IIt is a true saying that “Earth is crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God; but only he who sees takes off his shoes; the rest sit around and pluck blackberries” (Elizabeth Barrett Browning). Romans 1: 20 also says, “since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen. They are understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. With such an abundant provision for everyone to know that God exists, it is no wonder the Bible concludes that one must be a fool to say in their heart, “there is no God” (Psalm 14:1).
It is not only given to us to know that God exists, but also to see Him. Think about this: How different and better off would our lives be if we could indeed see God? This raises an important question: How do we see God?
Hebrews 12:14 provides the answer: “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” The Greek word translated as holiness is hagiasmos, which means sanctification, purification, consecration, or being set apart. Thus, we are told in Hebrews 12:14 to pursue being holy, pure, consecrated, or set apart unto God. Without this, no one will ever see the Lord.
This defeats any idea that because we were made righteous and holy by faith in Jesus at salvation, we will always be holy regardless of how we choose to live. Rather, Scripture warns the church that even our born-again spirits can be defiled or made unclean through the practice of sin (2 Corinthians 6:18-7:1). The very command to believers to pursue both righteousness and holiness affirms that we can walk away from these if we choose to abandon these exhortations. As the Spirit expressly says, in the last days many will commit apostasy and abandon the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1-3, and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3).
The truth that no one will ever see God without holiness applies to at least three areas of our lives. First, it applies to where we will spend eternity when this life is over. 1 John 3:2-3 says, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” From this text, we learn that when Jesus returns, not everyone will see Him as He is. Only those who are like Him will. Those who expect to see Him as He is are those who purify themselves or make themselves holy, just as Jesus is pure. This is the responsibility of those who have this hope. They pursue holiness because that is what it takes to see the Lord at His return. This mirrors the truth in Hebrews 12:14: without holiness, no one will see the Lord.
The opposite is also true. Jesus warned that “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS (Matthew 7: 21-23). This is not a parable or a historical account, but something Jesus said will happen on judgment day. It is worth noting that Jesus did not accuse these people of lying when they said they had performed miracles in His name. Jesus also said Satan does not cast out Satan (Matthew 12:26), so this group of people must have belonged to Jesus to have used His name. Rather, Jesus refused them entry because they practiced sin. Instead of pursuing holiness, they practiced lawlessness. Paul re-echoed this truth in Galatians 5:19-21when he warned the church that those who practice the deeds of the flesh will not inherit the kingdom of God. Holiness has not become obsolete because of grace. Rather, God’s grace empowers us to walk in holiness (Titus 2: 11 to 14. We need this holiness to see and be with the Lord when this life is over.
Secondly, being holy applies to beholding the Lord and His glory right now, not just in the age to come. The word translated as “see” in Hebrews 12:14 does not only refer to seeing with the mind, knowing or perceiving. It also refers to seeing with the eyes. We can learn from this that by continuing in holiness, we can be blessed to see the Lord with wide-open eyes as He allows Himself to be seen. He did this for John on the Isle of Patmos (Revelation 1) and for many others after His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). Being able to dwell in the manifest presence of the Lord will do more for our spiritual lives than any rituals we could devise. Holiness is key to this blessing. Such an experience provides the opportunity to behold the glory of the Lord with an unveiled face. Through this, we can be transformed into His image from glory to glory. Our ultimate goal is to be conformed to the image of Christ, and holiness is indispensable to getting us there.
Thirdly, to see God is also to perceive His works and His ways in our everyday lives. When we fail at this, we become dull and void of understanding. We become like those who have eyes but cannot see, and ears but cannot hear. In such a state, we become oblivious to God’s purposes and easy prey for sin and the devil. A sure way to avoid this is to be holy, just as God is holy. In this way, we can perceive God’s will and attain His purposes for us.
Now, let’s consider some practical ways to walk in holiness.
The Bible teaches that our sanctification is the will of God and provide practical ways to walk in holiness. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 to 8 says, “For this is God’s will, your sanctification that you keep way from sexual immorality, that each of you knows how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not with lustful passions, like the Gentiles, who don’t know God. This means one must not transgress against and take advantage of a brother or sister in this manner, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses, as we also previously told and warned you. For God has not called us to impurity but to live in holiness. Consequently, anyone who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. This biblical text teaches that staying away from sexual immorality is integral to walking in holiness. We are called to control our bodies in honor, not in lustful passions like those who do not know God.
In addition, having the fear of the Lord and thereby cleansing ourselves from all defilement is another practical way to walk in holiness. We see this in 2 Corinthians 7:1: “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. We are able to prefect holiness, when we walk in the fear of God. Proverbs 16: 6 confirms this: “By the fear of the Lord one departs from evil”. This shows that we are able to stay away from evil and walk in holiness to the degree that we have the fear of the Lord in our hearts.
Lastly, another practical way to walk in holiness is to live for Jesus rather than ourselves. This is why Jesus died for us. 2 Corinthians 5: 15 says, “He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. This truth is repeated in Galatians 2, 20, which says “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Letting Christ live through us through faith, and consequently obedience to Him, constitute our life of holiness. And this holiness is our key to seeing God—both in the life we live now and in the one to come.
Walking in holiness does not mean we never sin or make mistakes, as we all stumble in many ways (James 3:2). However, God has made provision for us to receive forgiveness through Jesus. As 1 John 1: 9 promises, “if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. Conversely, whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy (Proverbs 28:13). Therefore, we should be quick to confess our sins to God, receive His forgiveness, and repent.
Scripture declares, holiness is God’s will for us (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Therefore, let us pursue it with all our hearts, for by this we shall perceive and see God in this life and the one to come.
© 2015, 2023, 2025.
A Very Important Message
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). Therefore, If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, I invite you to put your faith in Him. Pray the prayer below to accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour: “I come to you God in Jesus’ name and surrender my life unto you. I repent of my sins and I ask You to forgive me all my sins. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and I believe with my heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead. I thank you God for saving me, in Jesus name, Amen”. If you sincerely prayed this prayer, believe and be assured that you are saved, for the Bible says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13, Romans 10:9-10, Acts 16:31). Find a Bible believing church to attend so that you can be discipled to grow in the ways of God. You can also email me ([email protected]) and I will be happy to grow together with you in Christ.