Letter to the Hebrews Volume 165

We Believers Must Renew Our Spiritual Energy Part 3

Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; KJV

It has been the desire of the writer of Hebrews to warn those then converted Hebrew men and women (this same warning applies to each of us today and of every era and generation of believers) to be steadfast, strong, and solid in our pursuit of Christ Jesus our Lord, because we have an advasary, an enemy, and a evil being (the devil) who is always gnawing and clawing at us (through our own weaknesses) trying to get us to fall away from our steadfastness to our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, the writer of Hebrews declared these words to them and to us seeking to keep us on the path of relying on and staying in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ which is the only way we remain faithful to Him and keep ourselves from sinful pollutions, "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;" (Hebrews 12:15) (KJV). The English phrase 'looking diligently' that begins this verse of Scripture is translated by the Greek word episkopeō meaning to oversee; by implication to beware: - look diligently, take the oversight. The English word 'fail' is translated by the Greek word hustereō meaning to fall back from, implying a previous attainment. The present participle marks something in progress: 'lest any one be falling back.' (Vincent's Word Studies). Again the falling back from, is the falling back from the grace of God that only can empower us to keep our spiritual energy vibrant, vivacious, and vigorous, otherwise we fail and fall into our old ways of sin and depravity.

The writer of Hebrews had already warned these Hebrew converts to Christ and we converts today and of every era and generation of how we could and would come short of entering into the rest of our Lord Jesus Christ that comes only when we are faihtfully obedient and when we consume His endless supply of grace that He wants to give each and every one of His brethren and sisteren with these words, "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it." (Hebrews 4:1) (KJV) and "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4:9-11) (KJV). When the writer of Hebrews declares these words, 'lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled', he is speaking of any person among a congregation of believers who desires to no longer believe what the Word of God teaches about every manner of sin and evil and desires to and even goes about in practice to eliminate, eradicate, and erase what God declares sin to be and then look to bring other believers into that very same false belief, thereby defiling many sincere believers with false doctrine or teaching and in so doing causing many to lose their peace in our Lord Jesus Christ as it is so elequantly declared by Brother John Wesley with these words on Hebrews 12:15, "Looking diligently, lest any one - If he do not lift up the hands that hang down. Fall from the grace of God: lest any root of bitterness - Of envy, anger, suspicion. Springing up - Destroy the sweet peace; lest any, not following after holiness, fall into fornication or profaneness. In general, any corruption, either in doctrine or practice, is a root of bitterness, and may pollute many."

Here also is what Adam Clarke had to say of Hebrews 12:15, "Looking about, over, and upon; being constantly on your guard. Lest any person should come behind, or fall off from, this grace or Gift of God; this state of salvation, viz. the Gospel system or Christianity; for this is most evidently the meaning of the apostle. It is not the falling from a work of grace in their own souls, but from the Gospel, to apostatize from which they had now many temptations; and to guard them against this, the whole epistle was written. A root of bitterness signifies a poisonous plant. The Hebrews call every species of poison a bitter, and with considerable propriety, as most plants are poisonous in proportion to the quantum of the bitter principle they possess. The root of bitterness is here used metaphorically for a bad man, or a man holding unsound doctrines, and endeavoring to spread them in the Church. This alludes to the effects of poison taken into the body: the whole animal system is disturbed, sometimes violent retchings, great disturbances through the whole alimentary canal, together with the most fatal changes in the whole sanguineous system, are the consequences of poison taken into the stomach. The blood itself (the principle, under God, of life) becomes putrescent; and probably to this the intelligent Apostle alludes when he says, and thereby many be defiled, corrupted or contaminated. Bad example and false teaching have corrupted thousands, and are still making desolation in the world and in the Church."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…