“and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love” 2 Peter 1:7
December 12, 2025
Once upon a time millions of Americans tuned in to a television favorite, “All in the Family.” We discovered that things did not always go well with Archie Bunker, the father, and “Meathead,” the son-in-law. We will leave it at that. God has a different family. It is all believers in Jesus Christ with reflections of this in the local church. One of the standards for the local church “family” is the flourishing of warm affection for brothers and sisters in Christ. “Brotherly kindness” is found seven times in the NT. It is a fruit of our new life in Christ. We should expect to see a lot of it in our church family. How would you measure your fondness for fellow Christians? Our relationship with God is to be evident in our relationships with fellow believers. Interestingly, this is in contrast to the false teaches who deceive people (2:13, entice and do great damage to God’s people (2:1, 18). Brotherly kindness is seen in bearing one another’s burdens, forgiving shortcomings and failures. Unlike Archie and Meathead it works at harmony by refusing to speak evil of one another. It abhors prejudice and finds no humor in cutting remarks.
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Reflections: Do I know certain Christians I would like to avoid? What should I do about it?
Have I run away from a church when I am in the pits of sadness?
Do I see myself as a faith-builder and encourager to my brothers and sisters in Christ?