Hebrews 13:1

Let brotherly love continue.

The writer closes the letter with a simple exhortation: let brotherly love continue.

Notice what he does not say. He does not say, “Create brotherly love.” He does not say, “Manufacture it.” The implication is that this love already exists among believers because they share the same life in Christ.

The call is simply: don’t stop it. Don’t interrupt the flow.

Think about how easily that flow can be blocked. Christians have a strange tendency to divide themselves into smaller and smaller groups, sometimes over the most minor distinctions.

A man once told a humorous story about walking across the Golden Gate Bridge and seeing someone about to jump. Wanting to help, he started talking with the man.

“Do you believe in God?” he asked.

“Yes,” the man said.

“Me too! Are you a Christian?”

“Yes.”

“Protestant or Catholic?”

“Protestant.”

“Me too! What denomination?”

“Baptist.”

“Me too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?”

“Northern Baptist.”

“Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?”

“Northern Conservative Baptist.”

“Wonderful! Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist or Northern Conservative Reformed Baptist?”

“Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist.”

“Incredible! Northern Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region or Eastern Region?”

“Great Lakes Region.”

“This is amazing!” he said. “Council of 1879 or Council of 1912?”

“Council of 1912.”

The man paused, stepped back, and said, “Die, you heretic!”—and pushed him over the rail.

The story is exaggerated, of course—but the point lands. Sometimes the body of Christ spends more energy dividing itself than loving one another.

But the writer of Hebrews says something refreshingly simple.

Let brotherly love continue.

Let it flow to the person sitting next to you in the pew. Let it reach across denominational lines and traditions. Let it extend to believers who worship differently but love the same Savior.

Because the bond we share in Christ is far greater than the labels that sometimes separate us.

The family of God is bigger than our categories.

So instead of building walls, the exhortation is to keep the current of love moving—freely, generously, and continually—among all who belong to Christ.