Hebrews 12:14 (ASV)

Passage

Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord:

Nearby Context

Hebrews 12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands that hang down, and the palsied knees;

Hebrews 12:13 and make straight paths for your feet, that that which is lame be not turned out of the way, but rather be healed.

Hebrews 12:14 Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord:

Hebrews 12:15 looking carefully lest [there be] any man that falleth short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and thereby the many be defiled;

Hebrews 12:16 lest [there be] any fornication, or profane person, as Esau, who for one mess of meat sold his own birthright.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "follow", "after", "peace", "sanctification", "without", "shall", and "lord". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "follow" and "after", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "and make straight paths for your feet..." into verse 15's "looking carefully lest there be any man...", so "follow" and "after" belong inside that flow. In Hebrews context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "follow" and "after" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.