Add to Your Faith: Brotherly Kindness

2 Peter 1:7 (NKJV) ⁷  to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

We are coming to the end of our study of 2 Peter 1.  We have found some powerful promises in the first four verses.  In salvation we have been given everything we need to live successfully on earth as well as to live pleasing to God.  They are ours because we are one with the Lord.  We partake of these gifts as part of the divine nature that is ours in Christ.  We have been given “great and precious promises” in the Bible that become the channel through which we can partake of all these things.  This is powerful truth in itself.  Nevertheless, there is more in this chapter that will help us. 

We have learned that there is a way that we can grow to a point where we will never stumble.  Even people who have been born again are still human, so we know we make mistakes and sometimes simply choose to do things we should not.  Thank God for his mercy in those times.  This chapter tells us some things that can cause us to stumble less and less.  If we are diligent to continue in doing what we see here, we can eventually come to the place where we do not stumble at all.  We will remember what God has done for us, and that will help us live in Godliness and therefore success.

There are things we must add to our faith.  As we do, we continue to grow and become more consistent in our Christian walk.  It starts with faith, but we must add virtue.  We must add knowledge to virtue, self-control to knowledge, perseverance to self-control and Godliness to perseverance.  Finally, we must add brotherly kindness and love to the equation.  If we have these things active and growing in our lives, we will be both useful and fruitful in the kingdom of God.  If we do not have them, we will not.  The degree that we choose to develop them will determine the level of usefulness and fruitfulness we walk in.  

The final two things we must add are probably the most important because they are the heart of what God the Father is.  We must add brotherly kindness and love.  If those two things are working, we will generally find the rest are at work as well.  What is the difference between brotherly kindness and love?  We understand the difference when we understand the words themselves. 

The Greek language has three words for love.  Eros, which is sexual love.  We certainly understand that kind of love in our culture.  Although it is important, we have elevated it to a place it was never intended to have.  The word for brotherly kindness is the word “Philadelphia.”  We recognize this as the name of the city in Pennsylvania.  The last word for love, and the last element we must add to our faith comes from the word Agape.  This is a kind of love that really has no equivalent term in English.  We might say it is sacrificial love, and that would be true, but that is not a full explanation.  It is the love of God.  This love is very different from either eros or philadelphia.  Yet before we can add Agape to our faith, we must add philadelphia.  Why?

Jesus gives us some insight in John 13:34-35. 

John 13:34-35 (NKJV) ³⁴  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Although it is impossible to minimize the importance of showing love to the world, Jesus puts a great deal of emphasis on showing love to people in the body of Christ.  The word here is actually agape not philadelphia, but the implication is that we must display love to each other if we want the rest of the world to believe we can love them as well.  The translation of phladelphia in 2 Peter:7 is fraternal love. Strong’s Dictionary adds the word kindness to the definition.  That is why we translate philadelphia to brotherly kindness.  Let us break it down a bit. 

First, it is love for the brethren or those who are part of the family “born again” in Christ, Jesus.  Although we love all people, we must begin with the family of God (Galatians 6:10.)  If we cannot show love to those who are born again, how can we love the world?  Jesus said they will know we are his disciples by our love for each other.  This explains why much of the world wants nothing to do with Christianity.  They have seen us argue with one another.  They have seen us rejoice when someone we disagree with falls.  They have seen times when we hate one another because of our doctrinal differences.  They have not often seen us choose to love one another, even if we disagree, simply because we are all part of the same family. 

There is an interesting insight into how this works when we look at the word kindness.  It is one thing to be brothers.  That might lead to sibling rivalry.  However, family is a beautiful thing when we are kind to each other just because we are family.  What is kindness.  One definition says that kindness is a type of behavior marked by acts of generosity, consideration, or concern for others, without expecting praise or reward.  I very much like that. 

Put into the context of 2 Peter, we can have all the other qualities working in our lives, but if we are not willing to treat our brothers and sisters with generosity, consideration and concern without expecting a reward or praise, we are lacking something very important.  We are not displaying something to the world that is necessary to the preaching of the gospel.  We are also limiting the love and power that is supposed to flow from one part of the body to another.  One of the wonderful strengths of the human body is how the whole body rallies to any part that is injured.  When we add brotherly kindness to our faith, we add something that makes the whole body of Christ around us healthier. 

