Hebrews 12:14-17
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Hebrews 12:14-17:
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears |
“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
In this phrase we are given the focus which we must maintain during times of suffering—following peace and holiness. As we shall see, this admonition is given within the context of dealing with bitterness. This command is stated in strong language. Without pursuing peace and holiness, no man shall see the Lord. The term “no man” indicates that there are “no exceptions” to this requirement. When we are struggling, we often are tempted to think that somehow we are a special case, or that our hurts justify acting irresponsibly. The penalty for not following peace and holiness is being barred from the presence of the Lord. Since this command is given within the context of suffering and dealing with bitterness, God intended that these two goals be the focus of believers when they are in the midst of deep trial. It is not that believers may never fall short or even commit grievous sin when under tremendous strain, but rather that they must remain committed to peace and holiness in order to be recovered by the grace of God. By grace through faith we must follow peace and holiness. - Bible Helps |
Andy Stanley Files
“Victims don’t want to be proactive about changing—they want to be proactive about making sure that the person who hurt them pays. And so we spend our energy telling our sad stories rather than taking responsibility for our behavior. Thus we open the door of our hearts and welcome in the Trojan horse of bitterness. And it stands there, a monument, a constant reminder of a debt someone has yet to pay. Somebody owes us.” -Andy Stanley
Rick Warren Files
If you hang on to resentment, it will always hurt you more than anyone else. Resentment is self-destructive and counterproductive. It doesn’t just hurt your human relationships, it also infects your relationship with God. Resentment is like a weed—the longer you wait to deal with it, the more work it will take to uproot it. Start early when resentment is just a seed!
--Rick Warren
For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:13.
Hebrews 12:15 tells us how to recognize bad seed when it begins to produce destructive fruit in our lives. It says, “…lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you….” The words “springing up” are from the Greek word phuoo. This word depicts a little plant that is just starting to sprout and grow. It isn’t a large plant yet; rather, it’s a small seedling that is just breaking through the soil and starting to peek out at the world. However, the very fact that it’s peeking through the soil means there is a seed hidden in the soil producing this new life.
This is a very significant picture. It tells us that bitterness doesn’t overwhelm us all at once. Instead, it grows a little here and a little there until it finally becomes a huge, ugly growth that defiles our entire lives. Bitterness usually starts peeking up out of the depths of our souls in the form of negative thoughts about another person or a sour, sharp, distrusting, cynical attitude toward someone who has offended us. If the root is not quickly uprooted and removed, that bitterness will eventually become a full-blown tree that produces bitter, wounding, hurtful, and scornful fruit for everyone who eats of it. Hebrews 12:15 shouts its warning: If you don’t stop these attitudes, they will eventually “trouble you.” The words “trouble you” are from the Greek word enochleo, which means to trouble, to harass, or to annoy. It refers to something inside that bothers and upsets you so much, you are constantly pestered by thoughts about it. In fact, your whole life is stalked by these hassling, troubling thoughts. What you allowed to take root and to fester inside your soul has now become a major nuisance to your peace, keeping you upset and emotionally torn up all the time. --Renner |
The root is not itself bitterness but rather bears the fruit of bitterness. And the bitterness it bears is something poisonous. This bitter fruit may be festering anger, or it may be something else. The point seems to be that it is deadly.
Deuteronomy 29:18 ends, “Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.” Then verse 19 begins by defining this root: . . . one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, “I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.” This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike. What then is the root that brings forth the bitter fruit? It is a person who has a wrong view of eternal security. He feels secure when he is not secure. He says, “I shall be safe [secure], though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.” He misunderstands the covenant God makes. He thinks that because he is part of the covenant people, he is secure from God’s judgment. [SOURCE: Desiring God] root ῥίζα (rhiza) Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular Strong's 4491: A root, shoot, source; that which comes from the root, a descendent. Apparently a primary word; a 'root'. |
This verse helps us to understand the danger that lies behind bitterness. It isn’t a simple, innocent or meaningless thing to be bitter – bitterness is a root that grows into division, accusation and even hatred.
