Consider what the author of the letter of the Hebrews is inviting us to: This idea of spurring one another towards fixing our eyes on eternity because he knows that just because we start following Jesus, it doesn't mean that we're going to have eyes fixed on heaven perfectly a hundred percent of the time. The letter to the Hebrew seems designed to persuade Christians to not go back to a much safer position in society of not being a follower of Jesus. For the original recipients of this letter, leaving Christianity might have meant not having your home taken from you, or having your belongings confiscated, or being arrested, or being smeared in the public square. It wasn’t happening when the letter of Hebrews is written, but later on leaving the faith meant maybe not being killed or martyred. What are you willing to give up or sacrifice for your faith in Jesus Christ?
We live in a culture that is often so opposed even to healthy confrontation. While Jesus certainly would not advocate for being a hypocrite, you should make sure your heart is also being examined before you point to or ask someone to address a sin struggle in their life. We need hold one another accountable, in a loving and kind way. In fact, the apostle Paul in first Corinthians 5 makes it abundantly clear that although we are not to judge those outside of the faith, we are absolutely called to hold on another accountable within the church. It can be difficult to hear, but when we don't hold one another accountable, that is the most unloving thing that we could do as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Proverbs 27:6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” Sometimes the most loving thing that we can do is to step in the way of a brother and sister that we see going down the wrong path and point them back by calling out their sin and allowing people to also do that to us as a church family.
Discussion/Reflection Question: When has a brother or sister in Christ felt safe enough to hold you accountable in the past?
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