life ruled by God's law, without which a person remains in sin and perishes.
Holiness is moral excellence of character to be cultivated, purity of soul and of heart and conduct, and fellowship with God that fits for life with holy angels in heaven, where nothing sinful can enter the city of God. It requires separation from the world and no fellowship with its unfruitful works of darkness, fleeing youthful lusts and avoiding even what is stained by sin, and turning from all sin to meet the conditions to become sons and daughters of God. This moral excellence is part of the character required for eternal life, valuable both for present peace of mind and as preparation for when people will see and know God.
Holiness is inward, planted in the heart where evil must be corrected, so that Christianity controls the life, and it is more than outward conduct or mere form of godliness, which is like cleansing only the outside of the cup while impurity remains within. It removes selfishness and sin and produces right actions and abundant good works, and nothing short of it enables successful living out of divine principles, for even pure doctrines will not save unless brought into contact with the life and the heart is purified through obedience to the truth. When Christ abides in the heart, purity, refinement, peace and love become evident in the life and even in the countenance, establishing character in piety, virtue and purity, and those who enter heaven must have a perfect, Christlike character to meet the Lord in peace.
Entire sanctification is complete conformity to God's will pursued in thought, prayer and action, with the heart purified from inherited and cultivated wrong tendencies and cleansed from sin, which cannot be replaced by outward changes. It means being redeemed from all iniquity and purified as a peculiar people zealous of good works, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts and living soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, perfect even as the Father in heaven is perfect. It also calls for building one another up in faith with a spirit of love rather than self-exaltation, self-estimation, contempt for others, selfishness, or conduct that divides and harms fellow believers, since such evils arise from Satan's influence.
Holiness is the imputed righteousness of Christ as uprightness and purity dwelling in believers by faith, with love, forbearance, meekness and all Christian virtues becoming part of their being and working the works of God. It never covers cherished sin but is the wedding garment of Christ's righteousness required to enter the marriage supper of the Lamb, received by combining human effort with the divine power waiting to be given while following Christ as the model of divine character and being holy in all conduct.
Holiness requires purifying the soul through obedience to the whole truth and gaining victory over every besetting sin, including pride, selfishness, love of the world, and every wrong word and action, for only holy beings can dwell and live in God's presence. This preparation to stand in the day of the Lord must be made now before the time of trouble and the plagues when opportunity and the Mediator's pleading will have ended, and without that victory none can share the refreshing nor can the latter rain fit the unprepared to stand before a holy God. It is reached by a thorough work of repentance in which all dross is separated from the character, a higher standard is reached, and self no longer appears prominently, letting the principles of the Bible guide all that is done and said while putting away assumption of authority not given by God, all oppression, and all exalting or putting down of fellow men.
Holiness requires no fellowship with covenant-breaking iniquity, and without it no one can enjoy the blessings of the covenant. It requires repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ with a true heart, guarding one another's interests, being true and faithful, as frank and open as the day, and refusing to defraud or gain by fraud and secret plotting. Men and women are channels through which grace flows to the world, and holiness means putting on Christ and revealing His attributes, with the Lord working with those who are truehearted.
Genuine holiness is lost by turning from God's Word to false ideas and worldly concerns and failing to live and speak so as to commend the gospel. Mere profession of Christ while denying Him by works, engaging in controversy over faith while asleep to Christianity, leading others in recklessness, and regarding iniquity in the heart make prayer amount to nothing. Unless there is thorough change and decided correction of defects of character to match the life of Christ, those who refuse reproof become less susceptible to the Spirit, more blinded, with less wisdom, self-control, moral power and zeal for religion, and will finally apostatize and yield hold upon God entirely.
The holiness necessary to see the Lord is shown by loving the neighbor God purchased even when that person's conduct gives no reason to admire them, for obeying God's will makes holiness evident. Refusing to love in this way shows that a person does not partake of the divine nature and cannot behold heaven's purity.
Receiving Holiness Through Christ
Sinners are under sentence of death for disobedience and must separate from sin and return to loyalty to God or be condemned and punished, and only by Christ's sacrifice can the conditions laid down in the councils of heaven be met. He came to earth and lived a life of perfect obedience and died that sinners might live, thereby bringing salvation within reach and giving power through His grace to become loyal subjects of God's kingdom and to live obedient lives as He lived, for such perfect obedience is necessary to salvation and to seeing the Lord.
This holiness cannot be attained by human power or human strength alone but comes through divine grace as people submit to the discipline and restraining influence of the Spirit of truth. It is a continuing work and transformation in which God works and believers cooperate by cultivating right habits, keeping on striving to overcome faults and sin, persevering, and seeking the Saviour's wisdom, strength, and help. Christ's righteousness makes true obedience acceptable and complete.
Holiness is a required condition of salvation that must not be neglected, joined with faith and obedience and calling for cooperation of the human with the divine. Salvation is a free gift to be obtained on no other condition, yet it cannot be enjoyed without action by the sinner in coming to Christ now and believing He will receive him, for Jesus stands with open, outstretched arms ready to receive sinners now as Saviour and as a most precious friend who gives eternal life. Faith and works go together and are dead alone, for works do not save but are the fruit of living faith which reveals itself in action.
