"Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground." (Genesis 4:9-10)
"You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19:17-18)
As the story of humankind unfolds in the Bible, it doesn't take long until man offends God. Once that relationship is compromised, it is only a short step for man to abuse man.
Not surprisingly, it is the children of the first family that play out the battle of good and evil in this round. The peace and harmony that once reigned has been forfeited for personal gratification. It is an infection that will fester until God repents of having ever made man and judgment falls in the form of The Flood.
But even such a judgment did not prevent future generations from rebelling against God. For all their faith, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had severe character flaws that God had to address. The ultimate end was the captivity of Israel in Egypt which was a direct result of the mistreatment of Joseph by his brothers.
By the time the Law is given, it is more clear than ever that restraint in personal relationships is needed. The Lord makes it clear that there is a special debt that one owes his "brothers." Obviously, God does not limit us to loving those whose birth, heritage, faith, etc. binds them to us in a special way. Still, brotherly love is to be a landmark in our lives. It is evidence of something deeper than what appears on the surface.
The faith supplement of brotherly love takes us into new territory. The other supplements we have examined, were internal. This one calls our faith to reach out, as well as up. It is the preparation for the final supplement of faith we will look at next time, love.
Cain is symbolic of a life that has not dealt with the inner struggles of faith. Such a life seeks to be recognized for its own merits. Those so motivated take offense when others disregard them. They believe their labor is equally important with that born of heart to serve God. Lacking that inner quality, they strike out at those who possess it. That is the fruit of the fall.
"If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering." (Matt. 5:23-24)
"And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother." (Matt. 18:15)
The family of God is His light to the world. We are "a city set upon a hill." We have no choice in this, it is a matter of the new creation in which we live. The question is not will we shine, but how brightly.
The importance of our relationships with one another can hardly be overstated. The light we give to the world is profoundly affected by the way we deal with one another in Christ. History provides sufficient evidence that often we don't shine very brightly.
Christ admonishes us to deal with the beam in our own eye before attempting such a delicate procedure as removing a speck from the eye of another. He is not saying we shouldn't address the speck: only that we need to have our own house in order first.
The beam is obvious and we should deal with it before worrying about others. But dealing with the speck takes our attention off the beam and we can forget about it for awhile. Psychologists refer to this as a defense mechanism known as projection.
It won't hold water with God. Brotherly kindness demands that we deal with our own issues before ministering to others. Some will take this to mean we should never deal with the specks because we will never completely deal with our own problems.
Christ makes it clear that we are to deal with the problem of sin in a brother's life. That is showing him kindness. It is not that we are perfect but that we are diligent to be sure that there is no glaring problem in our own lives which would interfere with our ministry to others.
Most of us have violated this principle at least once. We know it does not work and it does not breed brotherly kindness. If you want to testify, I'll give you the space here!
Christ calls us to responsible relationships and accountability to one another is an important aspect of that duty: diligence!
"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality." (Romans 12:10-13)
This passage contains two related Greek words we need to examine briefly: philostorge and philadelphia. The first is translated as "be devoted" in the passage above.
It communicates the idea of affection; especially that of parents toward their children, or children toward their parents. Though it might be considered the lowest level of love, it is nonetheless important.
It is our new nature to be devoted to the family but that devotion must mature from simply an innate response to a desire. While there is a sense of duty about us, it should be motivated by a heart that desires the best for others.
Philadelphia is a fraternal love (literally "love from the womb). In C. S. Lewis' classic work The Four Loves, he asks a thought provoking question, "Without Eros none of us would have been begotten and without Affection none of us would have been reared; but can we live and breed without Friendship?"
Lewis points out that it is possible to see friendship as unnecessary or trivial. We don't need it to breed or tend our young. It is sometimes considered simply a social convenience. In our day, friendship may even be politically incorrect.
To say "these are my friends" implies that "those are not" and that counters the goal of the social planners who would force us into a meaningless amalgamation of humanity in the name of tolerance.
