14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
14 Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you'll never get so much as a glimpse of God.
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Hebrews 12:14
Commentary on Hebrews 12:12-17
(Read Hebrews 12:12-17)
A burden of affliction is apt to make the Christian's hands hang down, and his knees grow feeble, to dispirit him and discourage him; but against this he must strive, that he may better run his spiritual race and course. Faith and patience enable believers to follow peace and holiness, as a man follows his calling constantly, diligently, and with pleasure. Peace with men, of all sects and parties, will be favourable to our pursuit of holiness. But peace and holiness go together; there can be not right peace without holiness. Where persons fail of having the true grace of God, corruption will prevail and break forth; beware lest any unmortified lust in the heart, which seems to be dead, should spring up, to trouble and disturb the whole body. Falling away from Christ is the fruit of preferring the delights of the flesh, to the blessing of God, and the heavenly inheritance, as Esau did. But sinners will not always have such mean thoughts of the Divine blessing and inheritance as they now have. It agrees with the profane man's disposition, to desire the blessing, yet to despise the means whereby the blessing is to be gained. But God will neither sever the means from the blessing, nor join the blessing with the satisfying of man's lusts. God's mercy and blessing were never sought carefully and not obtained.