The simple definition of kindness is to be kind to another.  What does a kind person look like?  I believe it is someone who treats others with gentleness and with a benevolent nature or disposition.  A kind person may correct another, but not with harshness.  A kind person does not correct because of his or her own annoyance, but out of genuine care for another.  If we are kind, it speaks of how we deal with others.  We consider ourselves and our own weaknesses in our dealings with them.  We are not dogmatic, especially in things that do not really matter.  We give room for growth.  Kindness will come to a point where requirements may have to be made of someone in terms of behavior, but it is in how we do so that determines if we are kind or not. 

Ephesians 4:1-6 (NKJV) ¹  I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, ²  with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, ³  endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵  one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶  one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

I believe that Paul sums up what kindness looks like in these verses better than most anything I could come up with.  If we treat one another in the way Paul describes here, we will add brotherly kindness to the equation Peter is speaking of in his letter. 

We will look at the last addition, Gods kind of love, in our next post.  That is one of the greatest and most important topics in the whole Bible.  It is impossible to function as a Christian without understanding God’s kind of love.  Faith works by God’s kind of love and it is this love that will cause us to reach out to the dying world.  Yet before we can understand agape, we must add brotherly kindness to our interaction in the church.  It is impossible to really have one without the other.

Add to Your Faith: Godliness

2 Peter 1:6 (NKJV) ⁶  to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,

(It has been a while since I have posted.  We have been in Rocky Mount Virginia with Blue Ridge Chapel and the School of the Prophets there visiting friends, family and doing some ministry.  )

In 1 Peter chapter 1, we find that Peter is encouraging believers to add certain things to their faith in order to walk more successfully as believers.  We have looked at adding virtue, knowledge of the type we gain in study.   We have added self-control and perseverance.  Today I want to turn to the next thing Peter says we must add, Godliness.

There are a number of definitions to Godliness that I find interesting.  Holman’s Bible Dictionary says godliness is an attitude and style of life that acknowledges God’s claims on human life and seeks to live in accordance with God’s will.  The line that struck me is the idea that God has a claim on human life.  We sometimes see things like right behavior or obedience to the Word as something we give to God.  However, this definition reminds us that God has a claim on human life. 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV) ¹⁹  Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

It is often not popular to talk about our Christianity in any light except the freedom that is ours by grace.  We must remember that grace cost God a great deal even if it cost us nothing.  The verses above make it clear that we are not our own.  We were purchased with the blood of Jesus and to walk in the freedom of grace we need to live according to the standards God requires of us.  If we do not, we do not lose God’s love or our relationship with him legally.  Nevertheless, there is an effect on how much we access the power of grace in our living.  We need to walk in godliness.  We owe that to our Father.

Easton’s Bible Dictionary says godliness supposes knowledge, veneration, affection dependence, submission, gratitude, and obedience.”  In 1 Tim. 3:16 it denotes the substance of revealed religion. Veneration means respect or awe inspired by the dignity, wisdom, dedication, or talent of a person.  So to live a godly life is to live with the knowledge of the dignity, wisdom, dedication and talent (or ability) of the Father.  It means that we live in gratitude, not just for the momentary things he does for us, but for who he is, what he has and what he is doing in us all the time.  We submit to him in that gratitude and obedience to his Word, his will and his ways.

Godliness implies the idea of piety.  Piety is the reverence for God or devout fulfillment of religious obligations.  These obligations include all that the above definitions speak about and more.  Piety means we devoutly fulfill these obligations.  This means we do them in a way that shows deep feeling and commitment.  This is a picture of a consistent walk in line with those things that are a part of our Christian experience.  Different churches may define this in different ways, but as long as those things are not opposed to the principles of the Word of God, we should apply piety to them.  In so doing we cultivate a lifestyle of Godliness.

I had a dear minister friend who is now in heaven who defined Godliness as God-centeredness and Godlikeness.  That always stuck with me.  How much am I striving to be like God and how much is he at the center of my life.  I believe an examination of those parameters will help to determine how much godliness is working in me.

