Public and Private Ethics (or Living Like a Christian)

Hebrews 13:1-6

December 9, 2001

 

A shift has taken place in our reading through Hebrews. We've gone from the most sublime theology to the most practical lessons. Is the writer changing the subject of his epistle at the end? Some have gone so far as to suggest that a different writer took the pen for the last chapter. But we need not be so drastic, for our ancient friend has clearly written concerning the sufficiency of Jesus Christ as the only mediator between God and man. For those who have received a kingdom, as he has explained (12:28), kingdom-life has practical dimensions. Kingdom brothers are living in real-world settings and must display kingdom-ethics in all of life. The closing exhortations summarize Christian living in a non-Christian world.

 

The name "Christian" finds itself casually attached to all manner of things in our day. We have music that has vague reference to the Bible called "Christian music." We have exercise programs that are operated by professing believers or that take place in churches called "Christian recreation." We have popular diet programs promoted by churches called "Christian diets." We have cruise lines that fold up the slot machines and bring in notable speakers and musicians, calling it a "Christian cruise." It seems that if we can at least use "Christian" as an adjective with the interests we have in life that it provides a sanctifying effect upon it. Just call it "Christian" and the Christian community (there I go again) will flock to it! 

 

Have we gone too far? I suggest that we must guard against such practice lest we water-down the meaning of Christianity. We do need to live out our Christianity in every area of life. But to simply call an activity or place or program "Christian" does not give it a redemptive influence to those about us. In spite of this, some areas of life call for description by the "Christian adjective." Some are of such magnitude that to describe them by anything less than "Christian" is to fall short of living like a Christian. For it is clear, our lives are to be measured and described by our faith in Christ. If He is sufficient for eternity, then He is sufficient for life now. How do these affect real-life situations? Consider with me the three areas mentioned in our text for Christian living.

 

I. Christian relations

 

Every relationship we have is not Christian. We are to foster relationships with unbelievers, though we are not to be confused for being just another unbeliever in the crowd (e.g., John 4; I Cor 5:9-13). When it comes to our relationships with other Christians, we are to shine! While we do have many temporal things in common with our unbelieving friends, we have eternal things in common with the brethren; and our relationships are to display it. Our writer explains that we will display our Christianity in relationships with the brethren by our charity, hospitality, and empathy.

 

1. Charity

 

In the early days of their relationship to Christ and one another, the brethren addressed displayed genuine love and care for one another. They went to great lengths to sacrifice for the church, including public reproaches and loss of possessions (10:32-34). But something had diminished their love for each other. Perhaps they took for granted Christian love (charity) in the midst of the difficult days they endured. Or maybe the "new" had worn off, and they got down to the real business of trying to live with a bunch of people that got on their nerves! Different personalities, backgrounds, and interests demand acceptance, kindness, and often forgiveness. Yet that is to be the practice of Christians. So our writer states very simply, "Let love of the brethren continue." It was not as though they never had it. Instead, the verb tense suggests that there was a lull in their love, so he writes for them to pick it up, intensify it, and prioritize it once again. Unless Christian love is cared for it can slip into the background in the face of our own creeping fears and selfishness. Walking through times of hardship and persecution, these brethren had grown rigid and legalistic, so that their affections for one another dimmed.

 

Why do we have to love at all? I believe it is quite simple: we cannot help but love the brethren because of the common bond we share in Christ. The love of Christ within initiates love for others. Paul explained to the Thessalonians, "Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another." Yet he urged them "to excel still more" in this love (I Thes 4:9-10). "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you," Jesus declared, "abide in My love" (John 15:5). The word for "continue" in our text and "abide" in John 15 is the same root term. We are abiding in a love that is already present in the new birth. We need not search to find it, for Christ's love is part of the Spirit's fruit assured in every believer (Gal 5:22). But we must give attention to make sure that we constantly live in Christian love.

 

Loving some brethren will be done naturally. For others, we will have to love them intentionally! The problem may not be with them but with us. Regardless, for the sake of Christ we must seek to show brotherly affection toward one another (thus the Greek, philadelphia, cf. Rom 12:10; I Thes 4:9; I Pet 1:22). We increase our love as we pray faithfully for one another, serve one another, and share in one another's lives.

