12:12,13
So instead of feeling cowed by God’s discipline and seeing it as motivation for giving up, we should be encouraged, and be motivated to press on with evermore zeal. There may be a quote from Proverbs 4:26 here, but it is not clear. We need to understand how God deals and interacts with us, otherwise we can make mistakes in life.
12:14
Lest anyone get the impression that sin does not matter or our lifestyle does not matter, the writer urges his readers to make every effort to be holy. Note also that just because it is Christ alone who has justified us, that does not mean that we do not put effort in. The New Testament is full of instructions for us to act. We are to be holy and to seek to be holy. We are also to seek to live in peace with everyone. There will be divisions, and the New Testament is equally full of instructions about taking a firm line with false teachers, but we are not to be disputatious, always seeking conflict. Instead we are to seek peace. Without holiness we cannot see God. Sin blinds us, holiness enables us to see clearly. It is amazing how much clearer things seem when we stop being double-minded and choose to be wholehearted for God.
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