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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.
2 Peter 1:5b-7
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
In this third message in this series, The Power of Spiritual Addition, we find two more items that Christian believers are to adopt, supplementing their faith. These are to be added to the five prior attributes which included moral excellence, knowledge, self control, perseverance, and godliness. Here’s the last two things we’re to strive for found in verse 7 of 2 Peter, chapter 1:
...and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.
Now, on the surface, these two might seem to be redundant but when we go to the Greek words for each, we see a distinct difference.
First, the Greek word that is translated “mutual affection” is “philadelphia”. In other Bible translations (NKJV, NLT, and ESV, for example) use the words “brotherly affection” for “philadelphia” and as you can see, this is where the United States city of Philadelphia derived its nickname, The City of Brotherly Love.
This mutual or brotherly affection is intended to relate to the feelings Christian believers should have for one another. It could also be worded “love for the brethren” alluding to the love that brothers (and sisters) in Christ share within the congregation of the saints. This verse calls Jesus followers to add this affection for each other to the previous traits.
Finally, we find the simple call to love but just like the Greek (philadelphia) for mutual or brotherly affection being of significant importance, so too is the word translated to love in this passage, the Greek word “agape”.
Of interest, there are four words in Greek that translate to the English “love” and “agape” is the strongest of the four. It is a sacrificial, unconditional form of love, one so strong that the person exhibiting it would be willing to surrender his or her life for the life of another.
We find the words of Jesus in the fifteenth chapter of John, the thirteenth verse, using love in this context when He said:
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are My friends if you do what I command. John 15:12-14
Derivatives of the word “agape” are used in both of the instances which tell us that Christian believers are to love one another as Jesus loved them and He loved them so much that He was willing to lay down His life for them. This is far beyond just brotherly affection. In fact, it takes it to a whole new level and that’s the point. The Lord wanted to end the list of spiritual additions with the most powerful one of all.
Friends, when we look at the Bible and the overarching salvation story, we see where self sacrificial love is at the center of it all.
God gave up His one and only Son Jesus out of His love for the world (John 3:16) and Jesus then willingly relinquished His life so that anyone who would believe in Him would be saved (Romans 10:13).
As believers, the scriptures are clear that we are to follow the lead of the Father and His Son in the way we live, adding the power of the love they have shown to the way we love one another.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
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