 

2. Hospitality

 

Travel during the first century was precarious at best, and from reports by ancient historians, the few inns available to travelers were even worse. Often dirty and cesspools for immorality, most avoided the expense and abuse found in ancient inns. Christian preachers and missionaries traveled from church to church in order to help with the ongoing spread of the gospel, planting of new churches, and equipping of the saints. Without the hospitality of the saints on the way, their mission would be encumbered. Thus we find Peter staying in the home of Simon the tanner and Paul lodging with the household of Lydia in Philippi, indicating early examples of hospitality. "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers [literally, "love for strangers"], for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." Love for strangers demonstrated the love of Christ working through the brethren. As Philip Hughes has rightly commented, "True hospitality springs from the limitless fountain of the divine love manifested to us while we were still estranged sinners (Rom. 5:8), and it must likewise be spontaneous, unforced, and free from reluctance" [The Epistle to the Hebrews, 563]. Surprises may lie in store for the hospitable as it did for Abraham, Lot, and Samson's parents as they "entertained angels without knowing it" (Gen 18-19; Judg 13). It is not that hospitality is to be enjoined in hopes of seeing an angel! Rather, it shows that our Lord values the practice of hospitality among his people, often rewarding it greatly.

 

In Paul's list of Christian household exhortations he writes, "practicing hospitality" (Rom 12: 13), and Peter adds, "Be hospitable to one another without complaint" (I Pet 4:9). Travel and unwanted accommodations are not the same problem our early counterparts faced, but the opening of our homes for others is the pressing need. In hospitality, we intentionally seek out those whom we will show extravagant love by bringing them into the security of our homes to profit from our fellowship, to open ourselves in building new relationships, and to share of what God has provided to sustain the brethren.

 

3. Empathy

 

Under the same theme of Christian relations and the demonstration of love, the writer reminds us, "Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body." They lived in a setting unfriendly to the gospel just as we see in so much of today's world. Christians "in prison...and...ill-treated" were not unusual among first century churches. Reminding them of these brethren and the fact that prison did not change the relationship, served as a call to empathizing with them. While they could do little to alleviate their distress, they could share in their bondage through prayer and support, and perhaps occasionally provide tangible supplies. The term translated "in prison with them," literally expresses "prisoners together with them." Believers sharing a sense of what other believers suffered means that we do not forget one another. Instead we remember that we "also are in the body" (I agree with Calvin's interpretation that "in the body" refers to the church, rather than simply stating that they were in physical bodies as many modern interpreters prefer. While the writer does not use this term "body" for the church in the epistle, it seems odd to simply remind them they had physical bodies; otherwise "in bodies," plural, would have been used with the plural pronoun "you yourselves.")

 

We do not face this predicament where we live, but "the body" does throughout the world. We felt something of this empathy the past few weeks as we prayed for Dana Curry and Heather Mercer, and their companions imprisoned in Afghanistan. As our hearts went out to them, as our prayers beseeched the Lord to intervene, as we searched for every scrap of news about them, we were learning something of Christian empathy that must be developed beyond our borders. Each week I receive e-mail updates about believers suffering around the globe. This week I learned of an area in Indonesia under attack by radical Muslims. They faced-and are still facing the possibility of a widespread massacre. We are exhorted to "remember...those who are ill-treated," as though it was us. Christian relations call for our charity, hospitality, and empathy.

 

II. Christian marriage

 

I do not hesitate to state that the most important arena that needs the fervent display of true Christianity is among marriages. Marriage is a divine institution established by God. It was clearly affirmed by Christ as his first miracle took place at the wedding of Cana of Galilee, and by his declarations of the inviolability of marriage. Marriage is also the choicest picture to explain the relationship of Christ to the Church (Eph 5:21ff). Marriage-and the accompanying home life, is foundational to society. Mar it, neglect it, ignore it--and society crumbles. It is no exaggeration to say that a bulk, if not the vast majority of our social ills in America rest upon the cracked foundation of marital woes.

 

So the call to Christians is for radically different marriages! Marriages that reflect a decisiveness to pay the price needed to ensure healthy marriages, and ordered according to the Word of God, remains one of the clearest testimonies to the power of the gospel of Christ. Our text helps us by giving three simple charges for marriage: elevate it, celebrate it, and contemplate it.

 

1. Elevate it

 

"Marriage is to be held in honor among all." What if you heard Ted Koppel do a Nightline program on this subject in favorable light, or the local newspaper promoting the virtues of honoring marriage? We would be shocked because we have grown accustomed to the media and well-financed special interest groups denigrating the divine institution of marriage. Express publicly the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman, and you will meet with ridicule. Declare that same-sex partnerships are an abomination to God, as are so-called, "cohabitation" and "trial marriages," and you will be scorned. Major companies and even city and state governments have caved into the prevailing trend of same-sex partnerships and cohabitations by granting the same rights to them as those of traditional marriages. "Marriage is to be held in honor among all," not these other "partnerships" that are nothing more than cloaks for immoral behavior.

