(16) And yet another offering may we bring: with thankfulness to Him must be joined acts of well doing to men; these, too, being presented as sacrifices to God.

To communicate—i.e., freely to impart to others. (See Romans 12:13; Romans 15:26; 2Corinthians 9:13; 1Timothy 6:18.)

13:16-21 We must, according to our power, give to the necessities of the souls and bodies of men: God will accept these offerings with pleasure, and will accept and bless the offerers through Christ. The apostle then states what is their duty to living ministers; to obey and submit to them, so far as is agreeable to the mind and will of God, made known in his word. Christians must not think themselves too wise, too good, or too great, to learn. The people must search the Scriptures, and so far as the ministers teach according to that rule, they ought to receive their instructions as the word of God, which works in those that believe. It is the interest of hearers, that the account their ministers give of them may be with joy, and not with grief. Faithful ministers deliver their own souls, but the ruin of a fruitless and faithless people will be upon their own heads. The more earnestly the people pray for their ministers, the more benefit they may expect from their ministry. A good conscience has respect to all God's commands, and all our duty. Those who have this good conscience, yet need the prayers of others. When ministers come to a people who pray for them, they come with greater satisfaction to themselves, and success to the people. We should seek all our mercies by prayer. God is the God of peace, fully reconciled to believers; who has made a way for peace and reconciliation between himself and sinners, and who loves peace on earth, especially in his churches. He is the Author of spiritual peace in the hearts and consciences of his people. How firm a covenant is that which has its foundation in the blood of the Son of God! The perfecting of the saints in every good work, is the great thing desired by them, and for them; and that they may at length be fitted for the employment and happiness of heaven. There is no good thing wrought in us, but it is the work of God. And no good thing is wrought in us by God, but through Christ, for his sake and by his Spirit.But to do good, and to communicate, forget not - To communicate or impart to others; that is, to share with them what we have. The Greek word means having in common with others. The meaning is, that they were to show liberality to those who were in want, and were to take special pains not to forget this duty. We are prone to think constantly of our own interests, and there is great danger of forgetting the duty which we owe to the poor and the needy. On the duty here enjoined, see the notes on Galatians 6:10.

For with such sacrifices God is well pleased - He is pleased with the sacrifices of prayer and of praise; with the offerings of a broken and a contrite heart: but he is especially pleased with the religion which leads us to do good to others. This was eminently the religion of his Son, the Lord Jesus; and to this all true religion prompts. The word "sacrifices" here is not taken in a strict sense, as denoting what is offered as an expiation for sin, or in the sense that we are by doing good to attempt to make atonement for our transgressions, but in the general sense of an offering made to God. God is pleased with this:

(1) because it shows in us a right state of heart;

(2) because it accords with his own nature. He does good continually, and he is pleased with all who evince the same spirit.

16. But—But the sacrifice of praise with the lips (Heb 13:15) is not enough; there must be also doing good (beneficence) and communicating (that is, imparting a share of your means, Ga 6:6) to the needy.

with such—and not mere ritualistic sacrifices.

But to do good and to communicate forget not: the last duty which Christ sufferings without the gate for his subjects obligeth them to, is liberality and beneficence to others. In which is explicitly denied any carelessness of mind, aversation of affection, or omission of the duty; in which is implicitly enjoined, inclination to, retention in memory of, and constant practice of beneficence and liberality, both as to spiritual and temporal good, vigorously and cheerfully edifying the souls and cherishing the bodies of all necessitous ones, but especially of their poor brethren of the household of faith, Galatians 6:10 1Jo 3:17; glorifying God by obeying his law and rule about it, Matthew 6:1-4 Ephesians 6:5-9.

For with such sacrifices God is well pleased; such doing of good, and communicating to the necessities of poor saints, are part of our evangelical sacrifices, which God requireth of us, instead of the numerous legal ones; and are attending on, concomitant with, and sanctified by, the one true sacrifice of Christ; and being duly terminated on him according to his law, they are highly pleasing and acceptable to God, yea, sometimes above other sacrifices and holy things given to him; and which, as he commands, he will at present greatly reward with temporal and spiritual blessings, and with everlasting riches and glory in heaven, Proverbs 19:17 Micah 6:6-8 Matthew 9:13 Matthew 25:34-40 2 Corinthians 9:12.

But to do good and to communicate forget not,.... Which is to be understood, not of doing good works in general, but of acts of beneficence, or communicating to "the poor", as the Syriac version renders it: the apostle proceeds to take notice of another sort of sacrifice, which continues under the Gospel dispensation; and that is, alms; which should be attended to: alms should be given, or beneficence be exercised to all men in need, even to our enemies, as well as to our friends and relations; and especially to poor saints, and ministers of the Gospel: and this believers should not "forget"; which shows that it is a duty of importance; and that men are too apt to neglect it, and should be stirred up unto it:

for with such sacrifices God is well pleased; not that they are meritorious of the favour of God and of eternal life; for what a man gives in a way of charity is but what God has given him, and cannot be profitable to God, though it is to a fellow creature; nor is there any proportion between what is given, and grace and glory which the saints receive; yet doing good in this way, when it is done in faith, springs from love, and is directed to the glory of God, is well pleasing to him; yea, these sacrifices are preferred by him to legal ones, Hosea 6:6 and the Jews also say, that

"greater is he who does alms than (if he offered) all sacrifices (c).''

(c) T. Bab. Succa, fol. 49. 2.

But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.