If bitterness has been given the chance to take root in our heart, it is nourished every time we agree to the spiteful thoughts that come up from our flesh. Over time, bitterness can flourish in our heart, consuming any care, love and gentleness that existed there before. This will eventually come out in our actions. (Proverbs 4:23.) Our words become razor sharp. Cold. Hostile. --Active Christianity
If bitterness has been given the chance to take root in our heart, it is nourished every time we agree to the spiteful thoughts that come up from our flesh. Over time, bitterness can flourish in our heart, consuming any care, love and gentleness that existed there before. This will eventually come out in our actions. (Proverbs 4:23.) Our words become razor sharp. Cold. Hostile. --Active Christianity
Bitterness is akin to anger, which is an expression of an “emotional” and "mental” rage that’s hovering within the mind. And if not checked, it’ll cause “physical illness” as well as “strained relationships.” Nelson Mandela said, “Bitterness is like drinking poison, hoping it’ll kill your enemy.” The problem with “poison,” as well as “bitterness,” either one can completely destroy your mind and body over time, if left unattended.
Adam, and his “conflicting disobedience,” caused this “emotional and mental scar.” And because of his willful act, the “mark” of Satan is “inflicted” upon the whole human race. Bitterness is best to be “temporary,” or it’ll damage the “soul” of the bitter person. So, sharing your “bitterness” with a “Christian counsellor,” “pastor,” or a “trusted friend,” can helps to defuse your "the root of bitterness,” which grows in our lives and seeks to destroy us.
But there’s hope. The only true way for this “painful root to be removed,” is to have a genuine, “come to Jesus' moment, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you through your valley, of “grudges,” and “unforgiveness,” into the “Light of the world,” where the “dark work of Satan,” no longer holds its grip, on you, and were now you can now focus instead on how to show love.
So, until then, you or I can't be right with God and remain in “bitterness.” In fact, if we don’t forgive from our hearts, God will turn us over to the torturers, (Mattthew 18:34), God isn’t punishing us; He’s disciplining us. He knows that if we hang on to our “bitterness,” we'll only hurt ourselves and others. Hebrews 12: 14-15 says,” Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness—without it no one will see the Lord. Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling many.” Ephesians 4:31-32 says, “All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.”
Therefore, the “root of bitterness” is a “collating concept,” brought on by Satan, for the purpose of “undermining the will of God” as it pertains to a Christian’s life of “faith,” and their “pursuit of holiness.”
Author: Plez Lovelady, Jr., PhD
Adam, and his “conflicting disobedience,” caused this “emotional and mental scar.” And because of his willful act, the “mark” of Satan is “inflicted” upon the whole human race. Bitterness is best to be “temporary,” or it’ll damage the “soul” of the bitter person. So, sharing your “bitterness” with a “Christian counsellor,” “pastor,” or a “trusted friend,” can helps to defuse your "the root of bitterness,” which grows in our lives and seeks to destroy us.
But there’s hope. The only true way for this “painful root to be removed,” is to have a genuine, “come to Jesus' moment, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you through your valley, of “grudges,” and “unforgiveness,” into the “Light of the world,” where the “dark work of Satan,” no longer holds its grip, on you, and were now you can now focus instead on how to show love.
So, until then, you or I can't be right with God and remain in “bitterness.” In fact, if we don’t forgive from our hearts, God will turn us over to the torturers, (Mattthew 18:34), God isn’t punishing us; He’s disciplining us. He knows that if we hang on to our “bitterness,” we'll only hurt ourselves and others. Hebrews 12: 14-15 says,” Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness—without it no one will see the Lord. Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling many.” Ephesians 4:31-32 says, “All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.”
Therefore, the “root of bitterness” is a “collating concept,” brought on by Satan, for the purpose of “undermining the will of God” as it pertains to a Christian’s life of “faith,” and their “pursuit of holiness.”
