(GRACE AND DISGRACE - Day 7 of 7)
“See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.”
Hebrews 12:15
“See to it” - There is a particular level of “intensity” in these words. It is the same word as a shepherd “overseeing” the flock(I Peter 5:2), as he should do with diligence and focus. This is a matter of eternal destiny and worthy of intense oversight. This must be taken seriously for it is seriously dangerous.
“that no one comes short of the grace of God” - some versions use the word “fails to obtain” rather than “comes short”, and both seem to come from the idea of “fall short”. Think of it like you are drowning in water and reach forward for a life preserver but you can’t quite reach it and then you begin to fall away as something/someone is pulling you under. In the case of this text that would be Judaism pulling one back from the grace of the gospel to the old law of Moses. But any doctrine aside from the gospel would have the same effect. (Galatians 1:8-9)
“that no root of bitterness springing up” - two things at work in this phrase. 1) “springing up” or “sprouting” has the added idea of “quickness” like a “spring” that pops. You plant a seed and then there is nothing, but one day it’s just there, a little sprout that has sprung. Quickly, overnight, without notice or warning. 2) The “root of bitterness” is the root that produces bitterness - a bitter product - poisonous. In this case, a “bad”, “false”, “poisonous” teacher. There is a parallel reference that should’ve been familiar to these Hebrew Christians familiar with the Torah, “lest there shall be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of those nations; lest there shall be among you a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood.” (Deuteronomy 29:18) The fruit of turning away / falling away from truly serving God is death from the poison fruit of apostasy whose root is the false teacher.
“causes trouble” - This is a bit of an understatement in English, as here the “trouble” would be perishing outside the grace of the gospel found in Christ Jesus. Think of “trouble” as in you drank some poison that is now “troubling” your body. You can imagine the suffering and trauma your body would endure as the poison works its way through your system causing “trouble” throughout, up until/unto the point of death. This is the imagery evoked by these words.
“and by it many be defiled.” - As is the danger in such cases, that it not be an isolated incident. We are creatures of community and most do not want to stand alone, even in (or perhaps “especially in”) their apostasy. As noted from Deuteronomy 29:18 the infection can start with one but extend out to the entire family or tribe, and by implication, the whole nation of Israel. That’s why confronting such poison quickly and boldly and fiercely is needed. If not to save the false teacher, perhaps others that they might influence/infect including the church.
May we not come short of the grace of God because we remain firmly rooted in it and it alone!
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