To brotherly affection, love

“To piety, brotherly affection; and to brotherly affection, love” 2 Peter 1:7

As for affection, according to the dictionary, it is a benevolent disposition in favor of a certain object,
which uses service, effort and flattery.
On many occasions in his Word, the Lord exhorts us to:
let's live in unity
Phil 1:27 I only ask that you live worthily, as the good news of Christ teaches. Because, whether I go to see you
or not, I want to be sure that you all live very united and that you agree on everything, and that
you fight together to announce the good news.
let's be of the same mind
2Co 13:11 That's all, dear brothers. I say goodbye to you, asking you to be happy. Try to be better. Listen to me.
Agree with each other and live in peace. And the God who loves us and gives us peace will be with you.
let us honor our brothers in Christ
Rom 12:10 Love one another as brothers, and always respect each other
Gal 6:9 So let us not get tired of doing good because, if we continue doing it, God will reward us in due time.
Gal 6:10 Whenever possible, let us do good to everyone, but especially to the followers of Christ.

IT IS NOT ABOUT SHOWING OUR AFFECTION ONLY FOR A LITTLE GROUP OF BROTHERS.
It is a blessing to know the testimony of other believers and rejoice with them how the Lord reached
us, how we were transformed and how the Lord continues to work in us. May the Lord help us take
care of each other and see to the needs that each member suffers.

There are different types of love, EROS, FILOS AND AGAPE

The Greek word used to describe it is “Agape”, it is selfless love, which gives everything in exchange
for nothing, this type of love has a divine origin. God has given it to us, through the Spirit
Holy, at the moment we receive His Son as our Savior (Romans 5:5).
FRATERNAL AFFECTION: Philadelphia.
From the name of a city in Asia Minor mentioned in Revelation in the New Testament. The city's name
means "brotherly love", from the Greek φιλεω (phileo) "to love" and αδελφος (adelphos) "brother".
Greek word Philadelphia: Brotherly love, affection between brothers, affection of brotherhood
towards one's neighbor. It drives us to a healthy coexistence with others. Essential state that
every Christian must embrace and extend to others. Constructive coexistence. It has to do in
part with Filial Love. It leads us to value a person's soul and avoids damaging the harmony and
peace between us.
It is shown in practical actions, it is not doctrine, it does not remain a nice message.
WHAT IS BROTHERLY LOVE?

This expression literally refers to the affection one feels for one's family or for a close friend. So it's not
that true Christians should love each other as if we were brothers. It's just that we are brothers. Paul
said: “In brotherly love have tender affection for one another. In showing honor to one another, take
the lead” ( Romans 12:10 ). These words show that the love we feel for our brothers must be very
strong. If we have brotherly love and Christian love, we will be good friends and we will be very united.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO LOVE EACH OTHER AS BROTHERS?
The most important reason why we should love each other as brothers is that Jehovah
commands us to do so. We cannot love Jehovah if we do not love our brothers ( 1 John 4:7,
20, 21 ).
Another reason to love each other as brothers is that we need each other, especially when
there are problems. When Paul wrote to the Hebrews, he knew that soon after many would
have to flee and leave everything behind. Jesus had warned that these would be very difficult
times ( Mark 13:14-18; Luke 21:21-23 ). Before those times came, Christians needed to love
each other even more ( Romans 12:9 ).
HOW CAN WE SHOW THAT WE LOVE EACH OTHER AS BROTHERS?

The apostle Paul mentioned some ways in Hebrews chapter 13 .

Heb 13:1 Always love one another, as brothers in Christ.

Heb 13:2 Do not forget to welcome people who come to your homes, because in this way many people, without
realizing it, have received angels.
Heb 13:3 Be concerned about your brothers who are in prison and about those who have been mistreated.
Think about how you would feel if you were in the same situation.
Heb 13:4 Everyone should consider marriage very valuable. Husband and wife must be faithful to each other,
because God will punish those who have forbidden sexual relations and are unfaithful in marriage.
Heb 13:5 Do not live worried about having more money. Be content with what you have, because God has said
in the Bible: "I will never leave you helpless."

Do not forget hospitality ( Hebrews 13:2 ). What does it mean to be hospitable? It literally means
being kind to strangers. This may remind us of something Abraham and Lot did. The two were
gracious in welcoming unknown visitors, and later learned that they were actually angels ( Genesis
18:2-5; 19:1-3 ). Paul mentioned these examples to the Hebrew Christians to encourage them to
show their love by being hospitable.

How can we show that we are hospitable? We can invite siblings to our house to eat or spend time
together. And when the traveling overseer and his wife visit our congregation, we can invite them
even if we don't know them very well ( 3 John 5-8 ). We don't have to have a big banquet or spend a
lot of money.

What we want is to encourage the brothers, not impress them. Also, let's not only invite those who can
return the favor in some way ( Luke 10:42; 14:12-14 ). Even if we are very busy, let's not forget to be
hospitable.

“Remember those who are in prison chains” ( Hebrews 13:3 ). When Paul wrote these words, he
was thinking of the brothers who were in prison for being faithful to Jehovah. Paul congratulated the
Hebrew Christians because they had compassion “on those who were in prison.” During the four
years that Pablo was imprisoned, some brothers who lived nearby helped him. But others lived far
away. How did they help you? Praying a lot for him.

Although this way is difficult, we can go to and help those people who are prisoners of drugs, alcohol,
depression, love disappointments, sadness, loneliness, abandonment, etc.

“Let marriage be honorable among all” ( Hebrews 13:4 ). Another way to show that we love our
brothers is by respecting marriage and avoiding sexual sins. For example, if we committed a sexual
sin with a brother or sister, we would do great harm to that person and his or her family. Furthermore,
we would damage the trust between us and our brothers. Let's also think about how a sister would
feel if she discovered that her husband watched pornography. Would she feel that he loves her and
respects her marriage? Surely not.

“Be content with present things” ( Hebrews 13:5 ). If we trust in Jehovah, we will be content with
the things we have. But what is the relationship between being happy and loving your brothers? If we
are happy with what we have, we will know that brothers are much more important than material
things or money. We will not criticize the brothers or complain about how life is going for us. Nor will
we envy others or desire to have more and more things. On the contrary, we will be generous people.

“We can be of good cheer” ( Hebrews 13:6 ). If we trust in Jehovah, we will have courage and
courage to endure serious problems and be positive. This attitude will allow us to encourage and
console the brothers. This way we will show that we love them. If we trust in Jehovah, we will also
have courage and courage when the great tribulation comes, because we will know that he will soon
deliver us.

“Remember those who take the lead” ( Hebrews 13:7 ). Those who work hard for the congregation
and take time to serve it. That is why we must have a “more than extraordinary regard for them in love
for the sake of their work.” We must think about everything they do for us. If we do, we will be very
grateful to them and love them more. We don't want them to lose their joy or get frustrated by
something we do. On the contrary, we want to collaborate with them and obey them.

Heb 13:17 Obey your leaders, because they care for you tirelessly, and you
know that they are responsible before God for what happens to you. Try
not to cause problems, so that the work they do is pleasant and you can
help them.