We are called to friendship with Christ and the church. Indeed we are told, "the friendship of the world is enmity with God." (James 2:4)
Notice how Paul addresses the things we talked about previously: diligence, perseverance, tribulation. But there is an added dimension: brotherly kindness or friendship. We are not alone.
God has given us the fellowship of the saints as a source of support. Are we availing ourselves of the provision He has made, or are we attempting to live as Lone Ranger Christians? Where is our deepest devotion? Does our calendar and our checkbook validate what our lips profess? Though assembling together is important, Paul means much more than that. Are our lives one in Christ or do we live for ourselves and what we desire?
Brotherly love, calls us to consider one another and indeed to prefer one another over ourselves. Its absence in our lives inhibits our walk of faith. How are we doing?
We are continuing with our look at the faith supplements found in 2 Peter 1:5-7 with "brotherly kindness" being the issue before us at the moment.
Peter has learned brotherly kindness the hard way. You remember the scene. Following Christ's resurrection He met the disciples in Galilee. After breakfast, Jesus turned to Peter and asked him, "Lovest thou me?"
You can read the full exchange in John 21 but most English translations will not give you the needed insight here. The first and second time Christ asks the question He uses the Greek word agapao which is the highest level of love.
Each time Peter answers His question with phileo. The third time, Christ asks the question Peter has been answering. I suspect it may have been asked so that it was understood as, "Peter, are you even my friend?"
Here is the one who denied our Lord, a recipient of grace and an example of incredible forgiveness being given a second chance to give it his all. Before, he would have boldly answered with "the right answer" but his denial of Christ brought him face to face with the truth about himself.
The kind of total commitment that agapao involves is not yet a step Peter is ready to take. Impetuous Peter has disappeared. The one who is always leading the charge boldly proclaiming what HE will do, no longer trusts in himself.
This is an humbled Peter. He has been confronted with his frailty and that reckless spirit has been tamed. The words of the Master must have stung. The old Peter would have rushed to blurt out, "I love you!" but the new Peter can only manage "I'm your friend" and still be honest with himself and Christ.
This, I believe, was the answer Jesus was seeking. Christ commissions Him with the simple phrase, "Feed My sheep."
Each time Christ asked the question He issued an admonition to Peter. The first and third admonitions are from the Greek word bosko which has the idea of feeding. The second is poimano which is more the idea of leading or being responsible for every aspect of the care and keeping of the flock.
This encounter must have been ever before Peter as he lived out the remainder of his calling. I doubt he penned the words of our text without this moment of truth coming to mind.
His diligence left us these words that we might understand the importance of the relationship we share in Christ. Just what does Peter mean when he speaks of "brotherly kindness?"
If you turn back a page or two in your Bible to 1 Peter 3:8, I think you will begin to get the idea. I can't think of this passage without remembering how The Living Bible paraphrases it. Indulge me in sharing it with you here.
"And now this word to all of you: You should be like one big happy family, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds."
I know it is a paraphrase, but that doesn't mean it is without merit so take it for what it is worth. Wouldn't it be great if every congregation and the church at large was one big happy family?
How it must grieve our Savior to see His body so fragmented as it is today: especially in our culture. Paul tells us we are to be "diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Eph. 4:3).
We are not called to create some manmade unity such as the global church that is now being instituted as an adjunct to the United Nations. We are told that there is a unity which already exists among those who claim Christ as Lord.
Our duty is to maintain or preserve that unity "in the bond of peace." What kind of witness do we bring to the world when we spend our time tearing one another down instead of building each other up?
As long as we believe that truth exists, that it can be known, and our desire is to know it and conform to it, we have the basis for Christian dialogue and fellowship.
If we can ever learn to defer to one another in brotherly kindness while we work through those areas which trouble us, the witness of the church in our time would be enormous.
Persecution tends to force us back to basics and our present state of affairs (and affairs of state) may have us on the road to that sort of correction. My prayer is that we will exercise diligence in this area so that such dire measures are not necessary.