Author: Plez Lovelady, Jr., PhD
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Ephesians 4:31 says, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” Paul is describing a cluster of emotions here that come along with bitterness. I know from experience that bitterness almost always travels in a nasty pack. When bitterness is taking root in my heart, usually wrath is, too. The same goes for anger, slander, and malice. --Revive Our Hearts |
There are three steps to eradicating bitterness:
1. Let God Reveal It. Sometimes people say, "I know my heart, there's no bitterness in me." Truth of the matter is you don't know your heart. God's Word tells us, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). A deceitful heart cannot diagnose a deceitful heart. You need to let God the Holy Spirit do radical surgery. 2. Let Grace Reveal It. A response of bitterness is never right when someone has done something wrong to you. You need to ask God to forgive you, and He will by His grace. If someone has wronged you, cut it down and forget it. By the grace of God, bury that hurt in the grave of God's forgetfulness. Justice is God giving us what we deserve, mercy is God not giving us what we deserve, grace is God giving us what we don't deserve. 3. Let Good Replace It. Hebrews 12:14 says, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." You cannot be holy unless you follow peace with men. It is so worth it when you forgive. But, you say, "Look what they've done! I am not going to let them off the hook." Well, they are not on the hook - you are! When you forgive, you set two people free and one of them is yourself. --Crosswalk |
When bitterness is allowed to develop in the heart, the end result is defilement. Bitterness and genuine gratitude to God cannot coexist. Neither is it possible to submit humbly to the providence of God and at the same moment harbor bitterness. Bitterness develops when one “falls short” or “comes behind” in the grace of God. What is the “root of bitterness” and how does this root find lodging in hearts and lives? A bitter person is generally someone who has been hurt. Something has happened; life has not worked out to their satisfaction. Many perceive that God is to blame, and they are bitter at the Almighty. Others are bitter at society, at specific individuals or at a spouse. Many times the “better half” becomes the “bitter half.” Interestingly, the Book of Colossians says, “Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter against them.” Bitterness involves anger and hostility. Bitter people feel that they have been hurt, misused and abused. The hurt may have been intentional, unintentional, imagined. When a bitter person is hurt, and he or she doesn’t deal with the problem, it is internalized. He begins to dwell on it; she begins to mull it over and over, and over again. If someone has hurt him, he begins to seek out other faults in that individual to justify his feelings. And he or she becomes a very negative person who can pick out the flaws in the family, friends, the church and coworkers. And when one has a “root of bitterness,” he will always find what he is looking for, because we all have them. A bitter person has a way of bringing out the bitterness in other people. He knows how to push your emotional detonator cap – pushing the right buttons to get the desired response. The negative, bitter person is convinced someone else is responsible for every problem and injustice in life. In this way, he feels absolutely justified in nursing this emotional cancer. The “root of bitterness” grows in the soil of hurt that has not been properly dealt with. This “root of bitterness” produces the fruit of bitterness, because every root has fruit. There is a contagion about being a bitter person. There are physical consequences: emotional and psychological. The moment you start hating a man, you become the slave to every person on whom you pour the vials of your wrath. He controls your thoughts. The person you hate hounds you wherever you go. You cannot escape the tyrannical grasp on your mind. King Solomon must have had a similar experience, for he wrote, “Better a dish of vegetables with love, than the best beef served with hatred.” Hebrews 12:14 says, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” You just can’t have bitterness and holiness in your heart at the same time. You just can’t do it. Ephesians 4:26 tells us, “Be angry, and do not sin…” It is not always a sin to be angry. Jesus was moved with anger at the money changers in the Temple. He was moved with anger at the hard heartedness of the Pharisees. But His was a righteousness properly directed, properly channeled and properly pursued. Jesus’ anger was not bitterness. He never got angry at what someone did to Him personally. When does anger and bitterness become sin? When you begin to live, nurse and feed that anger. When you go to bed with it, get up with it and cherish it. It becomes the Devil’s stronghold in your thought life. It becomes a fowl nest in which Satan takes up lodging to war and to trouble you for the rest of your life. If you do not deal with this sin in your life, the bitterness turns to wrath, the wrath turns to anger and the anger become explosive! Someone jostles you and you explode into outward hostility. And it becomes vocal: “I hate you!” “I wish we’d never gotten married!” “I’m sorry I ever met you!” “I wish you were dead!” “You’re a liar!” “You’re stupid!” “You’ll never amount to anything!” Bitterness will affect you physically, emotionally and spiritually. It is a cancerous thing: in the home, in the church, in society, in business. Many are defiled by this “root of