2 Pet. 1:3-7
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and 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 through 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, and brotherly affection with love.
Brotherly affection brings several thoughts to my mind. First, I think of the physical affection within the family unit. Not just for brothers but for siblings. Even though you would think that loving family members would be easy, not so. In the home, is where the true self is exposed. In some cases family members never talk or even have anything to do with one another. However, I think this passage refers to the affection that should exist between fellow believers. If a sibling is a believer, this should make the relationship even stronger by erasing some of the baggage that siblings carry around. Rom. 12:10 says, Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. The passage in Rom. 12 develops the marks or evidences of a Christian, what should be in his or her life. Beginning in v. 9, it says, Let love be genuine. This leads me to believe that the brotherly affection in v. 10 differs from the love in verse. 9.
The command to love with brotherly affection is stated is stated in such a way that it is all -inclusive. No exception exists! Christ died to enable us to be partakers of the divine nature, a nature that is most seen in love, love of the Father and love of the Son. Anything less than affection for our believing brothers is sin! This fact alone should make us examine our hearts. Are we loving them as we should? Or are we just ignoring certain brothers and sisters so as not to make waves? This affection must be genuine! God looks on the heart! We may be able to fool people but not God!
The Holy Spirit plays a big role in our having brotherly affection. Gal. 5:22-26 lists love as the first quality of the fruit of the Spirit, a Spirit who is resident within us to grow us in this love. But at the end of this passage is a verse that says, Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Yikes! Apparently these are common issues when brotherly affection is lacking. Conceited about what? Maybe spiritual gifts or prominence in the church leadership. It could also be financial blessing which is obvious in a better house, clothes, or even advantages for children. Eph. 4:32 says, be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Would there be a need for the command if we were kind, tender, and forgiving all the time? No, it is command because this is our horrible potential apart from the Spirit.
Then I think of the 'put off' and 'put on' passages. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. This is our new life in Christ! Obviously, this command for brotherly affection calls for our putting to death what is earthly in us: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry...But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices. And why? We must put off the old self in order to put on the new!
2 Pet. is exactly this! It is a listing of what our new self looks like. Have I forgotten that I was cleansed from my former sins? Do I live in the reality of of the evidences or marks of a Christian? Do I live in the reality of the indwelling Holy Spirit? God has given me His divine nature and His precious and very great promises. Am I living like a son, adopted into the family of God? Am I quick to obey what I read in His Word?
Father,
I confess holding on to some of the evil behaviors of my former self. Forgive me. Grant me Your strength, power, and grace that I might life in obedience to You. Help me, convict me. Whatever it takes, keep growing me.
In Jesus name,
Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment