Hebrews 12:14-17 – See the note further below.
14 Make every effort [1377] to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness [38- “consecration, purification”] no one will see the Lord.
15 See to it that no one misses [5302] the grace of God and that no bitter root grows [5453- “to beget, to bring forth, to produce”] up to cause trouble [1776] and defile [3392] many.
16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.
17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.
(NIV)
Hebrews 12:14-17
14 Pursue [1377] peace with all men, and the sanctification [38] without which no one will see the Lord.
15 See to it that no one comes short [5302] of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing [5453-see def. above] up causes trouble [1776], and by it many be defiled [3392];
16 that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.
17 For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.
(NAS)
1377 dioko (dee-o'-ko)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a prolonged (and causative) form of a primary verb dio (to flee; compare the base of 1169 and 1249); to pursue (literally or figuratively); by implication, to persecute:
KJV-- ensue, follow (after), given to, (suffer) persecute (-ion), press forward.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
1) to make to run or flee, to put to flight, to drive away
2) to run swiftly in order to catch a person or thing, to run after
a) to press on: figuratively, used of one who in a race runs swiftly to reach the goal
b) to pursue (in a hostile manner)
3) in any way whatever to harass, to trouble, to molest one
a) to persecute
b) to be mistreated, to suffer persecution on account of something
4) without the idea of hostility, to run after, to follow after someone
5) metaphorically, to pursue, to seek after eagerly, earnestly endeavor to acquire
5302 hustereo (hoos-ter-eh'-o)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from 5306; to be later, i.e. (by implication) to be inferior; generally, to fall short (be deficient):
KJV-- come behind (short), be destitute, fail, lack, suffer need, (be in) want, be the worse.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
1) behind
a) to come late or too tardily
1) to be left behind in the race and so fail to reach the goal, to fall short of the end
2) metaphorically, to fail to become a partaker, to fall back from
b) to be inferior in power, influence and rank; used of the person: to be inferior to
c) to fail, to be wanting or lacking
d) to be in want of, to lack
2) to suffer want, to be devoid of, to be lacking (be inferior) in excellence or worth
1776 enochleo (en-okh-leh'-o)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from 1722 and 3791 [see def. right below]; to crowd in, i.e. (figuratively) to annoy:
KJV-- trouble.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
to excite, to disturbance, to trouble, to annoy
3791 ochleo (okh-leh'-o)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from 3793; to mob, i.e. (by implication) to harass:
KJV-- vex.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
1) to excite a mob against one
2) to disturb, to roll away
3) to trouble, to molest
4) to be in confusion, to be in an uproar
5) to be vexed, to be molested, to be troubled (by demons)
3392 miaino (me-ah'-ee-no)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
perhaps a primary verb; to sully or taint, i.e. contaminate (cer. or morally):
KJV-- defile.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
1) to dye with another color, to stain
2) to defile, to pollute, to sully, to contaminate, to soil, to defile with sins
James 1:2-4 – See the note below.
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
4 Perseverance [5281] must finish [5046] its work so that you may be mature [5046] and complete [3648], not lacking [3007] anything.
(NIV)
5281 hupomone (hoop-om-on-ay')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from 5278; cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy:
KJV-- enduring, patience, patient continuance (waiting).
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
1) steadfastness, constancy, endurance
a) in the New Testament, the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest
trials and sufferings
b) patiently, and steadfastly
2) a patient, steadfast waiting for
3) a patient enduring, sustaining, perseverance
5046 teleios (tel'-i-os)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from 5056; complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc.); neuter (as noun, with 3588) completeness:
KJV-- of full age, man, perfect.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
1) brought to its end, finished
2) wanting nothing necessary to completeness
3) perfect
4) what is perfect
a) consummate human integrity and virtue
b) used of men, full grown, adult, of full age, mature
3648 holokleros (hol'-ok'-lay-ros) [See 1 Thess. 5:23 below; only other N.T. verse with this word]
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from 3650 and 2819; complete in every part, i.e. perfectly sound (in body):
KJV-- entire, whole.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
complete in all its parts, in no part wanting or unsound, complete, entire, whole
a) used of a body without blemish or defect, whether of a priest or of a victim
b) free from sin, faultless
c) complete in all respects, consummate
3007 leipo (li'-po)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primary verb; to leave, i.e. (intransitively or passively) to fail or be absent:
KJV-- be destitute (wanting), lack.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
1) to leave, to leave behind, to forsake, to be left behind [this is the TRUTH regarding being “left behind”!]
a) to lag, to be inferior
b) to be destitute of, to lack
2) to be wanting, to fail
Hebrews 12:14-15 says, “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.” One of the definitions of the Greek interpreted as “pursue” in this passage is “to press on: figuratively, used of one who in a race runs swiftly to reach the goal.”
The Greek for “comes short” is even more interesting. It means, “to be left behind in the race and so fail to reach the goal, to fall short of the end, to be wanting or lacking.” Metaphorically, it’s described as “to fail to become a partaker, to fall back from.” In other words, to come short of the finish line is another way of describing the great falling away from the faith by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2;1-13.
In a chapter called The Heart Of The Bride in my book Uncovering The Feet Of Boaz, while discussing the “full” reward of Ruth, I briefly referred to the phrase “not lacking anything.” For clarity’s sake on this subject, I need to repeat some of our conversation. I said;
“2 John 1:8-9 says, ‘Watch yourselves, that you might not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.’ According to this passage we must be very careful not to go ‘too far,’ exceeding the boundaries of the Lord, thereby causing a loss of reward.
The Greek for full in verse 8 means ‘complete, lacking nothing, perfect, filled up.’ It speaks of finishing what was started, bringing it to completion. Lacking nothing is to lose nothing. James 1:2-4 says, ‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.’ God brings trials into our lives in order to create perseverance, a patient enduring, without which we will not stand firm to the end, bringing to completion our faith.
This is the entire premise of James 2:14-26. Verse 22 says that Abraham’s faith was ‘working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected.’ To be perfected is to be brought to completion, to be finished, to fill up that which is lacking. It’s doing the works of God that make us, His Body, ‘full,’ complete, perfected, lacking nothing.”
According to the Bible, to “not lack anything” is to receive from God what we need to finish the race. The opposite is to fall short of the goal to receive His glory. This occurs to the one who does not press on by persevering with patient endurance, pursuing after Jesus and His righteousness. When we fall away from Him, we fail to become a partaker in the prize. The prize is given at the finish line (see the article My Dream Of Finishing The Race). It is God's desire and plan that the Bride He will return for consists of those who have allowed the Holy Spirit to bring faith to completion. Not lacking anything, she will be one of complete soundness in spirit, soul, and body that has finished the race per the guidelines of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
The Lord refers to her in Song Of Solomon 6:9, saying, “my dove, my perfect one, is unique: she is her mother's only daughter; she is the pure child of the one who bore her.” The Hebrew for perfect is tam, which means “perfect, complete, one who lacks nothing.” It's also defined as “sound” and “wholesome,” and is taken from a word that, among other things, means to be completely crossed over. This refers to the perfecting of those who do not grieve the Holy Spirit, but allow Him to bring to completion their faith. They joyfully cross the finish line into the Promised Land through continued submission to His discipline and training in their life. They stayed the course, persevering by faith.
Those who fall short of the goal are those who have been disqualified from the race through continued disobedience without repentance. This is what Paul referred to in his first letter to the church in Corinth;
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
(1 Corinthians 9:24-27/NIV)
Hang on to your confession of Christ firmly until the end so that you may not be rejected from the race, a reprobate in heart that falls away.
James 1:2-4 declares;
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
(NIV)
To finish means “wanting nothing necessary to completeness.” Patiently enduring the trials of our Christian walk is the only way to maturity in Christ, and our being perfected in Him.
By definition, to be complete in this Scripture means “complete in all its parts, in no part wanting or unsound, complete, entire, whole.” It’s used of a body without blemish or defect, one that is free from sin, faultless in all areas. This is the perfect description of the glorious Bride of Christ that He is returning for.
From all this you can see that there’s a revival coming BEFORE the return of Christ, one of unequaled proportions in all of history that will be used for our final purification. It will be through the refiner’s fire turned up seven times hotter than normal that will be used, as with the three Hebrew children thrown into Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace (Daniel 3), to burn off the bonds the world, the flesh, and the devil have placed on us. It’s the perfecting of the saints many have wrongly defined in their doctrines due to a lack of understanding.
This is why 1 John 3:2 says;
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”
(NIV)
As revealed earlier, if we do not allow the Holy Spirit to make us holy, we will not see Jesus at His return as our Savior (Hebrews 12:14). Only those who allow the Holy Spirit’s burning to continue by steadfastly remaining on the altar are those who will be made ready to enter into the Lord’s presence. In truth, this is the raising up, the “catching up” of the sons of God at the end of this age.
Some of the definitions for “lacking” in James 1:4 are “to leave, to leave behind, to forsake, to be left behind.” As I said, the Greek for “comes short” in Hebrews 12:14 is defined as “to fall short, to be left behind in the race and so fail to reach the goal, to fall short of the end.”
According to these passages, to be “left behind” refers to those who have entered the race through belief in Christ, but are found wanting, lacking what God requires to cross over to the other side where He resides. The lies within who will, and will not be raptured take the focus off those in the church who fail to continue walking in obedience, giving them instead a false sense of security (see the Bible study Elul; The Season Of Preparation and 40 Days Of Favor for an incredible revelation of those who will be taken up in the church, and those who will not). The only thing they’ll be “caught up” in will be God’s wrath. If unrepentant, they will find themselves right in the middle of His horrific judgments. Through willful disobedience they will fall short of the goal God's grace was instructing them toward.
Cleansing Is For Our Preserving
1 Thessalonians 5:23- Like the priests that guarded the high priest on the Day of Atonement, the Holy Spirit is guarding us (preserving) as we walk in submission to Him, in order to keep us alive, like Joseph with his brothers, to preserve a remnant.
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely [3651]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved [5083] complete [3648], without blame [274] at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(NAS)
3651 holoteles (hol-ot-el-ace')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from 3650 and 5056; complete to the end, i.e. absolutely perfect:
KJV-- wholly.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
perfect, complete in all respects
5083 tereo (tay-reh'-o)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from teros (a watch; perhaps akin to 2334); to guard (from loss or injury, properly, by keeping the eye upon; and thus differing from 5442, which is properly to prevent escaping; and from 2892, which implies a fortress or full military lines of apparatus), i.e. to note (a prophecy; figuratively, to fulfil a command); by implication, to detain (in custody; figuratively, to maintain); by extension, to withhold (for personal ends; figuratively, to keep unmarried); by extension, to withhold (for personal ends; figuratively, to keep unmarried):
KJV-- hold fast, keep (-er), (pre-, re-) serve, watch.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
to attend to carefully, to take care of
a) to guard
b) metaphorically, to keep, one in the state in which he is
c) to observe
d) to reserve: to undergo something
3648 holokleros (hol'-ok'-lay-ros)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from 3650 and 2819; complete in every part, i.e. perfectly sound (in body):
KJV-- entire, whole.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
complete in all its parts, in no part wanting or unsound, complete, entire, whole
a) used of a body without blemish or defect, whether of a priest or of a victim
b) free from sin, faultless
c) complete in all respects, consummate
274 amemptos (am-emp'-toce)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
adverb from 273; faultlessly:
KJV-- blameless, unblameably.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
blameless, so that there is no cause for censure
In 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 Paul said;
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”
There are some key words that need to be explained in this passage in order to help us to understand what is being said.
The first is the Greek for “entirely” which is holoteles. It means “complete to the end, perfect, complete in all aspects.” This goes right along with everything I have said so far regarding “not lacking anything.” To sanctify us entirely is to cleanse us from every area of contamination, making us perfect. This is the final destination of the Lord for His people that we are finally approaching. We are just like the children of Israel who had a history of failure when Moses read them the law the second time right before they entered the Promised Land in the book of Deuteronomy. We too have never fully appropriated the promises of God for us to walk in. Nevertheless, the promise still stands and He, the faithful God, will bring it to pass for His name’s sake.
Next is the definition for “preserved.” The Greek for this is tereo which is defined as “to attend to carefully, to take care of, to guard (from loss or injury).” Metaphorically it means “to keep one in the state in which he is.” The Holy Spirit is sent by God to guard the way, safely bringing us to Himself (see the article Iwo Jima and the Flag Raising on Mount Suribachi). Within this we see the need as a Christian to not fight God’s work of cleansing in our life which is for our complete preservation. The stubborn act of a Christian resisting God’s leading is what the Bible refers to as “grieving” the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30; see the Bible study The Seal Of The Holy Spirit).
Leviticus 16:2-4 deals with the requirements of the Lord for the High priest before entering the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, called Yom Kippur. It brought to a close the period of repentance begun on Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets. On this day the nation of Israel sought atonement, which means “to cover over” for its sins.
First of all, the high priest did not enter at any time. It had to be at the appointed time. He also was required to follow the direct instructions of God by putting on “holy garments,” and bathing before entering in. The Body of Christ our High Priest is now being prepared with the washing of the word of truth (Ephesians 5:26), revealing the Lord’s will for us in this time. Those who have ears to hear will then respond in faith by putting on holy garments, just like Aaron. There is an appointed time at the end of the age, in the spiritual fulfillment of Yom Kippur, when Christians shall go behind the veil physically too.
In a booklet titled “The Holidays Of God~ Fall Feasts” by RBC Ministries, we are told;
“Seven days before Yom Kippur, every effort was taken to ensure that the high priest was kept in a state of ritual purity. On this day of days, he would undergo five immersions and have an entourage of 500 Levites with him everywhere he went to help guard him from anything that might render him ‘unclean.’”