bitterness.” What is the solution? The Holy Spirit of God must perform radical surgery in your heart of hearts. He must reveal to you something of yourself that you may have never been willing to admit and confess. It may go all the way back to your childhood, this root of bitterness. You need to recognize it. You may need to seek counseling/professional help. Recognizing that you have a problem is the first step to finding a resolution and healing. With God’s help, you need to root it out; remove it. You may need to forgive the very person who has wounded you. The only way you can find freedom and liberty is to forgive fully and freely those who have hurt you. Read Ephesians 4:32: “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” By the grace of God, the Holy Spirit will root out your bitterness. Think of what Jesus Christ has done for you. If He has forgiven you, is there anyone you cannot forgive? Think of God’s grace and forgiveness in your life. Calvary was hard. And the person who deals with bitterness is going to have a taste of Calvary. But the liberating freedom from the “root of bitterness” is glorious in the extreme. Jesus, “who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross.” He suffered for the joy of liberating us from the bondage of sin. Put the sting of bitterness beneath the blood of Christ, beloved, and allow the joy of the Lord to flow again! Let Jesus turn your bitterness into blessing!
-Gary Heikkila
-Gary Heikkila
Any root of bitterness.--It is clear that Deuteronomy 29:18, though not formally quoted, is before the writer's mind. In that chapter Moses had again brought before the people the covenant which, nearly forty years before, had been made and ratified "in Horeb" (see Hebrews 9:18-20). With especial solemnity he sets before them the sin and terrible punishment of idolatry, "Lest there should be among you man or woman . . . whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood." The marginal note on the last words ("poisonful herb") explains their true meaning--that which springs from the root is not merely bitter, it is also poisonous. Again, therefore (see Hebrews 10:27-28; Hebrews 10:30), the apostasy to which the Hebrew Christians were tempted is compared with the sin committed by those who by idolatry fell away from God's ancient covenant; and as one idol-worshipper in a community might bring into it a root of bitter poison, so one apostate from the Christian faith would bring trouble and defilement on the Church. In Acts 8:23 St. Peter makes reference to the same chapter of Deuteronomy as he speaks to Simon Magus, who, above all other men, proved a root of bitter poison in the early Church. . . .--Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
In Hebrews 12:15, the Holy Spirit speaks of a “root of bitterness” which is often the cause of the greatest difficulty for men. When bitterness is allowed to develop in the heart, the end result is defilement. Bitterness and genuine gratitude to God cannot coexist. Neither is it possible to submit humbly to the providence of God and at the same moment harbor bitterness................The “root of bitterness” grows in the soil of hurt that has not been properly dealt with. This “root of bitterness” produces the fruit of bitterness, because every root has fruit. There is a contagion about being a bitter person. There are physical consequences: emotional and psychological. The moment you start hating a man, you become the slave to every person on whom you pour the vials of your wrath. He controls your thoughts. The person you hate hounds you wherever you go. You cannot escape the tyrannical grasp on your mind. King Solomon must have had a similar experience, for he wrote, “Better a dish of vegetables with love, than the best beef served with hatred.” Hebrews 12:14 says, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” You just can’t have bitterness and holiness in your heart at the same time. You just can’t do it. Ephesians 4:26 tells us, “Be angry, and do not sin…” It is not always a sin to be angry. Jesus was moved with anger at the money changers in the Temple. He was moved with anger at the hard heartedness of the Pharisees. But His was a righteousness properly directed, properly channeled and properly pursued. Jesus’ anger was not bitterness. He never got angry at what someone did to Him personally. When does anger and bitterness become sin? When you begin to live, nurse and feed that anger. When you go to bed with it, get up with it and cherish it. It becomes the Devil’s stronghold in your thought life. It becomes a fowl nest in which Satan takes up lodging to war and to trouble you for the rest of your life. If you do not deal with this sin in your life, the bitterness turns to wrath, the wrath turns to anger and the anger become explosive!...............Many are defiled by this “root of bitterness.” What is the solution? The Holy Spirit of God must perform radical surgery in your heart of hearts. He must reveal to you something of yourself that you may have never been willing to admit and confess. It may go all the way back to your childhood, this root of bitterness. You need to recognize it. You may need to seek counseling/professional help. Recognizing that you have a problem is the first step to finding a resolution and healing. With God’s help, you need to root it out; remove it. You may need to forgive the very person who has wounded you. The only way you can find freedom and liberty is to forgive fully and freely those who have hurt you. Read Ephesians 4:32: “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” By the grace of God, the Holy Spirit will root out your bitterness.
