Hebrews 13:18-19 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things. 19 And I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you the sooner.            The anonymous author of Hebrews, though clearly known to his audience, asks for prayer in vv. 18-19. From v. 18 it appears that a false accusation had been leveled agai...  Read More

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 But we ask of you, brothers, that you know those who labor among you, and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and that you regard them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another (Legacy Standard Bible).       Paul traveled extensively preaching the cross of Christ, planting churches (cf. Acts 13-28), and installing leaders—the elders and...  Read More

Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.Church leaders have the God-given task of caring for Christ’s Church on earth—serving His people, preaching His word. They are to preach Scripture, reprove, rebuke, and exhort—in season and ou...  Read More

Romans 12:10-13 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.Christians offering themselves to God as living sacrifices (12:1) both love and hate—havi...  Read More

Hebrews 13:15-16 Through [Christ] then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God… 16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.            The sacrifice of praise in Hebrews 13:15-16, through Christ unto God the Father, is also encouraged by the Apostle Paul: “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a li...  Read More

Hebrews 13:15-16 Through [Christ] then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. 16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.            Having moved out of Judaism into its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Jewish audience was no longer required to make sacrifices with anima...  Read More

Hebrews 13:10-14 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13 So, let us go out to Him outside the cam...  Read More

Hebrews 13:7-9 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.       ...  Read More

1 Timothy 6:9-10 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.            Having just explained that false teachers are known by their love of...  Read More

Hebrews 13:5-6 See that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you nor will I ever forsake you,” 6 so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?Continuing the list of Christian evidences from Hebrews 13:4, the fifth evidence of a genuine Christian is that he i...  Read More

Hebrews 13:4b …and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.Marriage, a holy creation of God to be “honored” by man (Heb. 13:4a), demands that the marriage “bed” (Gr. koita) be “undefiled.” Though a “bed” can obviously refer to a piece of furniture for sleeping, it is also used as a euphemism for sexual intercourse (cf. Rom 13:13) and in the sense of conce...  Read More

Hebrews 13:4a Marriage is to be held in honor among all…Continuing the list of Christian evidences from Hebrews 13, v. 4 presents a fourth fruit that grows in the life of Christians: an honorable marriage. The fact that the author even broached the subject of marriage points to the fact that marriage was being corrupted, perhaps even in the churches. It is known that certain ascetic influences in ...  Read More