Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Follow peace with all - with the brethren especially (Romans 14:19), that so the "lame" among them be not "turned out of the way" (Hebrews 12:13), and that no one of them "fail of the grace of God" (Hebrews 12:15).
Holiness, х hagiasmon (G38): 'sanctification'] - distinct from God's "holiness" х hagiotees (G41)] (Hebrews 12:10), which is absolute, and which we are to put on, becoming "holy as He is holy," by sanctification. While 'following peace with all men,' we are not so to please them as to make God's will and our sanctification secondary: this latter must be our first aim (Galatians 1:10).
Without [ chooris (G5565 ): apart from] which no man shall see the Lord - as a son; in heavenly glory (Revelation 22:3-4). In the East, none but great favourites are admitted to see the king (cf. 2 Samuel 14:24). The Lord being pure, none but the pure shall see him (Matthew 5:8). Without holiness in them, they could not enjoy Him who is holiness itself (Zechariah 14:20; 1 John 3:2-3; Ephesians 5:5). Contrast Hebrews 12:16 (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:3). All (Matthew 24:30; Revelation 1:7) shall see the Lord as a Judge; not as their lasting portion, which is meant here. х Opsetai (G3700) does not denote the mere action of seeing, but the seer's state of mind to which the object is presented: so in Matthew 5:8, they shall truly comprehend God (Tittmann).] None but the holy could appreciate the holy God: none else, therefore, shall abide in His presence. 'The bad shall only see Him as Son of man (cf. Revelation 1:13 with 7; and Matthew 24:30; Acts 1:11; Acts 17:31): it will be in the glory in which He shall judge, not in the lowliness in which He was judged. His form as God, wherein He is equal to the Father, without doubt the ungodly shall not see; for only "the pure in heart shall see God"' (Augustine). 'He shall come to judge, who stood before a judge: in the form in which He was judged, that they may see Him whom they pierced: He who was before hidden shall come manifested in power: He shall condemn the real culprits, who was Himself falsely made a culprit.'