CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER. Hebrews 10:24 Christians need each other. Love and good works stimulate unity, harmony, good fellowship, and a strong public testimony. When we gather in our assembly meetings, it promotes fellowship and faithfulness to our Lord Jesus Christ. The practical part of Hebrews begins after this introduction in chapter 10, leading into the “fullness of faith” in chapter 11; the “patience of hope” in chapter 12; and “love and good works” in chapter 13.
At first, when we entered the Holiest as individuals, we thought only of ourselves and the joy and peace that came when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. As time passes, we realize this position is not only for us; there are many other believers with a “like precious faith.” Together, we form a body in which we depend on one another. We need other believers in our lives for our spiritual welfare, and they need us. In the Holiest, there is no place for self-centeredness or selfish interests. Self-sacrificing “love for the brethren” is evidence of spiritual life. The love of Christ and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit make it impossible for us to ignore other members of the body.
The ’like precious faith” we share makes us take time and give attention to “consider one another.” Many of our fellow believers live in difficult situations beyond their control. To some, their lives seem hopeless because they see no prospect of change in their circumstances. Love and good works are ways we show fellowship in the body. Anything that hinders this attitude on our part must be set aside and forsaken. We need to deliberately seek to promote, prove, and provoke others as well as ourselves to love and good works.
We do this when we know each other well enough to be open and graceful in our speech. The best way to "provoke" or promote this is to study what love truly is, learn how to demonstrate love to others, and do what we can to show that love in tangible ways. No effort on our part can actually achieve this, but God can do it through us. He makes the "love of Christ” constrain us to respond to the prompting and guidance of the Holy Spirit. When we breathe the spiritual air of the Holiest, we abide in Christ and can produce fruit that remains.
Our motivation to "provoke" to love and labor is that our High Priest is always there for us. We need to remind each other where we came from. We need to remember who we are now and remind each other of the Lord's coming. Because of our great High Priest, we have access to God through Christ. As we grow in faith and our relationship with God deepens, we can respond to the charge to "Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works." We need to look for ways to encourage fellow-believers to love and get involved in good works. That kind of love gives itself to others. Love is the root, and good works are the fruit. We need to stir one another up to live a life of love.