Without Holiness, No One Will See the Lord
There is a verse in Hebrews that will stop you in your tracks if you let it. It says, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). Now, that is not a threat, that is an invitation. It is not God holding something over your head to keep you afraid, it is God opening a door for you to walk in what you were always created for. Holiness is not some impossible standard that makes you fail, it is the very life of Christ revealed in you. And without it, we miss the whole point of why He came.
See, holiness has been misunderstood. Religion told us holiness was a list of rules, a dress code, a hairstyle, or keeping yourself from the bad things. But holiness is not about the outside first. Holiness is being set apart, different, not like the world, because the life of God is flowing in you. Holiness is not about what you cannot do, it is about what you have been freed to do. It is not about living by restrictions, it is about living by identity. When you see who you really are in Christ, holiness is the only thing that makes sense. Why would you live in sin when sin is the very thing He died to free you from?
Holiness: The Fruit of Identity
We have to start here: you were created in the image of God. That means you were designed for His nature, His love, His character to shine through you. Sin twisted that image, but Jesus came to restore it. The gospel is not just forgiveness of sins, it is transformation of life. If all you ever believe is that Jesus forgave you, you will keep living like the same person just trying to be better. But when you see that Jesus killed the old you and gave you a brand new life, you realize holiness is not about trying harder, it is about living in what is already true.
Romans 6 says you died with Him, and now you live with Him. Sin has no dominion over you anymore. That means holiness is not some mountain you are climbing, it is the river you are already in. The problem is when we let the world, our past, or our feelings define us instead of letting truth define us. If you think you are just a sinner saved by grace, you will excuse sin and call it humility. But if you believe the Bible, you will see you are a saint, set apart, holy and blameless in His sight because of Christ (Colossians 1:22). That is your identity. And when you live from that place, holiness flows like fruit from a tree.
Why Holiness Matters
So why does Hebrews say without holiness no one will see the Lord? Because holiness is the evidence of relationship. If God is holy and He lives in you, holiness is what naturally comes out of that union. If nothing changes in your life, you have to ask, have you really seen Him? Because to see Him is to be changed. Moses could not come down from the mountain without his face shining. Isaiah could not see the Lord high and lifted up without crying, “Woe is me!” Paul could not encounter Jesus on the road to Damascus without becoming a brand new man. Seeing Him transforms you. And holiness is the evidence that you have been with Him.
Now, do not hear that as condemnation. This is not about beating yourself up or questioning your salvation every five minutes. It is about recognizing that the whole reason Jesus came was not just to get you into heaven, it was to get heaven into you. Without holiness, you will never truly see Him, because you will be blinded by compromise, distracted by sin, and living in a lie about who you are. But when holiness marks your life, you see God everywhere. You see Him in creation, you see Him in people, you see Him moving through you. Holiness clears the lens so you can behold the Lord.
Peace and Holiness Together
Notice how the verse says, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness.” They go hand in hand. You cannot walk in holiness and be bitter at the same time. You cannot walk in holiness and hold grudges. Holiness is love expressed. It is impossible to be holy and unloving, because God is love. That means holiness is not you locking yourself away in a room, keeping away from bad people. It means walking in love everywhere you go, not letting sin against you produce sin in you. It means treating people not for what they have done to you, but for who they are in the eyes of God.
Holiness shows up in patience, in kindness, in integrity when no one is looking. Holiness is refusing to gossip, refusing to complain, refusing to let anger run your life. Holiness is purity in thought and action. And yes, it includes fleeing from sin, because sin is poison, and it will harden your heart if you let it. But holiness is not just about saying no to sin, it is about saying yes to love. If you pursue peace and holiness together, you are revealing Jesus to the world.
The Lie of Legalism
Now, here is where we get tripped up. We hear holiness and we think of legalism. We think of all the ways we do not measure up. We remember when we lost our temper, or when we gave in to that temptation, and we say, “See, I am not holy.” But holiness is not a scoreboard. Holiness is not perfection you achieve, it is a life you receive. Do not confuse holiness with self righteousness. One is you trying to earn something, the other is God producing His nature in you.
The danger is when we make holiness into a law, we either become proud when we think we are doing well, or we live in shame when we think we are failing. Neither one is freedom. The gospel says Jesus is your holiness. He did not just cover your sin, He removed it. He did not just forgive you, He made you new. That does not mean you ignore sin, it means you face it with truth and say, “That is not who I am anymore.” You do not tolerate compromise because grace is not a license to sin, it is the power to live free. And that is what holiness looks like.
Living in Holiness Daily
So how do we walk this out? It starts with faith. You have to believe what God says about you. If you do not believe you are holy, you will never live holy. Stop saying you are just a sinner. Start thanking God for making you righteous in Christ. Wake up and say, “Father, I thank You that I am Yours today. I thank You that I am holy, blameless, and above reproach in Your sight. Teach me to walk in what You have already given me.” Prayer like that aligns your heart with truth.
Second, pursue peace with people. That means you do not let offense take root. When someone wrongs you, you forgive quickly. You keep your conscience clear. You refuse to let the enemy sow division. The more you walk in peace, the freer you are to see God.
Third, guard your heart. What you watch, what you listen to, what you dwell on, it all shapes you. Holiness means filling yourself with things that feed your spirit, not your flesh. It is not about rules, it is about wisdom. Why would you drink poison if you know it will kill you? Sin is poison. Stay away from it because you are free, not because you are afraid.
Finally, love boldly. Holiness is not sterile, it is powerful. Jesus was the holiest man who ever lived, and sinners loved to be around Him. Why? Because holiness is attractive when it is rooted in love. When you live holy, you are not judging people, you are showing them there is a better way. Holiness shines light in darkness. And people are drawn to that.
Seeing the Lord
At the end of the day, this is about vision. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. That means holiness is the lens that lets us see clearly. If your lens is dirty with sin, selfishness, and bitterness, you will miss Him. But when you let the Spirit purify your heart, you will see Him everywhere. You will see Him in your circumstances, in your struggles, in the faces of people around you. And one day, you will see Him face to face. That is the hope we carry.
So do not treat holiness like a burden. Treat it like the greatest privilege. You get to be holy because God made you His own. You get to shine with His nature. You get to live in intimacy with Him. And that is what life is all about. Holiness is not about rules, it is about relationship. It is about being with the Lord, looking like the Lord, and revealing the Lord. Without holiness, no one will see Him. But with holiness, the whole world will.
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