 

Two issues probably surfaced around the time of this epistle. One was asceticism in marriage, which was a view that celibacy was superior to marriage, and thus more favorable toward arriving at perfection. The other was libertinism, which saw marriage as irrelevant and unbridled sexual fulfillment as one's native right [K. Hughes, Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul, vol. II, 216]. The first view spawned the monastic movement that continues today with monks taking a vow of celibacy under the guise that it will promote perfection and spiritual superiority. The other spawned rampant sexual immorality that knows no boundaries. We might call these the Monk Movement and the Madonna Movement. The Monk Movement fails to see the beauty of marriage for our sanctification and promotion of the Christian gospel. The Madonna Movement, named for one of this generation's prominent purveyors of immorality, spurns the satisfaction of purity in one woman and one man united in marriage. 

 

Do I exaggerate to say that marriage as depicted in movies and on television is rarely, if ever, viewed as honorable and preferable to homosexual and immoral practices? Even in Christian circles, we tend to joke about and denigrate any sense of satisfaction in marriage. Hear the biblical exhortation, "Marriage is to be held in honor among all," no exceptions. Count it precious, a treasure from God, a relationship to be valued and nurtured and cared for. To hold marriage in honor means that we must (1) see it as God's gift, (2) cultivate it as a divine trust, and (3) enjoy it by investing time and attention to each other. Let's elevate marriage by our practice and discussion with others!

 

2. Celebrate it

 

I think celebrate is an appropriate term to describe the next aspect of a Christian marriage: "and the marriage bed is to be undefiled." Sexual intimacy (euphemistically described here as "the marriage bed") within the bonds of marriage between one man and one woman provide a God-given gift for celebrating the marriage union. Rome, Corinth, and Ephesus, among others, treated a monogamous relationship with contempt. They could not understand how Christians, some of whom had previously engaged in all manner of immorality, stood firmly upon marital purity and contentment. The Roman governor Pliny, reporting to Emperor Trajan his dismay of Christians, wrote, "They bound themselves by oath, not for any criminal end, but to avoid theft or adultery, never to break their word...." Kent Hughes adds, "Christian sexual morality was unique in the pagan world and a source of wonder. And it has become increasingly so today in a world that considers adultery irrelevant, purity abnormal, and sex a "right" (how ever and with whomever one may get it) and that has invented the egregious term "recreational sex"" [217]. 

 

The glorifying and glamorizing of immorality, and unfaithfulness in marriage, has led to a proliferation of illegitimacy, abortion, suicide, mental and emotional problems, family breakdowns, crime of all sort, rape, delinquency, and disease. We must guard against taking our cues for marital intimacy from the world. The marriage bed is to be "undefiled," i.e., not corrupted by the world (Heb 7:26; Jas 1:27; I Pet 1:4 show the use of the word in the NT). You will not strengthen your marital intimacy by indulging your minds in the steamy world of media immorality, whether via movies, television, magazines, or music. Let me be very frank. When you indulge your mind for so long on the glamorized portraits of sex that the world calls "normal"-and God calls sinful, then you will not have a healthy sexual relationship in marriage. The Bible celebrates sex in marriage alone. Any other attempt to satisfy this God-given desire for sexual intimacy, whether in mind or in act, will lead to personal destruction. Young people, anyone who has done marital counseling for a few years will tell you that many marriages begin with deeply fatal flaws because of sexual forays before marriage, along with indulging eyes, ears, and minds in sexually explicit material. You must heed the biblical warning just as those must who are married now. "The marriage bed is to be undefiled," not corrupted or shaped or influenced by the world. It will behoove every married couple to take special care that the gift of marital intimacy be celebrated according to God's design-not the world's perversion.

 

3. Contemplate it

 

Sexual intimacy is reserved for marital fidelity. So the warning is given, "for fornicators and adulterers God will judge." The two terms are all-inclusive. "Fornicators" (Greek pornous) denotes those who indulge in sexual relations outside the marriage bond, both heterosexual and homosexual [Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament]. "Adulterers" (Greek moichous) refers to those unfaithful to the marriage vows. So nothing is left uncovered by the two terms. Sexual relations outside of the bonds of marriage between one woman and man will meet with God's judgment. 

 

Leon Morris comments, "All forms of sexual sin come under the judgment of God." We realize that to make such a statement in our day falls under the realm of intolerance, judgmentalism, and political incorrectness. The same was true in the first century. Morris continues, "This was a novel view to many in the first century. For them chastity was an unreasonable demand to make. It is one of the unrecognized miracles that Christians were able not only to make this demand but to make it stick" [Expositor's Bible Commentary, 147, italics added]. The same stand for moral purity brings amazement in our day too! We must be diligent-as married and unmarried-to guard our lives from sexual immorality for two clear reasons: first, the testimony of the gospel is at stake among Christians. Second, God will judge this sin according to his authority. 