In 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Paul tells us to pray for all people but especially those who are in authority.  This can be a real trial when those in authority behave in ways we do not agree with.  However, that is nothing new.  Governments have been out of sync with Godliness throughout history.  The thing we must remember is that Paul is not saying to pray for them so they behave the way we want them to.  He says we should pray so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.  Paul has more to say to Timothy later in the chapter.

1 Timothy 2:9-10 (NKJV) ⁹  in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, ¹⁰  but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works

While it is true that this passage is referring to women, godliness applies to all people.  He speaks here of the adornment that women professing godliness should focus on.  Although braided hair and jewelry might not apply to men professing godliness, propriety and moderation would. 

Propriety or modesty implies staying within the guidelines of accepted morality.  In this verse it is speaking of dress, but this would apply to any way in which we present ourselves to the world around us.  We can point to the fact that what is appropriate in society changes.  Nevertheless, what is appropriate biblically does not.  I am not talking about style here.  I am talking about standards that will point others to the Lord.  I am talking about clothing, behavior, language or any other way we may interact.  Do any or all of these things project an image that would cause people to be surprised we were Christians, or does our behavior speak godliness to our friends, neighbors and coworkers. 

The New King James Bible uses the word moderation.  I believe this can help us in determining how to behave.  As we look at the current standards of style, for example, are we moderate or do we tend towards the extreme.  Does our dress or behavior tend toward the vulgar in our culture.  Can you picture Jesus being pleased with your behavior?  Would you rush to change clothes if you were going to meet with him today?  Would you change the channel on the TV or close your internet connection if he walked in.  Give that some serious thought as you go out and about your day. 

The final thing that will help us live in godliness is to concentrate on doing good things that represent God’s goodness to the world around us.  Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38.)  Nothing would speak of godliness to our world in a greater way than if we did the same.

Paul has more to say to his son in the faith about godliness.  In 1 Timothy 6:10 Paul says godliness with contentment is great gain.  There were some who were trying to project a godly lifestyle to obtain wealth or position.  This is not a motivation that will work.  You may fool people, but you will never fool God!  Godliness with contentment can mean many things.  I believe it means being content with our relationship with God above all else.  As we read about Paul, we can see this was his view of life.  Many things happened to him but through them all he never doubted the depth of God’s love for him.  I will never be anything greater in life than God’s child and I will never have any riches greater than my eternal relationship with him.  That keeps my thinking in perspective.

In 1 Timothy 4:8 Paul speaks of two kinds of exercise.  He says bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for everything, both in this life and the next.  I must conclude that he is talking about exercising ourselves in godliness, since exercise seems to be the point of the sentence.  If we want to be godly, we must exercise godliness.  We must choose to do on purpose the things that we understand as godliness.  We need to exercise dedication, piety and right behavior.  We must actively remember that Jesus paid a great price for us and we are not our own.  If we add godliness to all the rest it will produce a consistency of living little else will.

Add to Your Faith: Perseverance

2 Peter 1:6 (NKJV) ⁶  to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,

Peter tells us that we have been given all things that we need to live life and to be Godly as we do.  We access all of this by believing the “great and precious promises” given us in the Word of God.  We have been adding things to our faith in these promises to optimize their effect on our daily living.  The result is that we will be useful and fruitful in life as well as in the Kingdom of God.  It also brings us closer and closer to a place where we will never stumble in our walk.  I believe this is worth pursuing.

So far, we have added virtue to faith, knowledge to virtue and self-control to knowledge.  You will notice that all of these are things we must choose to do.  There are inward realities to correspond to each one, but we access their power by making choices that reflect what God says we already are.  In that way the inward power is released into our outward.  This is not just about will power.  It is about using our will in ways that allows what is inside to help us live in the will and power of God.

The next thing we must add to our faith is perseverance or patience.  Sometimes we see perseverance as simply the ability to hold up under trials without too much complaining.  We may also see patience as the ability to wait for things when they are delayed.  I would say that perseverance is the power behind our ability to endure and wait when necessary. 

