Hebrews 13

Hebrews 13:1

D. Exhortation to Various Christian Graces (13:1-17) 13:1 The practical section of Hebrews continues with six exhortations concerning graces that should be developed. First is love of the brethren. There should be a sense of family relationship toward all true Christians and a recognition of this kinship by loving words and acts (1Jo_3:18). 13:2 The readers are urged to show hospitality to strangers. This might refer primarily to believers who were fleeing from persecution and were hard-pressed to find food and lodging; to entertain them was to expose the host and hostess to danger. The verse may also be understood as a general encouragement to show hospitality to any believers who need it. There is always the thrilling possibility that in doing this we may unwittingly entertain angels! This of course looks back to Abraham’s experience with three men who were actually angelic beings (Gen_18:1-15). Even if we never have real angels in our homes, we may have men and women whose very presence is a benediction and whose godly influence on our family may have results that reach on into eternity. 13:3 The third exhortation concerns care for imprisoned believers. This almost certainly means those who were jailed because of their testimony for Christ. They would need food, warm clothing, reading matter, and encouragement. The temptation would be for other believers to shield themselves from association with prisoners and thus from the danger of guilt by association. They should remember that in visiting prisoners, they were visiting Christ. Compassion should also be shown for the mistreated; again this doubtless means persecuted Christians. The readers should resist any tendency to shield themselves from the danger that such compassion might involve. For ourselves, we can broaden the application of the verse to include sympathy for all suffering saints. We should remember that we are in the body also and therefore subject to similar afflictions. 13:4 Marriage should be held in honor by all. We should remember that it was instituted by God before sin entered the world and that it is His holy will for mankind. To treat it as unclean, as ascetics do, or even to make jests and puns about it, as Christians sometimes do, are alike forbidden in the Scripture. Those who are married should be faithful to their vows and thus keep the marriage bed undefiled. In spite of modern man’s smug laxness in this area, the fact remains that any sexual relations outside the bounds of marriage are sin. Adultery is not sickness; it is sin. And it is a sin which God will inevitably judge. No form of immorality will escape. He judges it in this lifethrough bodily ailments, broken families, mental and nervous afflictions, personality deformities. Unless it is pardoned through the blood of Christ, He will judge it in eternal fire. Reformation Bishop Latimer reminded the immoral King Henry VIII of this in a way that was as convicting as it was courageous. He presented the king with a finely wrapped Bible. On the wrapping was inscribed the words, Fornicators and adulterers God will judge.13:5 The sixth virtue to cultivate is contentment. Remember that the adherents of Judaism were continually saying, We have the tabernacle. We have the priesthood. We have the offerings. We have the beautiful ritual. What do you have? Here the writer quietly says to the Christians: Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. I should say so! What the Christian has is so infinitely greater than the best of Judaismwhy shouldn’t he be content? He has Christ; that is enough. The love of silver can be a tremendous hindrance to the believer. Just as a small silver coin held before the eye comes between it and the sun, so covetousness breaks fellowship with God and hinders spiritual progress. The greatest riches a person can have lie in possessing Him who promises, I will never leave you nor forsake you. In Greek, strong negation is expressed by using two or more negatives. (This is the opposite of English structure in which a double negative makes a positive assertion.) In this verse the construction is very emphatic: it combines five negatives to indicate the impossibility of Christ deserting his own! 13:6 The words of Psa_118:6 are the confident confession of the one who has Christ: The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The fact is that in Christ we have perfect security, perfect protection, perfect peace. 13:7 The readers are instructed to remember their leaders, the Christian teachers who spoke the word of God to them. What was the outcome of their conduct? They had not turned back to the Levitical system but had maintained their confession steadfast to the end. Perhaps some of them were martyred for Christ’s sake. Theirs is the faith to imitate, the faith that clings to Christ and to Christian doctrine, and that brings God into every move in life. We are not all called to the same forms of service, but we are all called to a life of faith. 13:8 The connection of this verse with the preceding one is not clear. Perhaps the simplest way to understand it is as a summary of the teaching, the goal, and the faith of these leaders. The gist of their teaching was this: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The goal of their lives was Jesus Christthe same yesterday, today, and forever. The foundation of their faith was that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the same yesterday, today, and forever. 