Exhortation means strongly encouraging someone to do what is right. The word comes from a Greek word that means “a calling of someone alongside to help.” In the New Testament, it usually means urging someone to do the right thing. Sometimes, the same word can also mean comforting and supporting someone. Which meaning is correct depends on how the word is used in that part of the Bible.
Examples of Exhortation
Luke 3:7–18 shows a good example of exhortation as encouraging people to take action. In this passage, John the Baptist strongly urged the Jewish people to do several things:
Show through their actions that they were truly sorry for their sins
Stop thinking that being descendants of Abraham would protect them from God's punishment
Share their clothes and food with people who needed them
He also told specific groups what they should do:
He told tax collectors to only collect the amount of money they were supposed to
He told soldiers to:
Not steal money from people
Not make false accusations against people
Be satisfied with their pay
Exhortation as a Spiritual Gift
God gives some people in the church the special ability to encourage and guide others. This gift of exhortation benefits the whole church (Romans 12:8). When someone properly uses the gift of prophecy, one result is that they can encourage others to do what is right (1 Corinthians 14:3, 31). It was also a duty that Paul commanded of Timothy: "Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching" (1 Timothy 4:13). The book of Hebrews also talks about encouragement, telling readers not to take God's correction lightly or give up when God corrects them (Hebrews 12:5).
Exhortation as Comfort and Encouragement
In 2 Corinthians 1:3–7, the Greek word for exhortation means comfort and encouragement. In this passage, Paul writes about people who were suffering because they followed Christ. He explains that God comforts us during difficult times so we can comfort others who are going through similar struggles.
Another example is in Acts 15:31. The church in Antioch received encouraging news from the leaders in Jerusalem. The people had been worried that some teachers were saying all Christians must follow Jewish customs like circumcision to be saved. When they heard that this was not true, they felt comforted and relieved.
Paul also uses this word to mean "comfort" in 1 Thessalonians 4:18. Here, he tells believers that people who die as followers of Christ will not miss the blessings that Jesus will bring when he returns. He tells them to comfort each other with this truth.