1Cor 11:1, Heb 6:10, 12 | JFB | STEP | 1. Rather belonging to the end of the tenth chapter, than to this chapter. followers — Greek, "imitators." of Christ —who did not please Himself ( ); but gave Himself, at the cost of laying aside His divine glory, and dying as man, for us ( ). We are to follow Christ first, and earthly teachers only so far as they follow Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:1

1. Rather belonging to the end of the tenth chapter, than to this chapter.

followers—Greek, "imitators."

of Christ—who did not please Himself (Ro 15:3); but gave Himself, at the cost of laying aside His divine glory, and dying as man, for us (Eph 5:2; Php 2:4, 5). We are to follow Christ first, and earthly teachers only so far as they follow Christ.

Hebrews 6:10

10. not unrighteous—not unfaithful to His own gracious promise. Not that we have any inherent right to claim reward; for (1) a servant has no merit, as he only does that which is his bounden duty; (2) our best performances bear no proportion to what we leave undone; (3) all strength comes from God; but God has promised of His own grace to reward the good works of His people (already accepted through faith in Christ); it is His promise, not our merits, which would make it unrighteous were He not to reward His people's works. God will be no man's debtor.

your work—your whole Christian life of active obedience.

labour of love—The oldest manuscripts omit "labor of," which probably crept in from 1Th 1:3. As "love" occurs here, so "hope," Heb 6:11, "faith," Heb 6:12; as in 1Co 13:13: the Pauline triad. By their love he sharpens their hope and faith.

ye have showed—(Compare Heb 10:32-34).

toward his name—Your acts of love to the saints were done for His name's sake. The distressed condition of the Palestinian Christians appears from the collection for them. Though receiving bounty from other churches, and therefore not able to minister much by pecuniary help, yet those somewhat better off could minister to the greatest sufferers in their Church in various other ways (compare 2Ti 1:18). Paul, as elsewhere, gives them the utmost credit for their graces, while delicately hinting the need of perseverance, a lack of which had probably somewhat begun to show itself.

Hebrews 6:12

12. be not—Greek, "become not." In Heb 5:11, he said, "Ye have become dull (Greek, 'slothful') of hearing"; here he warns them not to become "slothful absolutely," namely, also in mind and deed. He will not become slothful who keeps always the end in view; hope is the means of ensuring this.

followers—Greek, "imitators"; so in Eph 5:1, Greek; 1Co 11:1.

patience—Greek, "long-suffering endurance." There is the long-suffering patience, or endurance of love, 1Co 13:4, and that of faith, Heb 6:15.

them who . . . inherit the promises—Greek, "who are inheriting," &c.; to whom the promises are their inheritance. Not that they have actually entered on the perfect inheritance, which Heb 11:13, 39, 40 explicitly denies; though doubtless the dead in Christ have, in the disembodied soul, a foretaste of it; but "them (enumerated in Heb 11:2-40) who in every age have been, are, or shall be, inheritors of the promises"; of whom Abraham is an illustrious example (Heb 6:13).