Brotherly Love

THIS grace so often inculcated and commended in the New Testament is of a heavenly origin. It does not grow naturally in the human heart. Its great incentive is God’s love to His people—”Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (I. John iv. 10, 11). Again, the disciples were commanded to love one another as their Lord had loved them (John xv. 10)—”A new commandment,” He says, “I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John xiii. 34, 35). The Apostle Paul in writing to the Thessalonians commends them for their brotherly love—”But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you; for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another and indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in Macedonia; but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more” (I. Thess. iv. 9, 10). It shone out clearly in the Christian life of the Ephesian believers and moved the Apostle to give thanks to God continually in his prayers on their behalf for their faith to the Lord Jesus and “love to all the saints” (Ephes. i. 15). The same effect was produced by the love which the Colossians had to all the saints (Col. i. 4). The Apostle recognised in the manifestations

of this brotherly love something that proclaimed clearly that the Holy Spirit was working mightily in the heart of these believers. Since there is so much stress laid on this grace by our Lord and His Apostles it will be for our advantage to examine what the Scripture says about (1) its origin; (2) its characteristics; and (3) some of its fruits.

1. The origin of brotherly love. Brotherly love, as already indicated, is not of earthly origin. The Apostle John in exhorting those to whom he is writing says: “Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God” (I. John iv. 7) and the Apostle Paul in writing to the Thessalonians is no less emphatic as to its heavenly origin when he says: “as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you; for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another” (I. Thess. iv. 9). The love commanded by our Lord to be exercised towards His people is a love that comes from God and every one who truly possesses it is born and taught of God. This is plainly the teaching of the Scriptures quoted above. In the day man sinned love to God and his neighbour, which is the fulfilling of the law, left his heart and nothing short of a divine work could restore it again. But when it is restored it will soon show itself. Brotherly love cannot hide itself for in the hearts of all those in which it dwells a great change has been wrought. (1) They are born of God. They are regenerated; made new creatures; old things have passed away behold all things have become new. (2) They are also taught of God. They have been taught that they are members of one family, Jesus Christ, their Lord, being their Elder Brother and as adopted members of that family they love one another. As it is of divine origin it clearly differs from any so-called brotherly love which has only an earthly origin and which is drawn out by dispositions or gifts that are purely of natural order. Let us fix this clearly in our minds that the brotherly love of the New Testament is implanted in the heart by the Holy Spirit.

2. Characteristics of brotherly love. “Whosoever believeth,” says the Apostle, “that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and every one that loveth Him that beget loveth him also that is begotten of Him” (I. John v. 1). These words indicate among other things that it is the new nature in God’s people that draws out the love of their brethren to them. It is not so much any likeableness of disposition nor gentleness of nature that makes its appeal to brotherly love but the grace in their hearts which so manifestly declares that they are the children of God. If brotherly love had to look at the natural dispositions of many of the Lord’s people it would have heavy work; for, sad to say, there are some true saints of God whose natural disposition is a continual source of trouble to themselves and others. But brotherly love has its eye cast on the graces which shine conspicuously in spite of all the unlovely and repellent characteristics of the natural disposition.

Further more “we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments” (I. John v. 2). In order that true brotherly love exist there must be (1) love to God and (2) keeping of His commandments. It is impossible to love the children of God unless we love their Father and keep His commandments. There is a spurious type of brotherly love, Satan’s counterfeit, which has appropriated the name of the heavenly grace of Charity and dragged its fair fame in the mud but this is not the brotherly love inculcated in the New Testament. It cannot exist where there is no love to God and “this is the love of God that we keep His commandments.” Brotherly love, therefore, will not be blind to the non-keeping of these commandments. And this brings us to notice another characteristic of brotherly love, viz., that it is quite compatible with rebuking sin in God’s people. Even in a family it would be a strange love that would see a brother acting unwisely, foolishly and thoughtlessly against his own best interests and those of his family and would never utter a word of protest. The idea has become to some almost an axiomatic truth that brotherly love must overlook the backslidings and shortcomings

of brethren but we have guidance from an unerring source as to our conduct in this matter. Perhaps none of the disciples gave more wonderful testimony to the Deity of the Son of God than Peter and we dare not doubt but Christ loved him yet none of them, with the exception of the Betrayer, got such a crushing rebuke—”Get behind me, Satan; thou art an offence unto me; for thou savourest not the things that be of God but those that be of men” (Matt. xvi. 23). Who will dare to say that this severe rebuke was incompatible with a love that was stronger than death. Paul’s love to the saints did not seal his lips when Peter acted contrary to the truth and in all the writings of the Apostles there is perhaps no more severe rebukes of sinful courses than we have in the Epistles of John, the Apostle of love, who wrote so impressively on this grace. One of the severest letters we remember reading was the one written by the saintly and gentle Robert Murray MacCheyne to Mr. Alexander MacNeill when he moved for the running of trains on the Sabbath for the first time in Scotland. So it is evident brotherly love is quite compatible with faithful dealing of erring brethren and stern denunciation of the ways of lawless men.

In administering necessary rebuke we are not forgetful that in some minds they see no distinction between mere censoriousness and faithful dealing with the erring. But the two are of different origins and their fruits are different. Censoriousness has not in view the improvement of the censured. In many cases it strikes to wound and drenches the whole course of nature with its poison. It is not so with faithful rebukes administered in brotherly love—”Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Provs. xxvii. 5, 6). The two then are quite distinct though some whose minds have got unaccountably mixed up are ready to call faithful brotherly dealing as “the religion of miscalling.” If there is such a religion the New Testament in the Gospels and the Epistles is very full of it. If it is true that it takes great grace to receive a rebuke in the right spirit it requires no less grace to give it for if our own temper

or selfish interests enter into it these are condemned by the warning: “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (James i. 20).

1. Some of the fruits of brotherly love. Where true brotherly love is it will not gloat with glee over difficulties that may beset a brother in this world. Such a spirit shows too plainly its origin and the place from whence it came. Love will not take advantage, like the world, to strike a blow when a suitable occasion arises for love worketh no ill to his neighbour (Rom. xiii. 10). It is willing to forgive injuries but it does not arrogate to itself the right to forgive sin, that belongs to God and to God alone. As an illustration of what brotherly love can do the following story may be told. A Maori who had been converted was present at a service where the Lord’s Supper was administered. The communicants had taken their places at the Table, he with the rest, when he noticed that the person sitting at the Table beside him was the man who killed his father in their heathen days. The blood lust was so strong that the Maori rose from the Table vowing vengeance in his heart against his tribesman. In his hot temper he was making away from the service when these words fell with commanding effect upon his heart: “Hereby shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye keep my commandments.” The words fell like oil on the troubled sea of his revengeful feelings and he returned to the service and sat down beside the man who had so cruelly injured him but who was now a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ! Brotherly love is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit and like all the Spirit’s fruits it is very beautiful and adorns the life of all those who exercise it.

To reprove a brother is like as when he has fallen to lift him up again; when he hath broken a bone to help set it; when he is fallen into the fire to pluck him out.—Matthew Henry.

Sermon.

Preached by Rev. JOHN MACLACHLAN, North Uist.

1. The way itself and its distinguishing characteristics.
2. The character of its travellers.
3. The mode of their journeying described.
4. The termination of their journey stated.

“Mount Zion stands most beautiful,
The joy of all the land.”—Ps. xlvii. 2.