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1 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. 2 Remember to welcome strangers, because some who have done this have welcomed angels without knowing it. ~ Hebrews 13:1-2
Today, we transition into the final chapter of the book of Hebrews. This book has clearly mapped out the plan of God to provide sinful man with salvation through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. As he has clearly pointed out over and over, the key is that our faith has as its object the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And, our salvation is not only about the forgiveness of our sin and that we are guaranteed heaven, it is also about the change of culture with our souls. And, God's goal is that we would share our story with Him with others who might decide to enter into a personal relationship with God for themselves.
In this final chapter of Hebrews, as throughout this whole letter, it is evident that God does not promote religion. You see, religion is the best efforts of man to earn the favor of God, and we know that is impossible.
God recognizes that we live life in segments. He knows that our lives fall into two main categories: our relationships with other believers in Christ and our relationships with those who are not believers in the Lord Jesus. This is why He begins this chapter with the subject of v.1 which reads, "Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters."
Here is the point of our sanctification: to demonstrate to all that God is alive by demonstrating it through love. Love is the demonstration of our faith in the God of the Bible. We demonstrate we love the Lord by how we love others. Faith is the root of our salvation while love is the fruit of our salvation. Our faith shows by the love we exemplify.
Notice this is to be a sustained love. The writer of Hebrews wrote, "Keep on loving each other." He did not just say that we should get it started. And, he didn't say invent brotherly love, or generate brotherly love. No, he said, make it your habit to love one another. It makes sense for us to do this because we have experienced the love of God for ourselves. And, since we have, we will naturally love other believers who are family.
Now, we are surrounded by people who want to find that which is substantive. Granted, there are those looking for us to do something wrong so that they are seemingly be taken off the hook with God. But, I would rather focus on those who are looking for the truth. Knowing this, we are instructed here to incorporate into our testimony one of the most powerful apologetics: love. "Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters."
The Greek word phileo is used here. Literally this means "let camaraderie and friendship blossom, in spite of all your differences.” The Lord Jesus did not say, "Let your mouth so speak that men may hear your nice words." No, He said, "Let your light so shine that they'll see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
The Lord Jesus said, "By this all men shall know you're my disciples by the love you have one for another." And, he is not speaking of the love that we have for the world, he is speaking of the love we have one for another. So, he commands, "Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters."
In v.2 of today's passage we read, "Remember to welcome strangers, because some who have done this have welcomed angels without knowing it."
The word "welcome" means to show strangers hospitality or to invite them into our homes and to show them kindness. The term "strangers" here could refer to believers and unbelievers. In Galatians 6:10 we read, "When we have the opportunity to help anyone, we should do it. But we should give special attention to those who are in the family of believers."
In addition to helping the traveler, this type of ministry has a special beneficiary effect upon us as well, for the writer reminds us: "because some who have done this have welcomed angels without knowing it." Perhaps he is referring to the experience of Abraham when three guests came to his home and he found that they were the Lord and two accompanying angels. At any rate, he is indicating that there can be surprising blessing come from the entertainment of strangers in our homes.
To the Jew, hospitality was one of the greatest virtues. If somebody came into town and needed a place to stay, needed a meal, it was one of the highest virtues in Judaism to take that person into your home and minister to them, put them up for the night. There's a commandment in Leviticus 19 that says, "Love your neighbor as yourself." That's an Old Testament commandment, it is not just found in the New Testament.
The Lord Jesus went beyond the Old Testament, he said, "We ought to lay down our lives for one another." Notice He didn't say, "Die for me." He said, "Lay down your lives for my sake." It is much easier to die than it is to lay one’s life down daily with the sense of the high calling while living very ordinary lives. No matter how much we want to do some grand, magnificent work for our Lord, the is that we are called to walk in His light in very ordinary ways.
In contrast to our justification, our sanctification is much more difficult because what is really happening is the reality of our salvation is becoming manifest in and through us. This is bringing into reality that which is totally opposite from what is natural for us. Christlikeness is not something we can conjure up. We can’t simply decide to be so. No, this is God burning away that in us which is not of Him, replacing it all with that which is of Him. Therefore, we come regularly to the throne of grace in fear and trembling because the battle is fierce. And, we are commanded to love one another and lay our lives down for our Master by loving them as He does.