The definition of the Greek word gives us a great deal of insight.  It means cheerful (or hopeful) steadfastness, constancy and endurance.  In the New Testament it is the characteristic of a man who is not diverted from his purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.  We might say that perseverance is the attitude where we determine we will do what it takes to get the job done, not giving up no matter what. 

Patience also carries with it the idea of consistency.  One of the most important scriptures in the Bible that describes true patience is Philippians 4.

Philippians 4:11-12 (NKJV) ¹¹  Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: ¹²  I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

We often quote this to mean that we can do any great deed through Christ who strengthens us.  I believe there are many verses that do say that, especially if the deed is something God has asked us to do.  This is not one of them.  This is about patience and perseverance.  Paul says I can do all things by the power of God within me.  What he can do is be abased or abound, have plenty or not enough, be lifted up or put down by the power of Jesus who strengthens him.  He is talking about consistency.  He will continue to believe the same, act the same and walk in righteousness and holiness the same way no matter what happens outwardly.  The world needs to see people who know how to access that power.

Once again we find that there are fruits of the Spirit that correspond to the perseverance we must add.

Galatians 5:22 (NKJV) ²²  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.

In this case there are two.  Longsuffering is our ability to deal with trials or with difficult people.  We do not give up.  We do not complain (too much.)  We continue to work the situation until God brings a change.  Faithfulness deals more with that part of the definition that says we stay loyal and consistent believing God in the circumstance.  A faithful person comes to church when it is not convenient.  Continues to declare the goodness of God in difficult situations and is there when he or she is needed to do the work of the kingdom.  This is all part of adding perseverance to faith. 

The fruit of the Spirit are characteristics of the Holy Spirit that grow in us once we are born again.  They must be cultivated like any other fruit.  The more time we spend with God and his Word, the more these fruits will be evident in our lives providing an inner strength that we probably do not have on our own.  That being the case, what can we do to cause them to become a controlling factor in our behavior?

I believe we can find the answer by looking at James 1. 

James 1:2-4 (NKJV) ²  My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

James exhorts us to count it all joy when we fall into various trials.  This is not something God does.  The implied subject of the sentence is “you.”  You must count it all joy when you fall into diverse trials.  We all know that is not the normal reaction we usually have.  This is something that I struggle with at times.  I tend to count it all as disaster when I fall into difficult things.  The word translated trials in the New King James can also be translated temptations or as a proving.  All these things bring pressure into our lives. 

The fruits of longsuffering and faithfulness are there to help us in these times.  However, if we want to access them, pick them if you will, we must choose to add perseverance by counting these experiences as a reason for joy.  We are talking about decision.  I can choose how I will see things and how I see what happens to me will determine whether I endure to the end or quit. 

You may say, “That is just my personality.  I’m melancholy.  It is hard for me to see the positive.”  I have already confessed that I can be that way as well.  However, if I choose to rationalize the Word of God with that excuse, I can expect to continue in the testing, temptations and trials.  I can choose how I look at things in life.  Granted, this is easier for some than others. 

Why should I count it all joy?  How can I be like the definition above, going through the trial with cheerful or hopeful steadfastness?  The answer is in verses 3 and 4.  We count it joy because we know that the trying of our faith will put to work patience or perseverance if we let it.  We choose to see the problem through the eyes of joy being cheerful because we know that as we do, the fruit of patience, longsuffering and faithfulness will go to work inside of us.  The result will be that once patience or perseverance has done its job, we will be complete lacking nothing. 

In Hebrews 12 Jesus is called the author and finisher of our faith.  He is the one who is our example of perseverance.  He endured the cross even though he despised the shame of it.  He did it because he knew in the end, he would win a great prize.  Not the prize of deliverance from the trial alone.  The prize of a great defeat of Satan which would provide freedom for all mankind.  Nevertheless, he had to go through the cross to get to the joy.

I have found in life that sometimes our trials are caused by the opposition of the devil, sometimes by our own foolish actions and sometimes because God is asking us to endure something for a greater good.  In any case we need perseverance.  Jesus had to go through the cross.  We do not have to endure that praise God.  We may have to endure other things.  Perseverance keeps us consistent in our faith and loyalty to God.  In the end that is what produces the shortest time to victory.  We do not turn around nor back up but instead we continue to the ultimate victory in Christ.