Effective Series: Philadelphia

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection..." (2 Peter 1:3-7)

When addressing the 1st Century/New Testament Church, the writers (Paul, Peter, etc.) tend to address them (and us) as brothers and sisters. It's a nice gesture, a way to signify that we're apart of a family—God's family. But it's also so much more than a gesture. It's a piece of our identity that we would do well to consider. We won't fully understand what it means to be a family, the body of Christ, until we get to Heaven; but if we can develop a Bible-backed concept of this family, it will do wonders for our effectiveness while we're on Earth. Once we've developed an idea of what this family looks like, it's easier to apply what the Word says about how we ought to conduct ourselves among believers. I'll give a hint: love's got something to do with it.

Brothers and Sisters in and with Christ

This concept of brotherhood/sisterhood in Christ is one that I've been focused on personally for quite some time. We throw the phrase "brothers and sisters in Christ" around often, but I believe there's intention behind its use in the Bible and there ought to be intention in the way we think about it and respond to it. I believe a good place to start is to recognize that we're not only brothers and sisters to one another in Christ, but it's often said and implied in the Word that we're actually siblings with Christ—granted that we've accepted Him as Lord and Savior and thus have the Spirit of God residing in us.

"For He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why He is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters." (Hebrews 2:11)

"For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be firstborn among brothers and sisters." (Romans 8:29)

"And looking about at those who sat around Him, He said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.'" (Mark 3:34-35)

These are just a few instances in which we are directly related to Christ as brothers and sisters, there are many more in which the authors call us brothers and sisters, themselves. The important piece here is that we are indeed brothers and sisters in Christ and with Christ. This is significant, not just because it's true, but again it's a piece of our identity that we need to be aware of and embrace. Without this understanding, that we are all children of God and siblings of Christ, we risk operating in a manner that isn't conducive to a God-honoring lifestyle or reputation. I won't go into it here, but Romans 7:7-8:17 provide some great context for this. What I want to focus on is what this means for our relation to one another.

Brother From Another Mother

"A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24)

I have two younger brothers and a bunch of cousins who I consider to be brothers and sisters; this is indicative of the closeness of our relationships and of how we grew up. Most of my cousins were either born outside the States or lived outside the States. But for a few seasons, some of them lived and grew up with me and my brothers. When they moved out, it was to towns or cities nearby, so we'd go and see them (or they'd come to visit us) what felt like every weekend. For the cousins who live overseas, the visits were much less frequent, but they were regular (once every few years) and this was more than often enough to create memories and develop relationships with them.

If you were to ask me about my life, it's highly unlikely that I wouldn't at least briefly mention my brothers or cousins—I talk about them fairly often, even unprompted (ask my roommates). These folks are as close to me as anyone, and we all do what we can to care for one another. We call, we share memories, we send funny TikToks and Reels, and we give each other just as much advice as we do a hard time. I was blessed to have these relationships come from blood relation; I know this isn't the case for everyone, but what I believe to be important here is that most of my "siblings" aren't technically siblings, and still you couldn't say otherwise if you saw us together.

I'd say the same about the boys that I live with now and many of the friends I've made in college. What's beautiful about these friendships is that they were developed with the Bible as our common ground. Because of our individual devotions to Christ and community, we've been able to create memories and to care for one another. It feels a lot like the community described in Acts 2:42-47. We meet often just to hang out and play games or have to deep discussions. Some of us share funny TikToks and Reels, and we give each other just as much advice as we do a hard time. I believe this is more than possible for us all, but it requires a commitment to loving as Christ called us to do so.

What Brotherly Love Looks Like

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful...

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near. For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgement, and fury of fire that will consume the adversaries...It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:19-31)

I could lay out Scripture after Scripture which points us to community and upright conduct (Proverbs 27:17, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 , 2 Timothy 2:14-26, Colossians 3:1-17, Romans 12:1-14:23 1 Corinthians 5:9-6:20, Hebrews 10:19-31, 1 Timothy 4:12, 1 John 2:4-6, 2:28-3:24, etc.), and some day I will, but what's consistent throughout Scripture is that love among brothers looks like correction and encouragement in Christ. There are many different ways to love different people, but as Christians—short of sacrificing our own lives (John 15:13)—there's no greater way to love one another than to hold each another to a proper standard and model that standard for one another. It seems as though Scripture points to brotherly love as something like "conduct and encouragement which leads another toward eternal life in Christ."

This makes sense, love is why we share the Gospel in the first place; but the standard we hold non-believers to is inherently different than that which we hold our brothers and sisters in Christ to (I wrote about this in a recent entry: "Just a Thought: Judgement"). It's important to remember that even those who've come to know Christ need corrections and reminders every once in a while, we know this. But it's vital that we don't grow complacent in our " Christian friendships," in our brotherhood and sisterhood. No one else will urge you so strongly to remember eternity or to live a life that's constantly running toward Christ and against culture. And to notice a brother or sister slipping without saying a thing about it is among the most dishonorable things one can do in this life.

Our job, as it pertains to other believers, is to ensure that we are supporting each other in this marathon—we can't live this life by ourselves. So make every effort to find some believers around you (through church or other ministries) who are willing to hold you accountable and to be accountable to you. Encourage one another to constantly seek Jesus. Share in one another's victories and sufferings. If we wish to be effective in our in our individual callings, we have to remember that community is where that happens. This is just a scratch on the surface of what it looks like to love one another. This will look different based on your context, I couldn't possibly lay out what love looks like in every single situation (maybe I get closer some day); but I can live it and surround myself with people who do the same.

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

Be blessed.

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