“Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
What can man do to me?”

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner. 

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Heb. 13:1-21

The letter to the Hebrews is laid out in the same way that most of Paul’s letters are. First, there is doctrine in the initial part of the letter followed by the practical application of that doctrine to believer’s lives. The last chapter of the letter to the Hebrews largely contains practical admonitions on how New Covenant believers are to live. This section serves to remind us that doctrine in the New Testament is not merely for the mind, but for the entire life. It pertains to every aspect of life.

The writer begins with the admonition “let brotherly love continue” (Hebrews 12:1). The Greek word for love in this text is philadelphia, which is brotherly love in particular. He would remind us that believers are part of a new family consisting of brothers and sisters. The writer then reminds them not to neglect hospitality, for some being unaware have unknowingly entertained angels unawares. We should never forget that Christianity raised hospitality to a virtue. Many were called upon to extend hospitality to believers who were often displaced due to persecution. They must also not forget those who were imprisoned for the Gospel as those who were in prison with them, as well as those who were mistreated.

The writer then addresses the issue of sexuality, an important subject for a sexually perverse generation. He begins, though, with a reminder that marriage is a sacred institution and must be held in the highest honor. God has reserved sex for marriage alone which is the meaning of the statement “let the marriage bed be undefiled” (12:4). God’s judgment will fall on the sexually immoral and adulterous. What a needed emphasis this is in an age such as ours with all of its sexual perversion.

This is followed by a warning against the love of money which is the sin of covetousness. The writer reminds us that the way to keep ourselves from this sin is by practicing contentment—the ability to be content with what God has given us. He quotes from two Old Testament passages to encourage the believer to cultivate contentment. First, in Deuteronomy 31:6, the believer God promises He will never leave or forsake them which is followed by a quote from Psalm 118:6: “The Lord is my helper, I will not fear; what can man do to me.”

The next sentence reminds them to “remember their leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God” (13:7). Those leaders serve as examples who are to be imitated. This is the most important aspect of leadership; being examples to those they lead. Jumping ahead to Hebrews 13:17, the writer calls upon believers to make leaders’ task of leading a joyous affair rather than a burdensome one. Leaders must give an account to God for those entrusted to their care. Believers are to strive to ensure that their leaders are leading with joy rather than groaning. This would be a disadvantage to those who are being led. There is nothing worse than leaders who lead with heaviness due to uncooperative followers.

The closing benediction is one of the most beautiful of any letter in the New Testament (13:20-21). It features two of the three divine members of the godhead, Father and Son. The God to whom this blessing belongs is called the “God of peace.” He is also the God who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep. The Shepherd/Sheep motif is one of the most widely used to portray the relationship between the Lord Jesus and his care for his people. The Great Shepherd was raised from the dead by the God of peace. But he did so “by the blood of the eternal covenant” (13:20). He did so to “equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight.” The word equip is the Greek word katartizo which was used in numerous ways in the New Testament, especially in Ephesians 4:12 where it is used to describe the work of the so-called ‘fivefold’ ministry in the lives of God’s people.