Hebrews 13 -Remain in Philadelphia

13:1 ἡ φιλαδελφία μενέτω [menō philadelphia menō]

Philadelphia?

‘Wait,’ you say. Philadelphia – stay in Philadelphia?

If your familiarity of the New Testament extends beyond the Pennsylvania ‘city of brotherly love’ in the U.S., you may recall the importance of one of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation. Not that Philadelphia either.

The author of Hebrews has nearly concluded his letter, but we need to address an application of his purpose. By doing so we must first take a look at love as we often misrepresent it in the English language.

A lesson in love

C.S. Lewis wrote an important book addressing the translation issues from Greek to English called, “The Four Loves.” (Link to study guide.) For our lesson here I will outline the four Greek words which translate as “love.”

1. eros – romantic love (which receives much worldly attention)
2. storge – love for family and affectionate love
3. agape – spiritual love
4. philia – friendship

Understand that the Hellenistic or Greek culture was common to Jerusalem, Rome and the world in between. So to hear the word ‘love‘ in Hebrews and other letters of the New Testament and the Gospels as a Greek-speaking believer of the first century church, ask yourself ‘which of the four loves?’

philia love

The writer of Hebrews here uses this ‘philia’ love when he writes:

Let love of the brethren continue.

Hebrews 13:1 NASB

Paul urges this same philia love of friendship in Romans 12:10-11.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor..

Consider any urging of ‘brotherly love’ or ‘love for the brethren’ as φιλαδελφία translated to english as: philadelphia.

agape love

Earlier in Hebrews 6 we also encountered agape spiritual love.

For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.

Hebrews 6:10 NASB

The author reinforces a call to this same spiritual love in Hebrews 10:24

.. and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds..

Yet these loves overlap even in a Greek understanding of love. Occasionally one type of love illustrates a desired characteristic of another.

Jesus uses a tense of agape love for His closest friends and Disciples in a command specific to them, yet applicable to all believers.

αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐντολὴ ἡ ἐμή ἵνα ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους καθὼς ἠγάπησα ὑμᾶς

“This is My commandment, that you love [agapaō] one another, just as I have loved [agapaō] you.

John 15:12 Greek, NASB

Could any command of our Lord hold more importance?

In Christ spiritual brothers become family

This spiritual love secured by our Lord Christ Jesus, of persons requires us to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly our brothers and sisters bound by our faith as His church.

The author of Hebrews therefore encourages us that by this very love in Christ, we are different from everyone else.

Of course our storge love for family and philia friendships rise to a higher good as well. And love’s action, ἀγάπη agapē, ofter translated ‘charity‘ derives from this grace-filled love of our spiritual relationship with God.

Philadelphia: Remain in the Lord’s place of brotherly love, which witnesses our Lord’s own affection for the brethren (fellow-believers). Its adjective implies kindhearted.

Hebrews 13:

• 2 Don’t neglect to show hospitality,
• 3 Remember those in prison..
• the mistreated…
• “as though you suffered with them.”
• Honor marriage (pointing to eros as God intended).
• Be satisfied with what you have…

Once again the writer quotes scripture:

I will never leave you or abandon you.

Hebrews 13:5B, quoting Deuteronomy 31:6

7 Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Don’t be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established by grace…

Hebrews 13:8-9a

Our Altar in the Enduring City

10 We have an altar from which those who worship at the tabernacle do not have a right to eat.

Even Moses was unable to enter when the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle, for it is the holy place where God accepts the sacrifice of man.

The author of Hebrews illustrates that the blood is brought into the most holy place by the high priest as a sin offering is not a complete sacrifice. He make a point to show us the fate of the sacrificed bodies. 11 For the bodies of those animals… [from which the blood of the sin offering was sacrificed] are burned outside the camp.

Therefore, Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that he might sanctify the people by his own blood.

Hebrews 13:12 CSB

Go to Christ outside the camp

A works-driven Judaism, catholicism or easy christianity draw us to the victory procession of the king entering the city. Crowds will follow any easy path to the high hill of victorious faith.

Yet those same expectant masses who laid palms before Jesus chastised a bloodied and beaten Son of Man as He was lead away from the city to the hill of Golgotha.

Isaiah tells us: He bore the reproach for our sin. To this end, by our humble worship we must also take up His Cross to follow Jesus.

The author of Hebrews therefore leads us to worship our Perfect High Priest following His path of reproach for our sake. His earlier mention of this reproach was in Hebrews 11.

Let us therefore go forth to him outside of the camp, bearing his reproach.

Hebrews 13:13 HNV

14 We do not have enduring city here…

True then of Jerusalem and more so true now of our own 21st century city of destruction. Our call to the path from the city therefore:

… we seek the one to come.

in conclusion

Heaven is not found on the heights of our successes in faith, but on the humbling path of scorn where Christ bore our sin and death.

We have a new High Priest of a New Covenant with God, the Father of all.

Therefore, through him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.

Hebrews 13:15 CSB

17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, since they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

With this final caution the author concludes his letter to the Hebrews, having only to request prayers and leaving words of his blessing.

Letter to the Hebrews: To be concluded...