Topic:
In Christ (Part 22)
Text Of Interest:
“But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the
general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and
to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to
Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that
speaketh better things than that of Abel.”
Heb 12:22 – 24 (KJV)
And for sure you can’t be godly
without being kind and not just being kind but brotherly kindness if not, it
amounts to hypocrisy. Therefore, believers are admonished by Apostle Peter to
add to their godliness, brotherly kindness. The term brotherly kindness can be
substituted or translated as brotherly affection, Christian love and something
like loving and enjoying other believers. In other words it means that
friendliness that expresses a warm heart of love that is established on a
factual sincerity. This brotherly affection is void of any negative intent,
whether in preclusion or exclusion before the expression is carried out. It is
a wholehearted activity sourced out of the knowledge who/what one has become in
Christ and as a result unleashed to the recipient. And, if it is void of negative
intents, it means is altruistic in nature and does not in any way expect
something in return. This shows that brotherly kindness is not originating from
the human mind but it is of divine that is why it doesn’t require or expect
anything in return.
In discussing this subject I like to
use this expression that brotherly kindness is, loving and enjoying other
believers which actually typifies what it stands. Loving and enjoying other
believers, means establishing a relationship that is void of greed, envy and
strife. Which means that when other believers are prospering in their
endeavors, you are the one to start appreciating God because of them; not
wanting that such should have happened to you first. It also means that when
other believers are in a situation, you should be the one with or without their
consent seeking the face of God in prayers and fasting selflessly and not the
other way round of mocking and being happy about what they are going through.
Therefore, brotherly kindness is very
essential in the life of the believer because it polishes the life of godliness
in a believer. Godliness is an act of piety, which every believer notices in
the life of a believer as an act of worship to God, but if carried out without
brotherly kindness it becomes a mere show or egocentric activity.Take for
instance, if brother in the church is going through tough times and hardly have
the basic three square meals a day, the tendency is there that other brethren
should help and up his life. Though, this help is not an obligation but on the
other hand is a necessity laid on the believers to take care of, as a result
there is no room for them to abdicate from it because the person in question is
among them. In expressing brotherly kindness, giving is required, what defines
the act of giving here is the motive behind the act, if you give selflessly it
becomes an act of brotherly kindness and if it is otherwise it becomes and
otiose gesture that doesn’t have any spiritual content.
Brotherly kindness involves the
believer’s demonstration of compassion and affection towards other people and
mostly towards the brethren who are of the same house hold of faith. In the
house hold of faith, no believer is required to carry his burden alone, because
among the brethren the attitude or character of brotherly kindness in embedded
in them by the Holy Ghost who has sealed all as one in Christ. Therefore, what
touches one also touches all. No believer looks away from the sufferings of the
fellow believer even the sufferings of outside people, because he has been
created in Christ to be that way, the tendency to help in order to alleviate
situation is there, and he does that freely and willingly without making it a
big deal.This is because he isn’t the one doing it but God through showing
kindness and relief in the life of others and that he should acknowledge, and the
earlier he does acknowledge that, the better it is for him, (Philippians 2:13).
Interestingly, like I said earlier,
the demonstration of brotherly kindness must be depended on what the motive
behind the act is. The motive qualifies it to either be an act of brotherly
kindness or an act or curling and garnering favour and using it to seek an
opportunity to be positioned for certain social benefits. In this case, it is
no longer brotherly kindness because brotherly kindness is done without
expectation of anything in return from any human. The demonstration of the act
of kindness with the motive of expecting something in exchange for the kindness
is not Holy Ghost motivated kindness and therefore, it is called dead works
because such do not have spiritual value. The doer of such kindness receives
his reward from man here on earth and the rewards are nothing but perishable
things that will be there today and tomorrow are gone but
that which is Holy Ghost motivated is rewarded in the eternity and has eternal
value. (Luke 14:13-14, 1 Cor. 3:13-15)
To be continued…..
Till I come your way again, keep on
basking in the Arena of Indubitable Truth!
Chukwuemeka C. Asiegbu
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