Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

This instruction is directed at Christians. This is evident by the context. And the first phrase “make every effort to live at peace with everyone”, makes little sense to me unless it is viewed as an instruction to the church as it pertains to relationships in the church. We are to be full of the peace of God. But this peace and the peace of the world are two different things.

When we come together under the leadership of Jesus Christ, and our goal collectively is peace with God first and then peace with each other, this works. And it builds unity. I think the main point is don’t go looking for a fight. Try to live in a content manner, using your ambition and passion to spread the gospel, not to argue with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

I find that many CINOs (Christians in Name Only) try and use this passage as an excuse not to be bold with the truth and take a stand against false teachings, debate with those of other religions, or stand up for the oppressed and hurting. They think that somehow they are pious and cerebral in their religion by turning a blind eye.

Recently, Charlie Kirk was assassinated. He was not one who worried about peace with this world, it seems, although I did not know him personally. He was kind and thoughtful, but also bold. He focused on the things that mattered to the heart of God.

In reality, we all need God’s grace, and we should be gracious with the other sinners around us. This does not mean to be passive. It just means we have an attitude of “there, but by the grace of God, go I.” And our goal is to be perfected in holiness. How can we become holy if we are consumed with worldly things and trying to be viewed by the world as a peaceable person? Holiness is achieved as we draw closer and closer to God in trusting him and faithfully obeying his Word and heart promptings.

Lord, thank you for this passage that talks about peace in the body of Christ. It is important that we unify under you and in that unity, we can peacefully live with our brothers and sisters. And as we project this peace into the world, it has substance, it does not shift based on the current fads or trends or political positions. It is founded on you, and because it is so real, it is attractive. Help me to be attractive to others because I live for you.