在公元四世紀，拿先斯的貴格利和該撒利亞的巴西流是教會著名的領袖，也是親密的摯友。他們因上哲學課而相識，後來貴格利說他們倆心志相同，思想一致。

由於他們都在教會服事，彼此之間可能會互相較勁。貴格利說，為避免落入這種試探，他們將持守信心和盼望，以及努力行善作為自己唯一的目標，並且互相激勵，期勉對方能朝這個目標努力，甚至能超越自己。結果，他們在信仰上都有所成長，並在沒有互相競爭的情況下，雙雙成為教會的高層領袖。

希伯來書旨在幫助我們持守堅定的信仰（希伯來書2章1節），鼓勵我們專注於「所宣認的盼望」並且「彼此關心，激發愛心，勉勵行善」（10章23-24節，新譯本）。這個是給予教會的教導，勸勉信徒（25節），而貴格利和巴西流以這個教導彼此勸勉，展現出朋友之間也可以互相鼓勵，一起成長，避免生出任何「毒根」，比如互相較量（12章15節）。

如果我們和朋友之間能把持守信心和盼望，以及努力行善作為追求的目標，而且彼此鼓勵朝向這個目標邁進，這會比我們個人努力追求來得更有效果。聖靈必定會幫助我們在信仰和友誼兩方面都能兼顧。

Gregory of Nazianzus and Basil of Caesarea were celebrated leaders in the fourth-century church and also close friends. They first met as philosophy students, and Gregory later said that they became like “two bodies with a single spirit.”

With their career paths so similar, rivalry could’ve arisen between Gregory and Basil. But Gregory explained that they avoided this temptation by making a life of faith, hope, and good deeds their “single ambition,” then “spurring each other on” to make the other more successful in this goal than themselves individually. As a result, both grew in faith and rose to high levels of leadership without rivalry.

The book of Hebrews is written to help us stay strong in faith (Hebrews 2:1), encouraging us to focus on “the hope we profess” and to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (10:23-24). While this command is given in the context of a congregation (v. 25), by applying it to their friendship, Gregory and Basil showed how friends can encourage each other to grow and avoid any “bitter root,” such as rivalry that might grow between them (12:15).

What if we made faith, hope, and good deeds the ambition of our own friendships, then encouraged our friends to become more successful in this goal than ourselves individually? The Holy Spirit is ready to help us do both.