13:9 Next follows a warning against the false teachings of legalism. The Judaizers insisted that holiness was connected with externals, such as ceremonial worship and clean foods, for example. The truth is that holiness is produced by grace, not by law. Legislation concerning clean and unclean foods was designed to produce ritual cleanness. But this is not the same thing as inward holiness. A man might be ceremonially clean and yet be filled with hatred and hypocrisy. Only God’s grace can inspire and empower believers to live holy lives. Love for the Savior who died on account of our sins motivates us to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age (Tit_2:12). After all, endless rules concerning foods and drinks have not profited their adherents. 13:10 Let us not miss the triumph of the words, We have an altar. They are the Christian’s confident answer to the repeated taunts of the Judaizers. Our altar is Christ, and therefore it includes all the blessings that are found in Him. Those who are connected with the Levitical system have no right to partake of the better things of Christianity. They must first repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ as only Lord and Savior. 13:11 Under the sacrificial system, certain animals were slain and their blood was brought into the Most Holy Place by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin. The bodies of those animals were carried to a place away from the tabernacle environs and burned. Outside the camp means outside the outer fence that enclosed the tabernacle court. 13:12 The animals burned outside the camp were a type; the Lord Jesus was the antitype. He was crucified outside the city walls of Jerusalem. It was outside the camp of organized Judaism that He sanctified the people with His own blood. 13:13 The application for the early readers of the Epistle was this: they should make a clean break with Judaism. Once for all they should turn their backs on the temple sacrifices and appropriate the finished work of Christ as their sufficient sacrifice. The application for us is similar: the camp today is the entire religious system that teaches salvation by works, by character, by ritual, or by ordinances. It is the modern church system with its humanly ordained priesthood, its material aids to worship, and its ceremonial trappings. It is corrupt Christendom, a church without Christ. The Lord Jesus is outside and we should go forth to Him, … bearing His reproach. 13:14 Jerusalem was dear to the hearts of those who served at the temple. It was the geographic center of their camp. The Christian has no such city on earth; his heart is set on the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem, where the Lamb is all the glory. 13:15 In the NT all believers are priests. They are holy priests, going into the sanctuary of God to worship (1Pe_2:5), and they are royal priests going out into the world to witness (1Pe_2:9). There are at least three sacrifices which a believer-priest offers. First, there is the sacrifice of his person (Rom_12:1). Then, here in verse 15 is the second: the sacrifice of praise. It is offered to God through the Lord Jesus. All our praise and prayer passes through Him before it reaches God the Father; our great High Priest removes all impurities and imperfections and adds His own virtue to it. To all our prayers and praises Christ adds His sweet perfume; And love the censer raises These odors to consume. Mary B. Peters The sacrifice of praise is the fruit of those lips that acknowledge His name. The only worship that God receives is that which flows from redeemed lips. 13:16 The third sacrifice is the offering of our possessions. We are to use our material resources in doing good, and in sharing with those who are in need. With such sacrificial living God is well pleased. It is the opposite of accumulating for self. The race of God’s anointed priests Shall never pass away; Before His glorious Face they stand And serve Him night and day. Though reason raves, and unbelief Flows on a mighty flood, There are, and shall be, till the end, The hidden priests of God. His chosen souls, their earthly dross Consumed in sacred fire, To God’s own heart their hearts ascend In flame of deep desire; The incense of their worship fills His Temple’s holiest place; Their song with wonder fills the Heavens, The glad new song of grace. Gerhard Tersteegen 13:17 In verses 7 and 8, the readers were instructed to remember their past leaders. Now they are taught to obey their present leaders. This probably refers primarily to the elders in the local church. These men act as representatives of God in the assembly. Authority has been given to them, and believers should be submissive to this authority. As undershepherds, the elders watch out for the souls of the flock. They will have to give account to God in a coming day. They will do it either joyfully or sadly, depending on the spiritual progress of their charges. If they have to do it sadly, that will mean loss of reward for the saints concerned. So it is to everyone’s benefit to respect the lines of authority which God has laid down.

