The Pursuit of Peace and Holiness

"Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord..."

Hebrews 12:14

I have been meditating on this verse lately, and the wisdom and simplicity of it is marvellous.  The writer of Hebrews exhorts the pursuit of peace with all people, yet never at the expense of holiness.  There is a peace the world holds as an ideal not hardly realised, a coexistence which requires accommodation and compromise.  Genuine peace can never be obtained without resolved conflict, but the world's way of peace is to avoid conflict at all costs.  This pseudo-peace is far removed from the peace Jesus Christ offers those who trust in Him.  Jesus said in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  The peace Jesus gives is not contingent on external circumstances but is secured in the hearts of all who look to Jesus Christ as LORD and Saviour.

The temptation for Christians in our pursuit of peace is to compromise in God's righteous standard of holiness, to find middle ground where there can be none.  Jesus spoke to His disciples in Luke 16:13:  "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."  I believe Jesus said these words to His disciples because there is a tendency in all people towards divided loyalty.  We imagine as servants of all we can effectively serve two masters, but this cannot be.  There is no peace within us when we are caught between two opinions, not convinced in our minds about what is right.  This current age of subjectivity, political correctness, and sensitivity exacerbates this because it is seen as wrong to offend - even if for good reason.

We are commanded to pursue peace with all and holiness because without it no one will see the LORD.  God is holy, and nothing that is sinful or defiles can enter into His presence.  By the grace of God we can be deemed holy through the Gospel when we repent and trust in Jesus.  Our sins are atoned for by the precious shed blood of Jesus on Calvary, we are washed clean and forgiven, and the righteousness of Jesus is imputed to us by grace through faith.  Born-again Christians are thus made holy.  At the same time, however, we must take to heart passages like 1 Peter 1:13-16:  "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ¹⁴ as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; ¹⁵ but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."  God has declared us holy, but we are also told to be holy - to live in agreement with God's holiness.  We are called to obedience to God and not to be conformed or shaped by this sin-steeped world.

We were once cut off from God due to our sinful rebellion, but by God's grace we can raise cleansed, holy hands to our Saviour in praise.  The Bible Knowledge Commentary made an interesting observation concerning the Hebrews passage:  "Since no sin can stand in God's presence, Christians must—and will be—sinless when they see the Lord (cf. 1 John 3:2). That realisation offers motivation for pursuing holiness here and now. But the author may also have had in mind the thought that one's perception of God even now is conditioned by his real measure of holiness (cf. Matt. 5:8)."  Many have, in their personal pursuit of holiness, arrogantly and without compassion disposed of relationships with others.  They have seen the pursuit of peace - with even brothers and sisters in Christ - as an unnecessary effort to stand up for self or teach other people a lesson.  If behaving in an unloving manner is the lesson, it is a lesson what not to do.  The log in our own eye has a way of blinding us from our own pride (Matt. 7:1-5).  How important is it for us to maintain a godly balance in our pursuit of peace and holiness:  there is no holiness without peace with God, and their is no peace with others when we deviate from God's holiness.

The Faithful Messenger

Last night in Tribe we discussed Proverbs 10:26 which reads, "As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy man to those who send him."  King Solomon employed a couple of interesting similes to describe a lazy messenger from the perspective of the one who sent the message.  If you have ever taken a swig of vinegar, you know it is difficult to do so without wincing.  The high acidity in time also weakens tooth enamel and can lead to decay.  Most have had the unpleasant experience of sitting around a warm fire only to have the smoke follow you around.  Smoke irritates eyes and makes them water and burn, and this makes it difficult to see clearly.  A lazy messenger is unsuited for the task, a tooth-grinding irritant to those who sent him.

Whilst reading the Bible before bed I came across a striking contrast in Proverbs 25:13:  "Like the cold of snow in time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him, for he refreshes the soul of his masters."  Harvesting crops is taxing work, and a cool breeze or icy drink provided welcome relief in the heat of the day.  To have the cold of snow in a time of harvest might have been wishful thinking for perspiring labourers bearing burdens, but a faithful messenger is compared with the great refreshment a frosty drink would provide.  Those who send a faithful messenger find their souls refreshed with a well-communicated, timely report.

Perhaps we know the annoyance of laziness or the refreshment of faithfulness well.  For personal application this is a fair question:  what sort of messenger would we be classified by our Master Jesus Christ who has sent us out into all the world as His ministers and ambassadors?  Are we the equivalent of smoke in the eyes of our King or are we faithful messengers who refresh His soul?  It is reasonable the faithful messenger will be provided additional responsibility and more important messages to deliver.  How precious the Gospel ought to be in our eyes!  Proverbs 25:25 says, "As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country."  Our LORD never grows tired or faint as we do, but how it must please Him to have the Good News proclaimed faithfully by the lives and lips of His faithful servants.

Power Belongs to God

"Do not trust in oppression, nor vainly hope in robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them. ¹¹ God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God."

Psalm 62:10-11

It is easy for Christians who trust God to begin to place their faith in other things.  Though our hearts are to be fixed on the LORD and our confidence in His Word, a subtle shift can occur.  That is a reason David exhorts the reader to not place our hope in uncertain riches.  Money brings with it the power to obtain but dollars can also exert power over any who discover comfort in them.