Holiness requires repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ with a true heart, and the Lord will work with those who are truehearted. It is conversion and the new birth that change the life into conformity to God's will, shown by an entire transformation of character and the fruits of repentance in daily conduct, so that good works become a delight, Scripture guides and tests thoughts, words, and deeds, godly company is chosen over wicked company, and self-love and vanity are renounced in order to live for God. God estimates a person for what he is, not for what he professes to be, and only those complete in Him have genuine religious life, which means doing the personal work of examining motives and overcoming faults, guarding one another's interests, being true, faithful, frank and open, refusing fraud and secret plotting, putting on Christ and revealing His attributes as channels of His grace.
Sanctification is not an instantaneous work and not an emotion but the work of a lifetime, carried on day by day by praying, putting away sin, overcoming, and gaining experience daily until the warfare closes. Faith in God's promises is exercised through earnest work in which God works within people to will and act according to His good pleasure, calling for constant watchfulness and wholehearted, willing service, for half-hearted effort is not enough.
Holiness requires a deeper inward work of grace in mind and heart, purifying the soul through obedience to the whole truth and gaining victory over every besetting sin, including pride, selfishness, love of the world, and every wrong word and action. This preparation must be made and gained now in this present life before Christ comes and before the time of trouble and the plagues, when opportunity to prepare and the Mediator's pleading will have ended and there will be no chance to reform then, for no character transformation will happen at His coming or afterward. Righteous character must be sought now, not by building up human righteousness but by washing robes and making them white in the blood of the Lamb, which is the righteousness of the saints, for none but holy beings can dwell in God's presence and those going on in sin cannot be taken to heaven.
The subject of sanctification must be presented plainly and simply in the home so every member of the family may become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ to an incorruptible inheritance, for to see God a person must become holy in this probationary life, first as a saint on earth in the home. Words and actions in the home reveal true character and are recorded in heaven, so profession, calling, influence, or having the privilege of the Word while disregarding its precepts avails nothing, and profession of faith is worthless without home religion marked by kind speech, tender thoughtfulness, Christlike love, forbearance, and unity. Habits of speech and action mold character, what is cultivated goes down into the grave and rises unchanged, there is no transformation of character or conversion of heart at the coming of Christ, and defects of character must be repented of and overcome through Christ's grace while probation lasts as the fitting up for the family above, for those persisting in discord are not fit for heaven unless transformed, while one formed in Christ's character here will be prepared for heaven and at home in its society.
Holiness was understood as an attainment beyond what was then called justification and as necessary for eternal life, leading to the conviction that justification alone was not enough to be sure of eternal life. This produced seeking after holiness of heart in order to be ready to meet Christ at His soon coming and to be fully accepted by God.
Holiness must be inwrought in character as the essential qualification for seeing the Lord, receiving the seal of the living God, and receiving a passport to enter the mansions Christ has prepared. It means purity of heart and conduct, with which indulging base passions and sin is incompatible, so the impure in mind, the fornicator, the adulterer, and the coveter do not meet the standard and will not be sealed, those living for sinful passion cannot rightly value the soul or understand and experience salvation, each person must answer whether his character corresponds and is fitted for those mansions, and a defect in character bars from heaven.
Eternal holiness is beyond the grasp of human beings without the means God provides, and it is an eternal standard essential to seeing the Lord. Among those means are the encouragement and help of those strong in faith to raise those weak in faith to a higher standard, for those who keep hold of their own souls and hold firmly can impart knowledge and strength to the weak and needy.
Practicing Peace and Holiness
Following peace with all people and holiness is Christianity in practice, giving oneself to the Lord to be prepared to work for Him and living as Christ lived to promote peace and harmony. In practical work this means approaching people with tenderness and love to heal rather than to control or drive them, and overcoming objectionable traits whether inherited or acquired by testing each one by God's rule of righteousness and firmly resisting through Christ's strength. It means making straight paths so the lame are not turned out of the way and refusing any influence that breaks the hold of a trembling soul on God.
Keeping the command means keeping baptismal vows of death to sin and new life in and through Jesus, repenting and being converted, seeing where mistakes were made, maintaining God's grace, and working out Christ's likeness. It requires dying to self as the cure for selfish haughty mental and moral disorder that will not give up its own way even to save its own soul. Striving to be first, working for self-promotion, picking flaws in others, and allowing a root of bitterness to spring up violate the command, dishonor God, serve Satan, and hinder the advance of His work.
