To answer this question, we need to first understand the context. The Book of Hebrews was addressed to a Christian community whose faith was faltering because of strong Jewish influences. In other words, the recipients of this epistle were the early church or Christians in the first century.
They are a group of Jewish believers under persecution for their acceptance of the Christian faith and are now tempted to turn back from Christianity to Judaism in order to escape persecution from their countrymen.
The overall texts in Hebrews 12 affirm this, as they talked about the race of faith (vv. 1-2), the discipline of God (v. 3-11), a call to renew spiritual vitality (vv.12-17), a call to listen to God and receive the unshaken kingdom (vv. 18-29), all of which are intended to Christ’s followers — not only then, but also today.
Let us now use the following verses to discuss what the root of bitterness means:
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. Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many (Hebrews 12:14-15, NLT).
There are two main views considering the context, but they ultimately point to the same issue.
The above verses tell us that the root of bitterness is caused by failing to receive God’s grace, which causes trouble or corruption in the church.
Therefore, the author urges Christians to make every effort to live in peace with all people, pursue holiness, and look after each other diligently. We are called to live a peaceful, holy, and unselfish life.
In our relationship with others, bitterness is often caused by unmet expectations or unfulfilled promises, rooted in selfishness, and leads to disorder and evil practice (James 3:16).
Interestingly, the Greek word for root (rhiza) is also used in Paul’s letter to Timothy as he warns that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10).
What a strong statement that still rings true today! If we keep filling our minds with the worries of this world and the pursuit of selfish pleasures — manifested by the love of money to establish our own security — rather than God’s kingdom and His righteousness, we allow the poisonous root of bitterness to grow in the “field” of our minds, constantly tempting us to rely on our own efforts rather than God’s grace.
And the worst effect is the corruption of many (because this root is not only dangerous but also contagious), leading to unfaithfulness to God.
This image of a “bitter root” came from an event in the Old Testament when Moses reviewed the covenant, as described in the following verses:
“I am making this covenant with you so that no one among you — no man, woman, clan, or tribe — will turn away from the Lord our God to worship these gods of other nations, and so that no root among you bears bitter and poisonous fruit” (Deuteronomy 29:18, NLT).
This was a call for the Israelites (and the future generations) to be faithful to the Lord. They were warned not to commit idolatry by worshipping the gods or idols of other nations. Such idolatry is a rebellious act that causes bitterness (i.e., a root that bears bitter and poisonous fruit).
Notice that this root of bitterness is further explained in the following verse: “Those who hear the warnings of this curse should not congratulate themselves, thinking, ‘I am safe, even though I am following the desires of my own stubborn heart.’ This would lead to utter ruin!” (Deuteronomy 29:19, NLT). It is manifested as a person who has a wrong view of eternal security.
John Piper defines the root of bitterness as “a person or a doctrine in the church which encourages people to act presumptuously and treats salvation as an automatic thing that does not require a life of vigilance in the fight of faith and the pursuit of holiness.”
This kind of presumption is what the Book of Hebrews deals with repeatedly — to cure Christians of presumption and to cultivate earnest perseverance in faith and holiness.
In essence, this root of bitterness is a false teaching centered on self-righteousness. It is false thinking that our good works can bring us salvation — that God’s grace is not enough.
This false belief is idolatry — because ultimately, the idols are good works (described as “made of wood, stone, silver, and gold”) — which is a spiritual adultery driven by stubbornness and pride.
These present-day idols might not be made of wood, stone, silver, or gold, but they are manifested in our own selfish desires and efforts to accumulate wealth and treasures of this world, to achieve success according to the standard of this world, to seek the approval of men rather than of God (Galatians 1:10).
To such people who live with bitterness, James reminds them to completely submit themselves to God because friendship with the world means enmity against God (James 4:1-8).
We cannot both please God and follow the values of this world, just as we cannot both live [controlled] by the Spirit and live to satisfy our fleshly desires.
Jesus reveals that “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money”(Matthew 6:24).
Therefore, we are to first seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33) and set our minds on the things of heaven, not the things of earth (Colossians 3:1-2).
As we humbly receive God’s grace in Christ Jesus, we have all we need to live a godly life (2 Peter 1:3) — we lack nothing (Psalm 23:1) — so there should not be any reason for the root of bitterness to grow in our lives.
For further reading:
What Type of Person ‘Sows Discord’?
How Do We Show Love to Toxic People?
Why Does the Bible Have to Tell Us to Be Kind to One Another?
Should All We Do Be Done in Love?
How Do We Pray for Those Who Hurt Us?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/ Vladimir Vladimirov
Philip Wijaya, Ph.D. currently lives in Vancouver, Canada with his wife, Sandra, and their daughter, Shalom. His interest in science and faith in God has motivated him to actively write in his personal blog (philipwijaya.com), in addition to his professional research work in the area of clean energy and chemical engineering. In his leisure time, he enjoys sports, football games, music, and traveling with family.