“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” II Peter 1:6-8
Peter continues his discussion of the ingredients of spiritual maturity. We see all the elements he has mentioned to this point address the first great commandment – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength.” If we truly love God with our being these things will be evident in our lives. Now, with the last two characteristics of spiritual maturity we see the focus on the second greatest commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Brotherly kindness is a major theme of the New Testament. In John
13:34 Jesus stated, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love
one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” Scripture gives us numerous definitions of what this
kindness is like. Paul tells us “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or
vain conceit“. (Thus we see that brotherly love cannot coexist with pride.) Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” This was lived out in the early church. As the member were under attack and persecution for their faith, members of the church sold and shared their goods to assist those in need. We remember that Ananias and His wife Sapphira were punished by God for lying about selling their land and giving all the proceeds to feed the poor.
In essence they were pretending to love their brothers in Christ.
The Lord gave an illustration of this love in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. He shows the love this Samaritan had by the compassion he showed to a stranger in need. Others, who claimed to be religious,
showed no such mercy but the Samaritan did, even as it cost him his worldly goods.
Finally we remember the story of King David and Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son. Jonathan, David’s dear friend and his father, David’s enemy, King Saul were killed in battle. David was anointed king in Saul’s place. Many other king’s quickly killed any potential successors to the crown they held. Instead, David looked for any heir of Jonathan’s and when he found Mephibosheth, a crippled beggar, he brought him into the king’s palace and fed him at his table for the rest of his life. Brotherly kindness – undeserved but given out of compassion and mercy.
What can we learn? This aspect of spiritual maturity (sanctification) can only be produced in us by the Holy Spirit. As we learn to love God and grow closer to Him , the Spirit produced Christ’s characteristics in
us. The greatest example of brotherly love is seen in the life of Christ. First brotherly love is never divorced from God’s truth. The Lord never did or told anyone anything just to make them feel better or to condone their sin. Brotherly kindness is also aligned to God’s truth. Beyond that the Lord freely gave of Himself, His time and His resources to meet other’s needs. His purpose was not solely to take care of others but to glorify God and allow other to see God’s love for them through Him. “By this shall all men know you are my disciples, that you love one another.” Paul tells us that this love should begin
within the family of God. Galatians 6:10 tells us believers should “. do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the
household of the faith”. However we live, we can never show this characteristic of Christ enough. “Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been
taught by God to love one another… But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more”.