Sincere Brotherly Love
“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.’ And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:23-25, ESV).
Sincere, brotherly love is a mark of discipleship. “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Jesus spoke these words on the night of His betrayal. It would be just a short time later, after His death, resurrection, and ascension that the church would be established. Christ’s church was not to be known by special rites or ceremonies. It was not to be marked only by religious rituals, and public pronouncements. The church is to be known, identified, by a display of sincere, brotherly love. When the Lord told the disciples to love one another He laid down another impossible goal. Impossible, that is, apart from the gospel. Such love is only possible for, and only to be expected of those who have been born again. As Peter reminds us, that new birth is accomplished by the eternal Word of God.
The gospel, the good news that was preached to us, has wrought a new birth in us. My first birth, my natural birth, was the product of my father and mother coming together at the right time, under the right conditions. I came to life, but in a body that was born to die. Physically, just like grass that withers and flowers that dry up, I have been dying ever since. I have four natural brothers and they are in the same condition, as is every one of us that is born of a woman. Our natural tendency is to try and hold onto our lives, to make the most of our lives, even at the expense of others. We are dying. We know it and we don’t like it.
The good news that was preached to us, that was received with repentance and joy over God’s mercy and grace, has brought us to new life.
The good news that was preached to us, that was received with repentance and joy over God’s mercy and grace, has brought us to new life. “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth…” (James 1:18). “But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13). We have been born again. Though physically we may be perishing, spiritually we will live forever. We will live forever with our Lord. We will live forever with our Christian brothers and sisters. The new life is to be lived out in sincere, brotherly love. “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death” (1 John 3:14, KJV).
We walk with our fellow Christians in sincere love. Some translations of Scripture call this unfeigned love. It is love that is not faked, but genuine. It is the product of having been purified by the Word of God and yielding to the truth of His Word. “…You are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you” (John 15:3).
We walk with our fellow believers in brotherly love. After all, we are now children in the same family. We have experienced the same birth. We cry out to same Father (Romans 8:15). We have the same Holy Spirit living in us that leads us to cry out to Him (Galatians 4:6). We will share in the same inheritance (Ephesians 1:14) with the same older brother (Romans 8:17). All of this is because of our salvation, all of this because of the gospel.
The love that we have for our brothers and sisters in Christ…is sustained by the gospel, by the Word of God, and by the God of the Word.
We walk with our fellow believers in earnest love, fervent love. The Greek word used gives the picture of unceasing love. It is the love spoken of in Hebrews 13:1 which enjoins us to “Let brotherly love continue.” In a wedding sermon, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “It is not your love that sustains the marriage, but from now on, the marriage that sustains your love.” In the same way, the love that we have for our brothers and sisters in Christ is not sustained by emotions, or feelings. It is not maintained by our sisters’ or brothers’ performance. It is sustained by the gospel, by the Word of God, and by God the Word. Thanks be to God, because I know there are all too many times that I am unlovable apart from His kindness and grace.
“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).
Things to Do:
Write a description of what sincere, brotherly love should look like.
Consider your own life in regards to your definition. How are you doing? What are you doing well? What needs improvement?
Think about your church, your Christian circle. Is there anyone that the Lord brings to mind who may be in need of a sincere expression of brotherly love? Ask the Lord to show you how to reach out to them. Don’t make it a one time expression, but earnestly continue to minister sincere, brotherly love from a pure heart.
Consider the times that sincere, brotherly love was extended to you. What were the circumstances? As you think about this, give thanks to the Lord for the person that He used to love you. Touch base with that person and thank them for their expression of love.
