"Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honour giving preference to one another.” (NKJV)
“Be kindly affectionate in one another with
brotherly love…”
Kindly affectionate (Strong’s
Greek #5387 ‘philostorgos’) means
devoted, loving dearly with a deep, instinctive
love one might have for family members. This term is only found in Romans
12:10.
Brotherly love (Strong’s
Greek 5360 ‘philadelphia’) means
love like that between siblings with
kindness, compassion, and support. Verses where this term is found: 1 Thessalonians 4:9, Hebrews 13:1, 1 Peter
1:22, 2 Peter 1:7
We are a family
in Christ (1 John 3:1-2, Romans 12:5);
in Him we are all sons of God through faith (Galatians 3:26). We are to speak to older men in the congregation
as fathers, older women as mothers, younger men as brothers, and younger women
as sisters, with all purity (1 Timothy 5:1-2).
We are to
be devoted – loving and loyal – to our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are
to care for them as we would a blood relation: as we would immediately reach
out our hand to prevent our child, spouse, or parent from falling, so we will
willingly do all that you can to keep any one of our brethren from stumbling or
falling (ex: Galatians 6:1). We will
be determined to support and encourage them in their walk – and they, in obedience
to this command, do the same for us.
“…in honour, giving preference to one another.”
In honour (Strong’s
Greek #5092 ‘time’) means that you value and respect the other, that
you see them as outranking you and therefore worthy of your esteem.
Giving preference (Strong’s
Greek #4285 ‘progeomai’) means to
consider others more important. The Greek word progeomai comes from two words: ‘pro’
that means before, and ‘hegeomai’ that means to consider so, together, they mean to consider others before
yourself; to prioritize the needs and
well-being of others (in your congregation).
We need to
see our brethren as family members who have great value and are therefore valuable
to us. We need to treat them with respect, and be willing to set ourselves aside
so that we can give them an attentive listening ear, a reliable helping hand, a
sincere heart full of compassionate care, and a mind steadied and readied by
God’s word so we are able to encourage and guide them toward not only staying
the course but also flourishing in their faith and obedience.
“Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honour giving preference to one another.” (NKJV)
This is all part of being a living sacrifice, a person transformed
and renewed – each day choosing God’s
way over your own way; over the ways of the world. When you do what God says, and when you happily use the abilities He has given you; your
humble, joy-filled obedience will prove to others that His will is good and
acceptable and perfect. You will put off your former conduct – abhor what is evil - and put on the new
man created according to God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:21-24) – cling to what is good – and you will
learn to love others with a sincere heart
and hands ready to help (1 John 3:16-19).
You will consider others and value others
– this should also increase your dedication; wanting to serve God with others
who are serving Him. Consider 2 Timothy 2:22 and Hebrews 10:24-25 – and you will choose to be a benefit to your brethren
over thinking only of yourself. You will begin to look forward to church
services, taking with you a mind that desires to be filled up with God’s word,
and a heart that looks around and asks, “What can I do to help my brethren
today?”
Are you ready?
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