Hebrews 3:13

The word parakaleo (from kaleo, "to call") is hard to render the same way everywhere. It means calling on a person to stir him up to something. That may be to comfort him, but it often refers to exhortation in general, as in Romans 12:8 and Titus 2:15. In some places "encourage" fits well, as in Hebrews 3:13, "Encourage one another daily," and also in Hebrews 10:25.

So comes the call to encourage. The word is not exactly "one another," though that is included, but "yourselves." That seems more pointed than the other phrase. They were to encourage each other day by day, as long as it is called today — the day of grace. The aim was that sin's deceitfulness should harden none of them. A little evil allowed is the beginning of very great evil. The heart hardens when we look away from Jesus, and self-pleasing takes the place of doing God's will.

Clearly this duty was not handed to any special class among them. There were elders at Jerusalem (Acts 15:6; 21:18). Yet this charge was not entrusted to them. Saints, brothers in Christ, children of the Father, sons of God — these were the ones to care for one another. They were to exhort one another day by day.

If believers are to exhort one another daily, it means that daily they seek one another's company. So this verse takes something for granted. The apostles, "being let go… went to their own company" (Acts 4:23). Like them, we also find our society and friendships among the people of God. It also implies that we watch for one another's souls and care for one another's spiritual prosperity. But is this true of us all? The general spiritual health of Christians would be much better if it were.

He calls the whole age we are passing through one day — "Today." It was a short day to the dying thief, a short day to the martyred Stephen. A longer day to Paul, and a longer day still to John. But whether the wilderness journey is short or long, it is one day, and you are to hold on to Christ to the very end.

This word "today" expresses the patient activity of God's grace toward Israel right to the end. The people were unbelieving. They have hardened their hearts, and sadly they will go on doing so to the end. It will last until judgment comes in the Person of the Messiah-Jehovah, the One they have despised. But until then God loves to say again, "Today, if you will hear My voice."

The warning does not speak of open evil. It speaks of the slow, unnoticed fading of the soul's affections away from the living God. It speaks of the gradual hardening of hearts that were once soft and tender, fed by the sure milk of the word and glad in the love of Christ.

Hardening does not come only through open, obvious sin. For the Christian it comes more often through sin's deceitfulness (Heb. 3:13). Satan does not usually present himself as Satan, and sin does not present itself as sin. But a change of clothes changes nothing of its character.

Sin, in the places this letter mentions it, is not immorality or open acts of wickedness. It is the root sin that produces all other sin. It is that evil heart of unbelief that departs from the living God. Unbelief is the spring from which every form of sin flows.