Hebrews 13:15 Meaning Explained

Hebrews 13:15

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The verse highlights that our praise isn't just words, but the "fruit" born from lips that truly "acknowledge" God's name. This emphasizes that our worship is meant to be a natural, rich outflow of a heart connected to Him, not simply rote sounds or empty ritual.

What Hebrews 13:15 means

In the preceding verses, the author urges believers to press on toward Christ, even if it means leaving behind the familiar rituals of Judaism and facing reproach. This verse builds on that, calling them to offer a new kind of worship, a "sacrifice of praise," made possible through Christ's ultimate sacrifice, rather than through the old Levitical system. It emphasizes that this spiritual offering, spoken words of thanksgiving, replaces the animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant.

Our Altar: Access Through Christ

The Old Testament had physical altars and sacrifices. So, what's our access point to God today? This verse points us to a specific 'him'.

The passage in Hebrews is drawing a clear line between the Old Covenant's sacrificial system and the New Covenant. The Jewish believers might have felt a pull back to the familiar rituals of the Temple. But the author says, 'We have an altar' (Hebrews 13:10), and through 'Him' – Jesus Christ – we have a new and living way to approach God.

This means our access to God isn't dependent on a physical location or a prescribed ritual involving animals. It's entirely through Christ's finished work on the cross. His sacrifice is what makes us holy and qualifies us to offer spiritual sacrifices to God.

The Sacrifice: Living Lips, Not Dead Lambs

We're called to offer a 'sacrifice' to God. But it's not what you might expect. Forget the animal blood – this sacrifice comes from within.

The most striking part of this verse is the nature of the sacrifice. Unlike the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament, our sacrifice is 'the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.' This is a profound shift!

Spiritual, Not Physical: This isn't about a one-time, bloody offering. It's a continuous, active expression of worship rooted in our hearts and spoken by our lips.
The 'Fruit of Lips': This beautifully captures the idea of something natural and life-giving growing from our words. When we speak of God's goodness, confess His name, and offer thanks, we're producing spiritual fruit.
Replacing the Old: The commentators note that this spiritual sacrifice takes the place of the Levitical animal offerings. It’s a testament to how God desires genuine devotion from His people, expressed through transformed lives and words.

Continual Offering: A Lifestyle of Gratitude

Understand the original words

Original language

acknowledgeὁμολογέω

homologeō · Greek Verb

To verbally admit, confess, or profess; it involves publicly acknowledging one's faith or agreement with God's truth, often in the face of opposition.

Historical context

Written: Likely written in the mid-to-late 60s AD, before the destruction of Jerusalem.
Author: Traditionally attributed to the Apostle Paul, though debated by some scholars. The authorship is uncertain.
Location: Likely written from Rome, as indicated by traditional attribution and the mention of greetings from "those of Italy" (Hebrews 13:24).
Genre: Epistle (a letter), characterized by its rich theological argumentation and exhortations, drawing heavily on Old Testament symbolism.

Historical background

This verse calls for a spiritual sacrifice of praise, a concept that gained profound significance after the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70. With the Temple's obliteration, the physical, animal sacrifices central to Jewish worship ceased, making the 'sacrifice of praise' through lips acknowledging God's name the enduring and primary form of worship for believers in Christ.

c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Israel
The Northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of many Israelites and the scattering of the ten tribes. This event marked a significant loss of national and religious identity for many.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The Babylonians conquer Judah, destroy Jerusalem and the Temple, and exile a large portion of the population. This was a catastrophic event that deeply impacted Jewish identity and worship.
c. 539 BC
Cyrus the Great's Edict
Cyrus of Persia allows exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. This marked the beginning of the Second Temple period, but also a time of rebuilding and re-establishing worship in a new context.
c. 458 BC - 432 BC
Ezra and Nehemiah's Reforms
Ezra and Nehemiah lead efforts to restore religious and civic life in Jerusalem, emphasizing adherence to the Law and the distinctiveness of Jewish identity. This period saw a renewed focus on the purity of worship and community.

Key themes

01Spiritual sacrifice of praise
02Praise through Christ
03Continuous thanksgiving to God
04Lips confessing God's name

Cross-references

Hosea 14:2

This passage, quoted in Hebrews, directly equates the 'fruit of lips' or 'calves of our lips' with acceptable sacrifice to God, highlighting the spiritual nature of praise.

Psalm 50:23

This psalm emphasizes that God is honored more by the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving than by animal sacrifices, echoing the sentiment in Hebrews that our praise is a true offering.

Romans 12:1

This verse calls believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which parallels Hebrews' call to offer spiritual sacrifices of praise through Christ.

1 Peter 2:5

Peter also speaks of believers being 'living stones' built up as a 'spiritual house' to offer 'spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ,' a theme consistent with Hebrews 13:15.

Philippians 4:18

Paul describes gifts sent by the Philippians as a 'sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God,' broadening the concept of sacrifice to include acts of generosity motivated by thanksgiving and faith.

Scholarly commentary

Hebrews 13:15: "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."

(15) By him. —Better, through Him. Through His sacrifice, which has made atonement, we are hallowed ( Hebrews 13:12 ), and fitted for our priestly service ( 1Peter 2:5 ). Let us offer the sacrifice.—Rather, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise continually unto God, that is, fruit of lips making confession to His name. The sacrifice we may bring is…
ellicott

Hebrews 13:15: "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."

Hebrews 13:15 . Closing exhortation, through Christ, to offer to God sacrifices of praise. Deduced from Hebrews 13:8-14 . Διʼ αὐτοῦ ] is with great emphasis preposed: through HIM ( sc . Christ), but not through the intervention of the Jewish sacrificial institution. Through Him, inasmuch as by the all-sufficiency of His expiatory sacrifice once off…
meyer

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What Hebrews 13:15 means

Historical context

Written: Likely written in the mid-to-late 60s AD, before the destruction of Jerusalem.
Author: Traditionally attributed to the Apostle Paul, though debated by some scholars. The authorship is uncertain.
Location: Likely written from Rome, as indicated by traditional attribution and the mention of greetings from "those of Italy" (Hebrews 13:24).
Genre: Epistle (a letter), characterized by its rich theological argumentation and exhortations, drawing heavily on Old Testament symbolism.

Historical background

c. 722 BC

Fall of Samaria and Israel

The Northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of many Israelites and the scattering of the ten tribes. This event marked a significant loss of national and religious identity for many.

586 BC

Destruction of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile

The Babylonians conquer Judah, destroy Jerusalem and the Temple, and exile a large portion of the population. This was a catastrophic event that deeply impacted Jewish identity and worship.

c. 539 BC

Cyrus the Great's Edict

Cyrus of Persia allows exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. This marked the beginning of the Second Temple period, but also a time of rebuilding and re-establishing worship in a new context.

c. 458 BC - 432 BC

Ezra and Nehemiah's Reforms

Ezra and Nehemiah lead efforts to restore religious and civic life in Jerusalem, emphasizing adherence to the Law and the distinctiveness of Jewish identity. This period saw a renewed focus on the purity of worship and community.