Hebrews 13:18

IV. CLOSING BENEDICTION (13:18-25) 13:18 As the writer comes to the close of his Letter, he adds a personal appeal for prayer. The rest of the verse suggests that he may have been under attack from critics. We can guess who the critics werethose who were coercing people to return to the worship of the Old Covenant. He protests that, in spite of any charges that were being brought against him, his conscience was clear and his desire was pure. 13:19 An added reason for prayer was that he might be restored to them the sooner. Perhaps this refers to release from prison. We can do no more than speculate on this point. 13:20 Then he adds one of the most beautiful benedictions of the Bibleone that takes its place with Num_6:24-26; 2Co_13:14; and Jud_1:24-25. It is addressed to the God of peace. As has been mentioned, OT saints never had perfect peace of conscience. But under the New Covenant, we have peace with God (Rom_5:1) and the peace of God (Phi_4:7). The verse goes on to explain that this peace is the fruit of Christ’s work. God raised our Lord Jesus from the dead as a sign that His work on the cross settled the sin question once for all. Christ, as the good Shepherd, gave His life for the sheep (Joh_10:11). As the great Shepherd, He rose from the dead, having accomplished redemption (Heb_13:20). As the Chief Shepherd, He is coming again to reward His servants (1Pe_5:4). We see Him as the good Shepherd in Psalms 22, as the great Shepherd in Psalms 23, and as the Chief Shepherd in Psalms 24. He was brought back from the dead in accordance with the everlasting covenant. Wuest comments on this phrase: The New Testament is called the eternal one, in contrast to the First Testament which was of a transitory nature. It was within the sphere of the eternal covenant that Messiah, having died for sinful man, was raised up from among those who are dead. He could not be a high priest after the order of Melchizedek if He was not raised from the dead. Sinful man needs a living Priest to give life to the believing sinner, not a dead priest merely to pay for his sins. Thus, it was provided within the New Testament that the priest who offered Himself for sacrifice would be raised from the dead. 13:21 The prayer begun in verse 20 is that the saints might be equipped with every good work to do God’s will. There is a curious mingling here of the divine and the human. God equips us with everything good. God works in us what is well pleasing in His sight. He does it through Jesus Christ. Then we do His will. In other words, He places the desire in us; He gives us the power to do it; then we do it; and He rewards us. The prayer ends with the acknowledgment that Jesus Christ is worthy of glory forever and ever. Worthy of homage and of praise, Worthy by all to be adored; Exhaustless theme of heavenly lays Thou, Thou art worthy, Jesus Lord. Frances Ridley Havergal 13:22 The writer now urges his readers to heed the exhortation of his Letter, that is, to abandon ritualistic religion and cleave to Christ with true purpose of heart. He speaks of his Epistle as a brief one, and it is, considering how much more he could have said about the Levitical system and how it finds its fulfillment in Christ. 13:23 The mention that our brother Timothy had been set free here confirms many in their view that Paul wrote the Letter. There is the added touch that the writer plans to travel with Timothy, another possible sign pointing to Paul. But we cannot be sure, so it is best to leave the question open. 13:24 Greetings are sent to all the Christian leaders and all the saints. We should not overlook the many touches of Christian courtesy in the Epistles, and we should imitate them in our day. Some believers from Italy were with the writer, and they too wanted to send their greetings. This suggests that the Letter was written to or from there. 13:25 It is especially fitting that this epistle of the New Covenant should end on a grace note: Grace be with you all. The New Covenant is an unconditional covenant of free grace, telling out God’s unbounded favor for unworthy sinners through the sacrificial work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. EXCURSUS ON THE MESSAGE OF HEBREWS FOR TODAY Does the Epistle to the Hebrews have a message for us in the twentieth century? Although Judaism is not the dominant religion today that it was in the early days of the church, yet the legalistic spirit has permeated Christendom. In his well-known booklet, Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth, Dr. C. I. Scofield writes: It may be safely said that the Judaizing of the Church has done more to hinder her progress, pervert her mission, and destroy her spiritually, than all other causes combined. Instead of pursuing her appointed path of separation from the world and following the Lord in her heavenly calling, she has used Jewish Scriptures to justify herself in lowering her purpose to the civilization of the world, the acquisition of wealth, the use of an imposing ritual, the erection of magnificent churches … and the division of an equal brotherhood into clergy and laity.The Letter calls on us to separate ourselves from all religious systems in which Christ is not honored as the only Lord and Savior and in which His work is not recognized as the once-for-all offering for sin. Hebrews teaches us that the types and shadows of the OT system found their fulfillment in our Lord. He is our great High Priest. He is our Sacrifice. He is our Altar. He serves in the heavenly sanctuary and His priesthood will never end. It teaches that all believers are priests, and that they have instant access into the presence of God by faith at any time. They offer the sacrifices of their person, their praise, and their possessions. David Baron writes: To adopt the model of the Levitical priesthood in the Christian Church, which ritualism endeavors to do, is nothing else but an attempt, with unholy hands, to sew together again the veil which the blessed, reconciled God had Himself rent in twain; and like saying, stand aside, come not nigh to God to those who are made nigh by the blood of Christ.The book of Hebrews teaches us that we have a better covenant, a better Mediator, a better hope, better promises, a better homeland, a better priesthood, and better possessionsbetter than the best that Judaism could offer. It assures us that we have eternal redemption, eternal salvation, an eternal covenant, and an eternal inheritance. It warns solemnly against the sin of apostasy. If a person professes to be a Christian, associates with a Christian church, then turns away from Christ and joins those who are enemies of the Lord, it is impossible for such a one to be renewed to repentance. The Epistle to the Hebrews encourages true Christians to walk by faith and not by sight because this is the life that pleases Christ. It also encourages us to bear up steadfastly under sufferings, trials, and persecutions in order that we might receive the promised reward. Hebrews teaches that because of their many privileges, Christians have a very special responsibility. The superiorities of Christ make them the most highly favored people in the world. If such privileges are neglected, they will suffer loss accordingly at the Judgment Seat of Christ. More is expected of them than of those who lived under the law; and more will be required in a coming day. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach (Heb_13:13).