. Now, the question I’m asking you is this, when he says “pursue peace with all people and holiness,” or sanctification, for those words are the same “holy” and “sanctified” “saints,” what kind of sanctification is referred to here? Is this the holiness that should progressively characterize our lives? Or is this the positional sanctification which all believers enjoy and, thus, would this be an exhortation towards salvation?
Well, I think, it’s a very difficult question, of course, to say which is which here. And, commentators have had a lot of difficulty over this particular thing. But, in the light of the context as a whole, in this practical part of the epistle, I’m inclined to think that what he has primarily in mind is that we are to pursue practical holiness.
But then, what about “without which no one shall see the Lord?” Well, I think, it’s very evident that anyone who has truly been converted, who truly has new life, there will be an inevitable manifestation of that life. Now, perhaps, you will say, well, I know some people who have made profession of faith, in which there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of life. Of course, the first question you want to ask is, can it be seen in you?
But, anyway, let’s assume it can be seen in you. But you look at your fellow believer, and you do not see any evidence of new life in him. Or you see things that contradict what you might expect. Well, it’s helpful, I think, to remember that when we talk about the inevitability of the manifestation of life, our Lord talks about it in a number of his illustrations, we must remember that the inevitability is not related to what we see, but it’s related to what God sees not what we see.
So we are not justified in passing judgment on other people. In fact, Paul tells us to “judge no one before the time.” He doesn’t even judge himself. He said, “I know nothing against myself, but I’m not justified in that. I don’t know anything in myself,” he said, in 1 Corinthians 4, that is contrary to the will of God, at the present moment, but I’m not justified in this, at the judgment seat of Christ. I’ll be subject to divine judgment, also. So I’m inclined to think then “pursue peace with all people and holiness” is the practical kind of holiness that characterizes the ongoing growth of the Christian.
And it’s true that the genuine Christian will, inevitably, have evidence of life in his life that is seen by the Lord God, even in cases in which we may not see the evidence, without which no one shall see the Lord.
Does not the Apostle John say that, “those who have been born of God do not practice sin?” So in other words, it’s inevitable. If you have new life, it will be manifested. There will be evidences of it. But those evidences may not be seen by me or others. Maybe my eyes are too blinded, spiritually, to see the truth about the spiritual life of others. But Scripture says that true believers will have fruit. That’s why we were converted. So pursue peace with all people with all, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness without which no one shall see the Lord.”
