Paul wrote to the church in Rome, in Romans 12:2, “…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
The world is unloving, and Jesus is calling His followers to not conform to this but rather be transformed by His love! The follower of Christ is not to live isolated from those that are unloving towards them, they are to live among them, loving them anyway. We are to be IN the world just not OF the world!
The primary standard for Christian behavior is LOVE and the specific word used here is Philadelphia, or brotherly love. The fact that the writer says that it should “continue” suggests that such love already existed among the body of Christ. They were not being told to “make it happen” but allow it to continue which tells us that such affection was a natural condition that accompanied faith in Christ!
The believer’s life is not to seek God’s blessings but to distribute them to others. 2 Peter 1:3 tells us that, “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” We incorrectly sing the song “more love, more power” as if our problem is that we have used up all that was given us from God but truth be told our problem is never a “supply problem” from God it is always a “distribution problem” from us!
We need to distribute what is already ours in Christ, that’s the statement that the writer makes here in Hebrews 13:1. God has chosen love as the basis that reveals our true connection and spiritual identity to Him.The proof of our salvation is His love within our hearts that loves others. We should ask ourselves, “Do I have a greater concern for others than I do myself?”
Biblical love only grows in the garden of humility and never in the weeds of sentimental and superficial affection. It has no room to grow where Self-righteousness and self-pity occupy the heart. Such love is illustrated instead in three social gardens:
1 “Sympathy to the stranger”
2 “Empathy to the oppressed”
3 “Harmony in the marriage”