Definitions & Insights – “Lest Any Man Fail”

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord, looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled. (Hebrews 12:14-15 KJV, emphasis mine)

fail – “to be left behind in the race and so fail to reach the goal, to fall short of the end

– metaphorically, to fail to become a partaker

– to be inferior in power, influence, and rank

– to lack

– to suffer want, to be devoid of, to lack (be inferior in) excellence, worth”¹

“God uses failure in our lives: to knock the arrogance of pride out of us, to expose to us what is in our hearts, and/or to educate us as to the true values in life.”  – Ron Dunn

1. Larry Pierce, The Online Bible, CD-ROM (Winterbourne, Ontario: Larry Pierce, 2007), Hebrews 12:15, fail.