Last words - almost part 14

Last words – almost Part 14

Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.   (2Pe 1:5-7)  ESV

brotherly kindness;  φιλαδελφιαν

In the strictly Christian sense of loving as brothers. Philádelphoi (pl.) sums up the bearing of Christians to each other, and the adj. which follow describe what their behavior should be.

And here the rubber really meets the road!  There’s an old saying I think attributed to Mark Twain:  “I love mankind, it’s particular individuals I have trouble with.”

Up until now our activity and focus has been on ourselves.  With godliness we begin to externalize our faith and here we get very specific – brotherly love/kindness.  There is a distinction between this and what comes next so I want to share an illustration from scripture that we used earlier.

This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.  (Joh 21:14-17)

In this passage the word love (in bold) is the Greek word αγαπας (agapas).  The word love (italics and underlined) is the Greek word φιλω a contracted form of philéō.

αγαπας (agapas):  To esteem, love, indicating a direction of the will and finding one's joy in something or someone.  Simply stated, to love (agapáō) fellow humans means to see or discern what their need is and to meet that need, not according to the object's concept of need, but that of the one who loves.  Zodhiates

φιλω a contracted form of philéō:  Indicating feelings, warm affection, the kind of love expressed by a kiss.  Believers are never told to love their enemies with the word philéō because that would mean to have the same interests as they have.  Zodhiates

Since we as believers can never share the interests of unbelievers, this admonition to brotherly love is focused on our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

What does that look like?

But that is not the way you learned Christ!-- assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.   (Eph 4:20-32)

Notice that as Paul describes our lives in relationship to one another there is a little phrase that is very often misused: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

The context would indicate that when we fail to love one another as reflected in our actions, we grieve the Holy Spirit.  To grieve is to offend – it is offensive to the Spirit of God for us to not love one another.  It is to sadden, to make sorrowful.  Note it is not making Him regret or regretful.

If it pleases God that His people live together in peace, then it displeases Him when they don’t.  God – Holy Spirit – the same but different ;-}.  What grieves them is the failure of what they seek to do in the life of the believer.  We are to be one Body – knit together by God – made alive in Christ and held together by the Spirit – so when we interfere or rebel we cause grief and we give offense.

Of course, this does not mean that just because my brother likes and has an interest in baseball that I have to.  But it does mean that we are to have common interests – serving Him who redeemed us.  But even there we aren’t all called or motivated by the same things.  Some may be in love with theology or ecclesiology, while others are drawn to feed the hungry, to be hands on with the needy.  Though we all need to have an interest in and about all things concerning The Way (Acts 24:14), the energy and depth of our interest will vary – but we should be 100% committed to one another in fulfilling those interests.

This, of course, takes intent and practice.  One “takes an interest” in the interests of others.  It is an active thing.  We need to be invested enough to encourage, support, admonish, warn, cheer, ect.