 

We know that God will judge all sin, so why point to these two particular terms for special judgment? I think several issues are at stake. First, the 7th Commandment, "You shall not commit adultery," calls for humanity created in God's image, to reflect the unity and purity of the Godhead. The sexual union is the most profound expression of unity between two people in marriage. It is a physical, emotional expression of the oneness between a husband and wife. This is why Paul warns that to join oneself to a harlot is to become "one" with her (I Cor 6:17). In addition, it is identified as sinning against one's body-the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Cor 6:18-19). It is why Moses in Genesis 2:24 describes the "cleaving" or cementing together in marriage expressed in sexual union, to be an inviolable joining of one man and one woman. 

 

Second, sexual immorality affects beyond the act. It shatters the divinely designed emotional psyche and inevitably lays siege against trust, purity, and intimacy in marriage. It strikes at the heart of the trust that is foundational in marriage and in other relationships. Third, as the marriage relationship pictures the relationship of Christ to His Bride, the Church, to defile the purity of marital sexuality affronts an eternal picture given to help us enjoy the blessings of Christ's redemptive work. Sexual sin destroys this image of Christ and the Church in the mind of those engaged in immorality. Fourth, sexual sin wrecks the larger community since those involved will inevitably sacrifice right thinking, holy living, and personal self-control to pursue it. They change their ethics to validate their lusts. Immorality breeds more immorality. Be assured, "Fornicators and adulterers God will judge."

 

III. Christian character

 

Character is the heart of your life; it is what you are on the inside displayed openly in the choices you make and the way you conduct yourself. "Character," refers to your manner of life, "the way of thought and life," as Thomas Hewitt puts it [TDNT, 206]. It is all that you think and that you do. Here the writer moves from relationships and marriage to our view of the material world, and the way it affects our character.

 

1. Coveting: wrong love

 

The exhortation is much needed in our day: "Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have." Why does he bring money into the picture? Because some things never change regardless of the era! The way you view things tells volumes about the content of your character. In the previous study (12:25-29) we saw that the writer made a clear distinction between that which is earthly-and perishing, and that which is eternal-and lasting. The exhortation was to set our affections and give our energies to those things that will last; but coveting focuses upon the temporal, the things that will be shaken and removed. It is no wonder that coveting and sexual immorality are often linked together (I Cor 5:10-11; Eph 4:19; 5:3-5), and no shock that Paul calls it idolatry (Eph 5:5). For coveting is a worship of things, a centering of one's life around that which is destined to perish, and a callous pursuit of things regardless of what it costs or whom it affects.

 

Leon Morris is right: "The covetous man pursues his selfish aims, whether sexual or financial without regard to the rights of others" [147]. Does this describe you?

 

2. Contentment: right disposition

 

The antidote to coveting is contentment: "Being content with what you have." This echoes Paul's example and word in Philippians 4:11, "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." It is in this context that he testifies, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (4:13). Coveting is not limited by one's status or position or acquisitions. Coveters live in the worst favellas in Rio and in the swankest penthouses in Manhattan. Both rich and poor worship at the throne of things, so it is very unusual in our world to see someone who is contented in life. It stands out like the midday sun after an early morning fog. It attracts attention as few things can in this life, so that contentment becomes a door for declaring, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?"

 

Let me summarize three simple assertions that will help us live in contentment. First, regardless of what you have of this world's goods, as a Christian you have the lasting wealth of relationship to God through Christ. The promise is given to sustain us, "I will never desert you nor will I ever forsake you." Is this promise not worth more than all the treasures of a vast empire? "Things" can vanish so quickly, but the Lord never "leaves us in the lurch" (forsake is same term as 10:25). 

 

Second, regardless of the situation, the Lord is with me. So you have needs? He does not leave you! When He is with you, you will be deeply satisfied.

 

Third, regardless of the opposition, the Lord is greater so I will not fear. "What will man do to me?" We may falter in the temporal but "man will not succeed in anything he attempts to do against one who trusts in God" [Morris, 247].

 

Conclusion

 

Living like a Christian affects all of life: relationships, marriage, and character. What is the Lord doing in these areas of your life? Are there changes by God's grace that need to take place? It is time to demonstrate in reality what Christ has done inwardly in your life. Let us live like Christians, publicly and privately.

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