Hebrews 12: 15
"See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many."
1) Is the command for us to inspect ourselves or to help others not "miss the grace? Could it mean both in this passage?
2) What does "miss the grace" mean. One Bible teacher says it addresses Jewish people who had not trusted Christ and were in danger of missing salvation by grace. Another says it means that Christians should live so as to show the grace of God to others.
3) Is the second part of the verse the result of the first or a separate command?
What do you think?
3 comments:
Here is my take:
1) Yes, inspect ourselves as well as do our part to lead others to see God's gift of grace (His generosity)
2) The grace of salvation thru God's gift of His son's blood for us..although we are so undeserving. Our job is to witness to others so others don't miss that grace.
3) I think it is separate. My opinion is that weeds can over take the garden in no time...be sure to keep weedin'. Hold each other accountable. See the Message translation: "A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time. Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God's lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God's blessing—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears."
1) I believe this command is for us to do both: inspect ourselves and to help others not ‘miss the grace’. I was reading a devotion last week and it made a very valid point. It stated that every few weeks, Christians should take inventory of their lives on the following questions:
1. How do we spend our time?
2. How do we spend our money?
3. Where is our energy going?
4. What do we think about when we lie down and night and when we wake up in the morning?
5. When we face our later years, what will we see that is lasting?
6. When the world itself passes away, what of your work will remain?
2) My understanding of “miss the grace” means as Christians we should live our lives so as to show the grace of God to others. I think about my garden when I see the word ‘root’ in the Bible. Roots are underground and no one sees them; however, if my garden isn’t weeded, I will have a weed garden instead of a vegetable garden in no time at all...it amazes me how quickly weeds grow and spread if ignored! Sin is the same way…if we as Christians don’t admit we have a problem/sin (root) and repent (weed and pull out), the sin will grow in our heart, causing division with the Lord as well as with others. Our witnessing will be ineffective.
3) Is this a trick question? Hmmm…personally, I believe this verse is a command that works together. If I inspect my life daily and live according to the way my Lord wants me to (and am in His constant will) showing God’s grace to others, bitter roots won’t have a chance to grow, cause trouble, and defile.
I agree with Mrs. Cindy, on the matter of point #3. In-fact I believe she answered the question in her paragraph on #2. The very fact that both phrases are in the same sentance helps with the cohesion of the idea as a whole, making it one idea with two parts rather than two unrelated ideas forcibly placed together.
Perhaps, as Mrs. Cindy has already pointed out, the matter of missing grace is one of priorities. It could simply be a warning against legalism and an endorsement of raltionships. After all, Grace is what defines our relationship with God, not a set of rules.
Post a Comment