Brotherly Love

2024-01-30

If you look at the phrase “brotherly love” (φιλαδελφια), it suggests that this type of love is a family-like love. “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another” (Romans 12:10). This word for “kindly affectioned” reinforces this, which also has a love-for-family concept. Just like one often puts family before oneself, such as your own children, having brotherly love for another will also prefer other over self.

In Thessalonica, they were especially prone to such love as led by God. “But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more” (1 Thessalonians 4:9-10). These brothers were doing it right, and they were encouraged to keep on and increase in their brotherly love.

The brothers to whom Peter wrote had obeyed the truth of the Gospel and purified themselves accordingly. As a result, brotherly love outflowed from their sanctification. “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently” (1 Peter 1:22). Brotherly love is “unfeigned” and “with a pure heart.”

In his second letter, the apostle continues this theme. “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity” (2 Peter 1:5-7). Increasing faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience, and godliness lead to this brotherly love. Brotherly love leads to charity, the ultimate self-denying love that serves to the death. Inner change leads to outward love and service.