David wrote, "Do not trust in oppression, nor vainly hope in robbery..." and the English definitions of the original Hebrew words provide clarity.  I imagine very few of us would admit we "trust in oppression, " and oppression is translated from a word which is defined in the Strong's concordance as, "injury, fraud, distress, unjust gain."  There are people who rort government systems designed to help people by claiming injuries they do not have.  Some profit financially by deceptively tweaking the numbers on their income tax returns.  Through treachery such assert themselves for monetary gain, and they place their trust in cheating schemes rather than God.

"Robbery" is straightforward, and the Hebrew word is defined in the Strong's as "plunder, to take by force."  In David's day victorious armies had the rights to plunder their foes of homes, possessions, people, and livestock.  There were bandits and mercenaries always on the lookout for the next soft target and easy score, to profit at the expense of others because "might meant right."  The mentality of these raiders may be similar to those who hope in winning the lotto or by gambling -  even by through legitimate means.  These set their hearts on a massive windfall and fantasise how their lives would be better with stacks of cash.  Instead of placing their affections and hope in God, trusting Him to provide for all their needs, they set their hearts on uncertain riches.  Such rob God of His rightful place and make money a powerless idol which cannot love or save them.

The power to live, obtain, and provide all comes from God because all power is His.  It is a good place when we do not lust after riches in our poverty, nor do we set our heart on them should God provide money bountifully.  In all seasons may we place our hope and trust in God, being grateful and thankful for His goodness towards us and the power of the Holy Spirit who works in us.  Money does not make a man powerful:  who is powerful compared to God?  Riches may open doors for men, but Jesus Christ opens doors none can shut and doors He shuts none can open - and when He walked the earth He did not even have a house or bed to call His own.

Power belongs to God, and may our hearts remain fixed on Him!  Those who place their hope in the LORD are wealthier than the richest men and women on earth.

Walk in the Spirit

It occurred to me recently that the health of the church is not best measured by church attendance or financial giving but in personal holiness.  The sanctification for Christ of each individual member does a great deal to provide strength and fruitfulness in the church.  The whole church is comprised of many individual members, and our connection to Christ as our head (individually and corporately) places us in a humble posture to be led by the Spirit.  At some point we must take personal responsibility to do justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God according to His Word (Micah 6:8).  When our hearts are hardened in sin, however, solid biblical teaching or Spirit-led worship will not force godly transformation upon us.

It is a remarkable thing that the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the hearts of God's people who repent of their sin and trust Him.  The thing which I find beyond comprehension is God gives us choices all along, never forcing us to do His will.  This is seen in the life of Joseph and Samson, two men in whom the Holy Spirit dwelt.  Joseph was given great wisdom by God to interpret dreams, and Samson was given superhuman physical strength.  Both men said and did things which their parents weren't happy with - like when Joseph shared his dream about people bowing before him or when Samson sought a wife among the Philistines.  God used both of these men mightily, but how they dealt with persistent temptation was an indication of their current spiritual health and walk with God.

After Joseph was sold by his brothers to slave traders, he was bought by a man named Potiphar and made steward over all his house.  He was a handsome young man who soon caught the longing eyes of Potiphar's wife.  She shamelessly began to make sexual advances upon him.  Genesis 39:8-10 records his response:  "But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. ⁹ There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" ¹⁰ So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her."  Joseph addressed Potiphar's wife directly that to sleep with her would be a sin against God and his master.  He made an effort to avoid being alone with her because she made her evil intentions clear.

Samson, in sharp contrast to Joseph, sought the company of a harlot.  He loved her and slept with her (though unmarried) despite she plainly stated her desire to know how to bind and afflict him.  What he didn't know is five Philistine lords had bribed her to find the secret of his great strength.  Though he had the Spirit of God within him, Samson's response to Delilah's pestering was opposite of Joseph.  Judges 16:16-17 reads, "And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death, ¹⁷ that he told her all his heart, and said to her, "No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man."  Joseph had been cut off from his family and culture but retained his integrity, while the life of sin Samson chose left him incapable of resisting Delilah's pestering.  After he was shorn the Spirit of God left Him, and Samson was taken, blinded, bound, and enslaved by his enemies - a picture of his tragic spiritual state.

Joseph and Samson were both imprisoned and used by God later in life.  Joseph was promoted to second in Egypt after interpreting Pharaoh's dream, and Samson was strengthened anew by God to push the supporting pillars of a temple to deal a savage blow to the Philistines.  In both of their lives God was their sole source of hope and help in dark, lonely times.  It is a fitting question for us who have been born again:  are we facing temptation to sin with head-on refusals like Joseph, doing all in our power to honour God with our decisions?  Or are we as Samson, pressed and pestered to death until we finally give in?  The state of our current relationship with God has a bearing on how we handle temptation.  Instead of simply trying to avoid sin, it is best to obey the scripture in Galatians 5:16:  "I say then: walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh."  Having the Spirit of God within us doesn't necessarily mean we are walking in the Spirit.  Samson had the Spirit but fulfilled the lust of the flesh.  His life was cut short by sin, but may the Spirit quicken us to obey Him.  Let us consider our ways in light of the examples of Joseph and Samson and walk in the Spirit.