Biblical Hospitality: Being an Imitator of a Welcoming God

As I looked out of the window while waiting for the plane to take off, I reflected on the life I was leaving behind. I was leaving for at least two years. I was going to a foreign country to live among a people I did not know. I was going to learn a new language, develop new friendships, and live within a new culture as I shared Jesus. But I was very aware that I was leaving the only culture and country I had ever known. I was leaving behind a family that would continue to live their lives as I learned a new way to live mine. I sat on the plane contemplating not only my family’s sacrifice in letting me go, but also my sacrifice in leaving. I began to realize that sacrificing one life for another is difficult, but it is also very rewarding and necessary. The Son of God left His heavenly home to live sacrificially among His creation, where He would eventually give His life so they too might have life. What greater way to live sacrificially, as Christ did, than for me to imitate God and walk in love toward the stranger?

Hospitality means the welcoming of the stranger. It is the welcoming of the stranger into one’s home to be cared for and served with love. I define biblical hospitality as the practice of holistic care toward the stranger, motivated by love for God and neighbor, that leads to speaking the truth of the gospel. The practice includes, but is not limited to, caring for the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of strangers by welcoming one into home and life. But how do we understand how to love the stranger in this way? The only way we know how to care for and love the stranger is by understanding how God has cared for and loved us, and then imitating that care and love for others.

Living as an Imitator

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” — Ephesians 5:1–2

An imitator is one who copies the behavior and actions of others. As God’s children, we are to imitate Him in His character and His actions. But this command also implies that we were once not imitators of God. Earlier in the book of Ephesians, we see that we were dead in our trespasses and sins—children of wrath—not imitating or even belonging to God. We imitated and belonged to the ruler of the world. But God, in His mercy and grace, made us alive in Christ Jesus. God forgave us and welcomed us into His family. By Jesus giving His life, we are no longer far off, but we are brought near to God. In Christ, we are no longer strangers but members of the household of God (Eph. 2:1–22).

We are to walk in love as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us. As members of God’s family and now imitators of Him, we are to live a sacrificial life toward others. We welcome strangers into our lives, love them sacrificially, and proclaim the gospel to them so that they too may know the sacrificial, welcoming love of God. Part of our imitation is to love others as Christ loved us. He loved with a sacrificial love. He gave His life for us; therefore, we should give our lives for others.

Understanding Demands Response

The practice of biblical hospitality is a response to the gospel. Understanding what the Father, through the Son, has done for us, we are grateful and then motivated to show that same hospitality to others. The love we now have for God because of His kindness shown toward us is what motivates us to love our neighbors. We care for the stranger in the same way God cares for them. By imitating God, we are showing others that He cares for them as well. Imitating God and showing hospitality toward the stranger leads to the declaration of the truth of the gospel so that they can respond in repentance and faith. And as others respond, they too are welcomed into a family that imitates God by loving the stranger.

Returning from overseas, I realized that the principles that led me to live sacrificially there should guide me to live in the same way in the States. The same hospitality that I showed those in Asia should be practiced in my home, no matter where I live. You may not be called to go overseas for the sake of the gospel, but you can still live sacrificially where you are. You can welcome your neighbors into your life and into your home. Imitating God by living a sacrificial and welcoming life in front of your neighbors allows them to see the sacrificial and welcoming God who loves them. Living this type of life will lead to gospel conversations that encourage others to imitate a welcoming God.

So, I ask: How will you begin today to live sacrificially and show hospitality to the stranger?