Pursue Peace, Exemplify Grace

“Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.” (Hebrews 12:14-15 NASB1995)

Peace with all people must include peace with God. For we are never to compromise our faith and biblical convictions and the teachings of Christ and of his New Testament apostles in order to be at peace with anyone. We are never to compromise truth, righteousness, and moral purity so that others will like us, and so they will approve of us. But if we know that we said or did something to offend another person, because of something we did or said in the flesh, then we need to repent of our sin and seek their forgiveness and reconciliation. And they may still reject us, but we must do our part.

For we are also to pursue “the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.” And sanctification is holiness and purification. For when we believe in Jesus Christ with God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in him, it results in us being crucified with Christ in death to sin, and us being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as servants of God and of his righteousness, in holy living. And to be holy is to be separate (different, unlike) the world because we are being progressively conformed by God to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

And if we are to see to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, what should that look like for us? Well, the grace of God is his kindness towards us who are sinners by nature. And in his kindness he sent his only begotten Son Jesus Christ, who was God in the flesh (fully God and fully human), to die on a cross and to put our sins to death with him so that, by faith in him, we will now die to sin and live to God and to his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living and in surrender to his will. For this purpose Jesus gave his life up for us on that cross to free us from sin.

And God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. God’s grace to us is never free license to keep on living in sin and for self. For Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)

So, if we are to see to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, then we are extending ourselves to others to show them compassion and forgiveness of sins. This does not put our stamp of approval on their sins, for that is the opposite of biblical grace. So to show them the grace of God is not only in us forgiving them, but it is in us sharing with them the message of the gospel of our salvation that Jesus died on that cross, not just to forgive us our sins, but to deliver us out of our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we can now serve him with our lives in obedience to his commands.

We are never to become bitter, angry, and unforgiving people. But again, forgiveness and grace are not tolerance of deliberate and habitual sin. Grace never approves of sin, but it forgives the sinner who is repentant, and it gives the sinner a chance to change, and a chance to be forgiven and to live a new life in Christ Jesus free from addiction to sin, and free to now serve God with their lives in holy living. But forgiveness is not permission for the sinner to continue in sin without punishment. For all who make sin their practice, and not obedience, they will not inherit eternal life with God.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

His Strength Is Perfect

Steven Curtis Chapman

I can do all things

Through Christ who gives me strength

But sometimes I wonder what He can do through me

No great success to show

No glory of my own

Yet in my weakness He is there to let me know

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone

He'll carry us when we can't carry on

Raised in His power, the weak become strong

His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect

We can only know

The power that He holds

When we truly see how deep our weakness goes

His strength in us begins

Where ours comes to an end

He hears our humble cry and proves again

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone

He'll carry us when we can't carry on

Raised in His power, the weak become strong

His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGC9KT918Kk 

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Pursue Peace, Exemplify Grace

An Original Work / November 27, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love