Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:23)
Perhaps you have heard the tenth chapter of the book of Hebrews referred to as “the Let Us chapter.” That’s because you will find in the space of four verses (22-25) that the powerful phrase “Let us” appears five times. Now, all that “Let-us” is a supernatural salad that is designed to both challenge and comfort you, right where this message finds you today.
The first thing we Christians must remember is the fact that inasmuch as we are saved individually, we are saved to community. The Bible knows nothing of the solitary saint. When God in Christ saved us, He placed a new obligation on us: the obligation we have to the family of faith. The word “us” in “Let us” makes it clear that there must be a mutual responsibility in the body of Christ . . . each for the other.
Perhaps the best way to flesh this out is to look at the “one another” passages of Scripture. Here are just a few:
- Care for one another – Galatians 6:2
- Accept one another – Romans 15:5
- Serve one another – Galatians 5:13
- Confess to one another – James 5:15
- Submit to one another – Ephesians 5:21
- Comfort one another – 1 Thessalonians 4:18
- Carry one another’s burdens – Galatians 6:2
- Love one another – John 13:35
So . . . how well have you been feasting on the supernatural salad Jesus has set before you? Never forget that Jesus died to make us part of His family of faith. He wants us to live as a community of believers who put the Gospel on display in such a way that the unbelieving world begins to ask why we are so different. The answer, of course, is the grace of God that saved us is also in the process of sanctifying us. Without the grace of God, we would still be just as sinful and self-centered as we were before we were saved. Even after salvation, we must appropriate the grace of God in order to live out all the “let us” commands in the tenth chapter of the book of Hebrews.
Remember, living in community is not only God’s desire for every Christian, it is the clear and present sign of maturity — of growing in our faith. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus vertically, we are also to be growing in our relationships with others horizontally.
In the creation account, everything was good except one thing: It was not good for the man Adam to be alone (Genesis 2:18), so God created Eve to form the first human community in the world. And you are part of the most important community in the world today: the church. But in order for the church to be the church, we must do our part and commit to community – each for the other.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 