Keys of Truth: Hebrews (Chapter 13)

Chapter summary:
The Book of Hebrews concludes with a series of exhortations to the readers concerning how to live the life of faith. Believers are to keep on loving (13:1-5a), and trusting God (vv. 5b-6). Believers are to continue responding to their leaders (vv. 7-8), and the whole community is admonished to keep on praising God (vv. 9-16). After two more exhortations, one concerning leaders (v. 17) and the other prayer (vv. 18-19), the book concludes with a powerful doxology (vv. 20-21) and brief greetings (vv. 22-25).

The believer’s personal application: Faith results in a lifetime of dedicated living for Christ.

INSIGHT
“Brotherly love” (13:1):
Believers are called to "live a life of love" (Eph. 5:2). Christ's "new commandment" is to "love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" (John 13:34). A number of passages describe that lifestyle, and the call to love brothers and sisters in Christ is repeated in every epistle (cf. Rom. 12:9-10; 1 Cor. 13; 2 Cor. 8:24; Gal. 5:13-14; Eph. 5:2, etc.). Here the writer calls Christian love "brotherly," for all Christians are members of God's family. If we extend family love to each other, we will experience unity (Phil. 2:2; Col. 2:2) and be compelled to share material and spiritual resources with others (1 John 3:16-18).

“Angels unaware” (13:2):
Some visitors entertained by the Old Testament saints were angels (cf. Gen. 18:1-5; 19:1-2).

“Identify with the oppressed” (13:3):
It's one thing to welcome strangers. It's another to go out and look for those who need help. Prisoners were especially needy, for they often had to supply their own food, and many feared being identified with those condemned by the government. Christian brotherly love moved believers to identify with prisoners and try to meet their needs.

“A pure marriage bed” (13:4-5):
Many in 1st-century society considered chastity irrelevant to morals. The Christian community established a high standard, denying believers sexual expression outside of marriage. Within marriage, mutual commitment kept sexuality within God's intended boundaries, and therefore sexual expression was, and is pure.

“Real security” (13:5):
The bottom line isn't how much we have in the bank. The bottom line is that God is committed to us and will never leave or forsake us. That’s real security!

“Example” (13:7):
Leaders are to model a life of faith, which believers can consider and emulate. Throughout the New Testament, teaching and example are linked together. Both right doctrine (orthodoxy-right belief) and right living (orthopraxy) are required in those who lead the Church of God.

“Our altar” (13:10):
Our altar is the cross, our sacrifice Christ, and the blood on that altar is that of the Son of God. The writer makes it clear Judaism and Christianity are not interchangeable. The Jewish believers he addresses have figuratively gone outside the walls of Jerusalem, having left the older faith behind.

"Obey your leaders and submit" (13:17):
The original language (Greek) makes it clear that this is not blind obedience, or a surrender of one's personal responsibility to obey Christ as Lord. We can catch the sense of the Greek in this paraphrase: "Remain responsive to those God has given you as guides and let yourself be persuaded by them." This is appropriate, for leaders, commissioned to watch over us, and must give an account to God. Those who prove by their exemplary life, and sound teaching to be worthy of respect, most certainly deserve it.