"Equipped with Brotherly Kindness in Christ" Wednesday of Lent 5 2025
09. April 2025
Lent 5 Midweek
2 Peter 1:2-11 - Brotherly Kindness
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Pe 1:10–11)
This is the Word of the Lord that came to me, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in His + Name. AMEN.
During this Lenten season, we have learned many virtues granted to us by God the Holy Spirit to overcome the old Adam and its passions and lusts. Attached to the promised gift of " all things that pertain to life and godliness” is the blessing of participating in godliness and being fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Whether it is knowledge, self-control, godliness, endurance, or, today, brotherly kindness, these virtues preserve Christian faith toward God and love for one another. The Apostle, through the Spirit, promises that those who are diligent in these virtues will never stumble and will enter into the eternal kingdom of Jesus, richly provided for you.
Calling one another “brothers” seems odd to us in this age of gender-neutral language. You don’t call women “sir” or a sister “brother.” Many Bible translations have capitulated and add “hu” to “man,” “and sisters” to “brothers,” or swap “children” for “sons.” We don’t need to go into all the theological sabotage this brings now. Yet, a good and beautiful virtue like φιλαδελφία, brotherly kindness or affection, can also get wrecked in the process. So, let's set the record straight.
The term φιλαδελφία, brotherly kindness, first pertains to a physical brotherhood, that is, flesh and blood. Think Jacob and Esau, Simon and Andrew, or James and John. But in a more general sense, it refers to affection for those of the spiritual brotherhood. Here, think of “fellow Christians” or “Christian brothers.” Both men and women in the church are collectively the brotherhood as we’re also each a son of God by Holy Baptism. The band of the disciples always included women in the outer circles. Luke speaks of the Christian community as “brothers” thirty times in Acts. Paul does so 130 times in his Epistles. This follows the Old Testament practice, echoed in OT quotes in the NT (Acts 3:22; 7:37; Heb 2:12; 7:5) but also directly from Jesus (Mt 5:22ff, 47; 7:3ff; etc.) The congregation gathered to hear Christ are called brethren (Mt 23:8; Lk 22:32).
The specific relationship of the brotherhood is that of love, φιλαδελφία, brotherly kindness. Consider then what the Apostle John writes, “He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” Then, he goes on to describe specific members of the brotherhood and calls them to repentance for faith and love.
“I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one” (1 Jn 2:9–14).
When Peter exhorts us to add brotherly kindness to our godliness, this leads to love. And love is not abstract but concrete and real. It speaks the truth to call brothers to repentance, calling them out of darkness into the light of Christ. We’ll hear more about the gift of love next week on Holy Thursday. Thus, in his first epistle, Peter instructs the whole church (including women and children) in this way: “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing” (1 Pe 3:8–9). Later, he says, “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart” (1 Pe 1:22).
The encouragement to be attentive to faith and love in specific ways made you squirm this season. We get uncomfortable in those particular ways because we have long believed that while faith and love are necessary, they do not have a particular shape and pattern. We have been deceived into thinking that faith is a private matter between us and God and that love is a general attitude towards others, some more, some less. Then Christ in His preaching and the Apostles in theirs are quite detailed in their lists of virtues and often give specific examples within the congregation and world.
The Roman church falsely accused the first generation of Reformers of this same thing. Over and over, then and now, Rome writes, preaches, and tweets that Luther and his students are undisciplined children at best and rank idolaters at worst. In fairness, some “Lutherans” have taken the freedom of the Gospel and abused it for lawlessness, licentiousness, and ungodliness. Gender-neutral language is far from the worst abuses. We have to take great pains to distance ourselves from those who openly reject the authority of the Scriptures, twist and mangle what Jesus says, and ignore what we believe, teach, and confess.
For example, the Augsburg Confession has an entire article on the discipline of fasting (AC XXVI). At the outset, we confess that mandatory ceremonies, orders, holy days, and fasting are contrary to the chief part of the Gospel. “The Gospel should stand out as the most prominent teaching in the Church, in order that Christ’s merit may be well known and faith, which believes that sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, be exalted far above works” (AC XXVI, 4). How very Lutheran!
Then, Melancthon describes how traditions can also obscure God’s commandments when given greater importance than the Word. And finally, these many traditions brought a burden on the conscience since no one could keep them all, despite being considered necessary. That sounds like the Pharisees, with their 613 laws, 365 negative commands, and 248 positive ones. You can hear Jesus in Matthew 15:9, “In vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Or perhaps Paul in Colossians 2:16, “Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to … a Sabbath.” So, then, how you confess, pray, act, or any other piety doesn’t matter, right? You already know that to be false since Peter commended “godliness/piety” to you last week. And our Confessions agree.
Our adversaries object by accusing our teachers of being against discipline and the subduing of the flesh. Just the opposite is true, as can be learned from our teachers’ writings. They have always taught that Christians are to bear the cross by enduring afflictions. This is genuine and sincere subduing of the flesh, to be crucified with Christ through various afflictions. Furthermore, they teach that every Christian ought to train and subdue himself with bodily restraints, or bodily exercises and labors. Then neither over-indulgence nor laziness may tempt him to sin. But they do not teach that we may merit grace or make satisfaction for sins by such exercises. Such outward discipline ought to be taught at all times, not only on a few set days. Christ commands, “Watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness” (Luke 21:34). Also in Matthew 17:21, “This kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting.” Paul also says, “I discipline my body and keep it under control” (1 Corinthians 9:27). Here he clearly shows that he was keeping his body under control, not to merit forgiveness of sins by that discipline, but to keep his body in subjection and prepared for spiritual things, for carrying out the duties of his calling. Therefore, we do not condemn fasting in itself, but the traditions that require certain days and certain meats, with peril of conscience, as though such works were a necessary service. (AC XXVI, 30-39)
And more broadly, we speak of all the virtues, bodily and spiritual, elsewhere.
Peter speaks of works following the forgiveness of sins and teaches why they should be done. They should be done so that the calling may be sure, that is, should they fall from their calling if they sin again. Do good works in order that you may persevere in your calling, in order that you do not lose the gifts of your calling. They were given to you before, and not because of works that follow, and which now are kept through faith. Faith does not remain in those who lose the Holy Spirit and reject repentance. As we have said before (Article XII 1), faith exists in repentance. (Ap XX, 90)
The Holy Spirit dwells in the elect, who have become believers, as in His temple [1 Corinthians 6:19]. He is not idle in them, but moves God’s children to obey God’s commands. Therefore, believers, too, should not be idle, much less resist the work of God’s Spirit. They should practice all Christian virtues, in all godliness, modesty, temperance, patience, and brotherly love; and they should give all diligence to make their calling and election sure. They should do this so that the more they find the Spirit’s power and strength within them, they may doubt their election less. For the Spirit bears witness to the elect that they are God’s children (Romans 8:16). (FC Ep, XI, 73-74)
As we have now learned this Lent, God has called us into faith through His Son. His Spirit preserves us through godly virtues. In this way, we are equipped for every good work manifest in brotherly kindness leading to love for one another. You have escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. You are neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And by His giving, you already have everything you need that pertains to life and godliness. And you will never be made to stumble, for so your calling and election are made sure.
This is the Word of the Lord that came to me, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in His + Name. AMEN.
Rev. Christopher R. Gillespie
St. John Ev. Lutheran Church & School - Sherman Center
Random Lake, Wisconsin
