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The church should display God’s love to the world as a faithful witness.

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Sometimes people are more attracted to the Christian community before they’re attracted to the Christian gospel. They need to see the gospel at work: hospitality, generosity, sympathy, harmony – this is what the gospel does.

Christian lives are to fly in contradiction to the immoral societies in which they live by the way they love. Societies often seek to condemn believers, but the more they examine our lives, the more it should become evident that Christians live up to the high moral standards of the doctrine of brotherly love.

Hebrews 13:1-3New International Version (NIV)
13 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.


Chapter 13 of Hebrews unpacks what it means to serve and worship God in light of the end of chapter 12.

For the original audience, they needed their trust in Christ strengthened. Because of that, the author gives us chapters of teaching about why Jesus is better than the Old Covenant.

Here is the thing though. If the original audience allows their trust in Christ to be weakened, then their love for one another and for others will be weakened. They could not claim to know God’s love and then decide not to demonstrate that love toward others in the church v1, to strangers v 2, and to the suffering v 3.

Some quick clarifying questions-

What is brotherly love?
It is tender affection shared among those in a family. Here it is the Christian family specifically where one is birthed into it by the supernatural grace of God in Christ, through the Spirit. If believers belong to the same family, then the Father’s love must be expressed in their lives.

 To be clear, in the New Testament, brotherly love is not mere sentimental affection the way one might feel about something cute.

It is not superficial affection that merely receives emojis over text or social media.

It is affection built on deep and continuing concern and is characterized by practical commitment.

The fundamental principle of brotherly love is simple and is explained by Paul. “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor” (Rom. 12:10). Simply put, brotherly love is caring for fellow Christians more than we care for ourselves.

What is hospitality to strangers?
It means to show kindness to strangers. Strangers, like brethren (v. 1), can refer to unbelievers as well as believers. Our first responsibility is to our brothers in Christ, but our responsibility does not end there. “While we have an opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Gal. 6:10).


What does it mean to remember those suffering as if we were suffering?
This is incarnational love. This is what we see in Jesus. Jesus entered into our experience. We cannot do what Jesus did, but we can be regularly thoughtful over the heartache of others and try to imagine what we would appreciate in moments of suffering.


Today, we may not know the suffering and persecution as some do, but we certainly know the struggle not to love.

 Here are simple examples.

It is hard to show brotherly love when we isolate ourselves the way our culture does.

It is hard to show brotherly love and hospitality because they require being inconvenienced.

It is hard to have sincere condolences when we allow social media to desensitize us.
The command to “Remember the mistreated” is tough to do online as you casually scroll by. It is hard to build empathy when one minute you are reading about Hurricane Irma and Harvey and the next you are watching cat videos.

What stifles brotherly love and sympathy?
When we are preoccupied with ourselves, we stifle brotherly love. “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phil. 2:3–4).

Nothing kills love as fast as sin, especially that of selfishness. Selfishness perverts everything. Selfishness is fatal to brotherly love. You can’t love others in the church or outside the church if all you got on your mind is your agenda and how fast you can avoid real relationships. Apart from humbling our hearts, “love” for others is nothing more than using them for selfish ends, for our own purposes and satisfaction.

What encourages it?
Brotherly love is nurtured in humility. When we measure ourselves against the Person of Jesus Christ, who is the standard of our living, we see ourselves as we really are and are humbled. Only then are we truly able to love as God wants us to love.

What steps can we take to grow in this Christ-like love?

  • Remember that Jesus had every right to be proud, but he came to serve.
  • Pray for love to grow in our heart.
  • Be available to aid.
  • Listen and spend time with those who suffer.
  • Get out of your selfish habits that have bought into the American dream.
  • Set your life up so you can help. (Get out debt, clear your overcommitted schedule, pray over those in close proximity to you.)
  • Use your home, gifts, and other blessings for the purpose of ministry.


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