Pursuing peace requires working together in kindness, courtesy, brotherly love, mutual respect and harmony with no separate parties, fitting together in kindly courteous brotherly order. It means being like-minded with the same love and one accord, doing nothing through strife or vainglory but in lowliness esteeming others better than self and in honor preferring one another, without unkind criticism or tearing down another's work. Pursuing peace requires guarding conversation because words have great influence for good or evil. Never are Satan-prompted words of accusation, criticism and discouragement against fellow workers to be spoken, listened to, or passed on to strengthen others in an evil work, for such criticism plants an evil leaven that spreads like leaven in meal until a root of bitterness troubles and defiles many. Such speaking sows evil in weak minds that have no vital connection with God, tells lack of confidence in brethren, dwells on motes of difficulty until faith snaps and they look large, manufactures grievances and demands special consideration and favor, litters the pathway with rubbish that wastes precious time to clear, robs faithful workers of strength and hope and faith, and lets the devil use tongue and voice to ruin those weak in the faith. Causing suspicion so others think evil and accuse puts them on a track where they cannot be at peace with brethren and sells the birthright for a morsel of human sympathy and praise, for which account must be given at the day of final reckoning, while the path of holiness is lived by following Christ as a humble sincere Christian, learning from Him daily, and practicing patience, forbearance, and guarded speech in a life that pleases God. Believers are instead to overcome selfish passions and grievances rather than dwelling on them or speaking evil, and to encourage one another and help those who are struggling.
Pursuing peace requires removing all rubbish of disunion, leaving no wound unattended and no obstruction to corrode and break forth. It means going to the one thought to have erred, inviting anyone with a grudge to meet alone, humbling the soul before God, conquering pride, confessing wrong instead of vindicating a hasty harsh course, respecting the conviction of the Spirit, and refusing to continue at variance with brother or sister. So hearts are softened, mind spirit and soul are healed with the oil of grace, the King's highway is cleared, and the preached Word becomes tenfold more precious. Pursuing peace forbids pressing personal opinions upon those whom God has instructed and exercising kingly power over brethren. It requires walking straight forward in the path of duty without turning from integrity for personal advantage, fixing the mind on heavenly things with resolve to see the King in His beauty because He gave His life, and refusing to exert influence against Christ's truth to please any human being. It requires merging a firm determined personal will into the will of God and listening to the counsel of brethren instead of setting the will against them and imperiling the cause, with a heart softened and subdued by the Spirit especially as the great day nears.
Pursuing peace means strengthening the weak, encouraging the discouraged, speaking gently to struggling ministers, and helping the lame recover rather than pushing them aside. It forbids unkindness, coldness, contempt, harsh decisions, unfeeling words and looks that turn weak souls from the path to Jesus, and requires encouraging words that help needy souls remain on that path and be healed rather than turned out of the way. Leaders must not turn weak souls from Jesus but help heal them, and those conformed to Christ's image and made new creatures strengthen every weak brother in faith, speaking no harsh or bitter words that discourage the soul but in lowliness esteeming others better than themselves. The verse is God's word to every member of the churches, including Sabbath-keeping Adventists, requiring pursuit of peace and a holy life. Claiming to believe the truth while continuing in sin violates the command, is lying in God's sight, counterworks His work, and leads others into sin, especially when lustful practices are not given up and sin is no longer discerned as sinful. Those who persist become defiled in conscience and corrupt in heart and thought, and are used as decoys to lure souls into unclean practices that defile the whole being, joined to the warning against fornication and profaneness like Esau who for one morsel sold his birthright and afterward was rejected and found no place of repentance though he sought it with tears.
The verse is a message to those who claim to be God's servants, especially responsible men in publishing institutions, calling them to humility as learners in Christ's school. Without that humility the softening subduing power of God cannot come into their lives and the Spirit cannot work with them in peace and holiness. The call brings freedom in preaching and softens and subdues hearts by the Holy Spirit, moving hearers to rise to request prayer. It leads those who have backslidden and are unhappy and troubled to return to the truth, and leads others to testify with great gratitude for the light and blessing received, connected with the assurance that God will act for those who come to Him and ask in faith, whose faith surrounds the soul with heaven's atmosphere and who receive Christ's promised rest.
Gaining everlasting life involves pursuing holiness and leading others in its path, living in true godliness and letting God sanctify. Old customs and habits that keep from practicing the truth hinder God's work and must be put away, and readiness must be made for the final review and for heaven. Such faith is shown in a consecrated life that seeks communion with God, resists worldliness and love of dress, bears the influence of Christ's righteousness as evidence of living faith, and pursues virtue with a submissive teachable spirit willing to be led. The pursuit calls for conversion and the personal work of examining motives and overcoming faults. It means surrendering one's own way and will to serve God rather than self, consecrating entrusted abilities instead of withholding them and leading others away from consecration, and representing faith by pure obedience free from self-exaltation so the world sees what following Christ means, for without decisive change of character and complete sanctification no one will see Christ.
In places dedicated to God speech and conduct must not be improper or lawless. This pursuit belongs with repentance from backsliding and cooperation in keeping the standard of truth uplifted. The verse is fulfilled not alone but with the ministry of angels and the help of Christ as merciful helper to the tempted, lifting believers out of weakness and discouragement to make straight paths so the lame are healed and to exert every power in God's service. Teachers, physicians, preachers and every helper have solemn obligation to act this holiness in example and teaching with zeal and burning love for souls, constantly learning and reflecting light upward away from prevailing errors, and anyone neglecting this and persisting in selfish plans is a false guide, while a pure holy character in harmony with God's mind must be developed to gain entrance to His presence and immortal life.