Peter learned ... so can we!
Skywatcher is a lot like Cain. He is into building kingdoms of his own. He sees his brothers and sisters as competitors for God's recognition. Whether he realizes it or not, he is out to sabotage their faith and promote his own version of it.
His methods are often subtle, but they betray a heart that serves itself and not the family of God. He is in the church for what he can get out of it, not because he desires to give.
As long as he has a good experience and it doesn't impose to much on his time and energy, he is a happy camper. The fellowship of the saints is his social club. It's a place for contacts for business or the upcoming election in which he is a candidate. In short, the church is just another tool in his kingdom building tool belt. What a find! People are always coming and going so there are always new faces to prospect. A lot are just like him so they won't be around for long. All he has to do is wait for the next round of new arrivals.
Of course, if the preacher happens to get a little too close to the truth about his own life, or the church buys the wrong color of carpet, or someone got his parking place or pew, or ... he's gone. There's another congregation nearby that offers better prospects and he can work that one until it gets uncomfortable.
His attitude toward the brethren makes it impossible for him to exhibit brotherly kindness toward them. Each act of purported kindness is carefully planned for the optimum benefit to his personal agenda.
Of course, the saddest part of his experience is that his motivation makes him doubt the brotherly kindness extended to him. Every approach by others is met with suspicion. He is sure that everyone else has an angle.
People aren't really interested in him. They are interested in what he can do for them. His own heart paints others in his image and he is denied the joy of knowing the fellowship of faith that could be his.
It is a sad story. But there are few congregations, if any, where this scene isn't played each time the family of faith meets.
May God help us to find a way to reach out to Skywatcher and may we be alert to his spirit encroaching on our walk of faith.
My brotherly kindness has been tested time and again. I'm beginning to see some progress, but I've still got a long way to go! Such a love for the brethren is not a matter of action, but attitude and that comes from Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Let me share a story which will be familiar to some reading this newsletter. It was a day that pushed the limits of brotherly love for me and I must confess, I didn't pass the test.
A couple in our Sunday School class announced that they would be moving and asked if we could help. They had been living in an apartment and had found a house to rent.
We all agreed to come to their apartment for a quick lunch after church on a given Sunday and then we would move their things.
The appointed day arrived. We all went home and changed clothes and then met at their apartment.
When we arrived, we discovered they had nothing packed! There were clothes being washed in the washing machine, the Christmas tree was up and decorated, their personal papers (tax records and all) were everywhere. They had made no preparation for the move.
After exchanging desperate glances with one another, we went to work. Unloading their dresser drawers and packing their personal items, cleaning out the medicine cabinet, etc. made us all feel uncomfortable.
To make matters worse, their pre-school son was constantly under foot. Having just learned where men should not be hit, he was gleefully engaged in target practice as we made our way through the apartment with packages. Did I mention this was a two-story apartment?
When we finally got the first load in the trucks, we drove over to the new residence. When we arrived, we discovered the previous tenants had not moved out. Brotherly kindness or not, I was not about to put the belongings of another on the street.
While others with no such compunction, did the moving out, I helped with the moving in, but brotherly love was no longer a motive. Disbelief had given way to anger, and anger was rapidly approaching resentment. I stuck it out for a second trip and that was all I could take.
I take no comfort from the fact that I wasn't the only one who quit before the job was finished. A few who are more mature in this aspect of faith stuck it out to the end. I admire them for their example: they helped to show me where I need to grow.
It does me no good to complain that the expectations of this family were incredible. I know what Jesus would have done, but more than that I know what His attitude would have been.
What I did, I did grudgingly and. therefore, lost any eternal benefit that might have been gained. Mercy and compassion were not the objects of my action as brotherly kindness would dictate.
Praise God there are times when I do allow His grace to supply my need in similar moments. The fruit of those times is sweet but the frailty of my will compels me to be vigilant in regard to my motives. Motives will be tested!
Hebrews 13:1