The Holy Spirit is doing this in our day. In order to preserve His people in the final day of covering, He is there to help guard their hearts from becoming unclean before Him. This is what the Greek for “preserved” in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 is implying. He is there to help guard us from losing our way as we walk together with Him in humility, guiding us to the place of His salvation and deliverance.
The word for “complete” in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 is very similar to the Greek for “entirely.” It is holokleros and means “complete in all its parts, in no part wanting or unsound, complete, entire, whole.” It’s also used of a body without blemish or defect, one that is free from sin. It refers to being faultless which is also the definition for the phrase “without blame.” You can see within this verse a reference of the Holy Spirit through Paul to the condition of the bride of the Lord at His return. She will be absolutely perfect in all aspects, without blemish or defect. (See the Bible study Noah; A Sign Of The End.)
Paul’s prayer in this verse is the desire of God’s heart for all of His people. He is the God of peace and harmony, of security and safety. This is another confirmation of the place of “well-being” that Naomi sought for Ruth. The grace of God is the set of instructions revealed to us by the Holy Spirit that lead us to this place of rest in Christ.
This place of eternal tranquility cannot be found in any other thing or person on this earth. All other people and places in this world in which we try to appease these inner, God given desires is short lived. It leaves us with unfulfilled desires that cause us to continue our futile search for something else.
Praise God there is something, or should I say someone, that wholly satisfies our inner longings. His name is Jesus Christ. I know this to be absolutely true from my own experience. You will never hear someone on their death bed say “I regret that in my life I have served the Lord with all my heart.” If anything, it will be the opposite.
In verse 24 Paul calls Him the “faithful” God. If you remember, Proverbs 27:6 said, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” The faithful God is the One who inflicts “faithful wounds” upon His faithful people which are used to build them up, not destroy them. You and I must fully entrust our lives to the only One who can cleanse us from all defilement of flesh and spirit, bringing to completion His work of salvation within us. (See the section The Wounds Of God in the Bible study Witchcraft.)
The Barrier Of A Hard Heart
Proverbs 29:1- There will be no healing for the stubborn, no final perfection or completion of faith.
1 A man who remains stiff-necked [“to be hard, to be difficult, used of obstinacy, to show stubbornness”] after many rebukes will suddenly [“in an instant”] be destroyed [7665]-- without remedy [4832].
(NIV)
7665 shabar (shaw-bar')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; to burst (literally or figuratively):
KJV-- break (down, off, in pieces, up), broken ([-hearted]), bring to the birth, crush, destroy, hurt, quench, X quite, tear, view [by mistake for 7663].
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to break, to break in pieces
a) (Qal)
1) to break, to break in (or down), to rend violently, to wreck, to crush, to quench
2) to break, to rupture (figurative)
b) (Niphal)
1) to be broken, to be maimed, to be crippled, to be wrecked
2) to be broken, to be crushed (figurative)
c) (Piel) to shatter, to break
d) (Hiphil) to cause to break out, to bring to the birth
e) (Hophal) to be broken, to be shattered
4832 marpe' (mar-pay')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from 7495 [rapha- “to mend by stitching, to heal, to make healthful”]; properly, curative, i.e. literally (concretely) a medicine, or (abstractly) a cure; figuratively (concretely) deliverance, or (abstractly) placidity:
KJV-- ([in-]) cure (-able), healing (-lth), remedy, sound, wholesome, yielding.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
health, healing, cure
a) healing, cure
b) health, profit, sound (of mind)
c) healing incurable (with negative)
There will be no healing for the stubborn, no final perfection or completion of faith. This is the importance of not fighting the Holy Spirit’s ministry of sanctification. Sudden destruction will come, with no further chance of healing, on those who turn away in stubbornness with an apostate hard heart.
Paul said in 1Thessalonians 5:1-3;
“Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly [“unexpected, unforeseen”], as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”
(NIV)
While warning His disciples of the end of the age in Luke 21:33-36, Jesus declared;
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap; for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength [“to overpower, to prevail against, to overcome”] to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
To stand is defined within the Bible as “to keep your place, immovable, not wavering, to continue safe and sound.” I hope it’s beginning to sink deep in our hearts and minds the necessity of being cleansed by the Holy Spirit in this midnight hour. It’s the only “safe and sound” way of our Master to keep our place in Him. We need to encourage one another in this because the enemy’s onslaught against all who believe and look to God is getting more intense every day. His desire is to destroy through deception all of God’s children. The good news is that, if we will keep our eyes on Jesus, working together with His Holy Spirit in this process, He will ensure that we will arrive safely, and with unspeakable joy into His glorious presence. Amen!
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