Reflections on Hebrews 13:1-6

Hebrews 13:1-6

Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?"

I am not going to write the questions from the book this time. Just some short reflections....

Q1: I think the fact that Hebrews is a letter has some basic interpretive value.
Q2: Brotherly love refers to our adoption by God in Christ. It is right that we love one another when what unites us is so much greater than what divides us.
Q3: Brotherly love is expressed through hospitality, of course, but I think that our hospitality towards outsiders is better expressed as obedience to God and the understanding that God loves our guests and it may be His good pleasure to adopt them into the family of God as well. Even if not, how we treat our guests is a reflection on the family of God.
Q4:My aunts have always shown great hospitality. I think some cultures are so hospitable for religious or cultural reasons.
Q5: Remembering is a form of love. There are people that I need to remember better. I will consider how I can remind myself to pray and reach out to them...
Q6: I have already written, I believe, regarding why marriage matters to God. Our culture has done a lot of damage to the institution and covenant by such allowances as no fault divorce, gay marriage, etc. The church in America has done so by allowing such attitudes to fester in our hearts and minds, increasingly unchallenged and sometimes endorsed. This is a great evil.

I think  the error begins by understanding marriage in terms of a contract. Not a covenant.  For many, I fear, marriage is a contract endorsed by the church and society to allow people to have sex without judgement. Marriage is so much more than some kind of sex license. I think many intuitively know better, but the de facto attitude tends towards this as divorce and remarriage become more common.

Consider, the Roman church was willing to lose all of England, over the integrity of marriage. evidence enough that the orthodox view of marriage hasn't changed since the writing of Hebrews. Nor should it.

To digress some, consider Jesus's teaching on turning the other cheek. If I am beaten, the weight of the cross compels me to treat my opponent with grace. God expects me to love my enemy and no wrongdoing on his part allows me to abdicate this responsibility.

If my wife leaves me, cheats on me, cuckolds me. Does this allow me to neglect my vows to her and to God? No. Such sacrifice honors God and demonstrates to the world His faithfulness, forbearance and longsuffering in the face of our own sin.

Q7:Positive forms require the negative forms to be observed. The opposite is not true. Love your wife as Christ loves the church precludes adultery. Mere observance of the command, "Do not commit adultery," does not require me to love my wife.

Q8: Tithe. Be guarded and constantly check one's heart regarding the use of money.

Q9: Turn off the ads.

Q10: Christ is so much more than filthy lucre.