Post 72 of Study: Hebrews 12:14-17, #3

“Pursue peace . . . and holiness . . . looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God.” What? How is that even possible, if grace has nothing to do with us? I think this has to do with the experience of grace, not the reception of it. We will not keep up with the grace of God in our lives if we are not pursuing peace and holiness. We will have let it run on before us, as if we are distracted in (back to 12:1-2) a race and get “derailed” in a sense. (Sorry, I’m mixing my metaphors here.)

Grace is not a standard we don’t meet and thus “fall short of it” or “fall from” (Galatians 5:4). That verse about falling from grace isn’t about sinning; it’s about becoming entangled in legalism that would get in the way of the full experience of grace, the full life lived of and in grace. 

If one does fall short of the grace of God, falling behind and getting away from a grace life, either by legalism, going back into Judaic practices, or being pulled into sin and not living in forgiveness, then . . . .one is in danger of bitterness springing up and defiling one’s life. 

Bitterness is such a strong power. We spend a lot of hours in the therapist’s office due to bitterness. We let it destroy us, defile our relationships. It comes from ingratitude, misplaced expectations, anger at being passed over, not taking responsibility.

Case study: Esau, who wanted food rather than the place of responsibility as well as heirship in his family line, and let his brother swindle him for some lentil soup. (I hope it was good and he enjoyed it, considering the consequences.) Esau was bitter afterwards, and perhaps before, since he devalued his inheritance.

Bitterness is the flower of anger, and anger comes from not seeing grace in every aspect of life.