agrogersHebrews 13:15-16
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
We are encouraged to do three things that the author describes as sacrifices.
- Praise God with our words
- Do good with our bodies
- Share our possessions
We could perhaps title these three activities
- The sacrifice of praise
- The sacrifice of obedience
- The sacrifice of sharing
We could elaborate on these three exhortations based on what the author had just shared. ‘Praise’ was defined as simply acknowledging the name of Jesus verbally. This may include singing but is surely not limited to it. When we talk about Jesus with friends we are acknowledging His reality. When we say grace before a meal we acknowledge His blessings. The ‘good’ the author had in mind probably included kindness to others (v1), hospitality (v2), remembering our Christian family in severe need (v3), sexual purity (v4), eschewing of covetousness (v5) and obedience to church elders (v7, 17) The ‘sharing’ mentioned was the natural result of contentment (v6) and brotherly love (v1) and was probably to be seen most often in simple hospitality. These traits are surely what was in view in the previous chapter:
Hebrews 12:14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