Dr. Gary Heikkila
Dr. Gary Heikkila
Deuteronomy 29:18.
Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.
This background also helps us answer the first two questions: the root is not itself bitterness but rather bears the fruit of bitterness. And the bitterness it bears is something poisonous. This bitter fruit may be festering anger, or it may be something else. The point seems to be that it is deadly.
The key question is this: What is this root that causes deadly, bitter fruit to sprout in the church? The next verse in Deuteronomy 29 gives the surprising answer, but it fits perfectly with the book of Hebrews. Deuteronomy 29:18 ends, “Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.” Then verse 19 begins by defining this root:
. . . one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, “I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.” This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike.
What then is the root that brings forth the bitter fruit? It is a person who has a wrong view of eternal security. He feels secure when he is not secure. He says, “I shall be safe [secure], though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.” He misunderstands the covenant God makes. He thinks that because he is part of the covenant people, he is secure from God’s judgment.This is also the very point of the context of the term “root of bitterness” in Hebrews 12:15.
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled. (12:14–15)
This is a warning not to treat holiness lightly or to presume upon more grace.
Therefore a “root of bitterness” is a person or a doctrine in the church which encourages people to act presumptuously and treats salvation as an automatic thing that does not require a life of vigilance in the fight of faith and the pursuit of holiness. Such a person or a doctrine defiles many and can lead to the experience of Esau who played fast and loose with his inheritance and could not repent in the end and find life. --John Piper
Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.
This background also helps us answer the first two questions: the root is not itself bitterness but rather bears the fruit of bitterness. And the bitterness it bears is something poisonous. This bitter fruit may be festering anger, or it may be something else. The point seems to be that it is deadly.
The key question is this: What is this root that causes deadly, bitter fruit to sprout in the church? The next verse in Deuteronomy 29 gives the surprising answer, but it fits perfectly with the book of Hebrews. Deuteronomy 29:18 ends, “Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.” Then verse 19 begins by defining this root:
. . . one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, “I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.” This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike.
What then is the root that brings forth the bitter fruit? It is a person who has a wrong view of eternal security. He feels secure when he is not secure. He says, “I shall be safe [secure], though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.” He misunderstands the covenant God makes. He thinks that because he is part of the covenant people, he is secure from God’s judgment.This is also the very point of the context of the term “root of bitterness” in Hebrews 12:15.
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled. (12:14–15)
This is a warning not to treat holiness lightly or to presume upon more grace.
Therefore a “root of bitterness” is a person or a doctrine in the church which encourages people to act presumptuously and treats salvation as an automatic thing that does not require a life of vigilance in the fight of faith and the pursuit of holiness. Such a person or a doctrine defiles many and can lead to the experience of Esau who played fast and loose with his inheritance and could not repent in the end and find life. --John Piper