What does it mean to love the brotherhood (1 Peter 2:17)?

All this however is to faith, for we are not yet in actual possession of the inheritance, and so the apostle describes those to whom he writes as "strangers and pilgrims." This shows that our portion is not in this world. A "stranger" is one who has not a home in the place where he finds himself; and a "pilgrim" is one who knows where his home is, and is going to it. Such is our position, as Christians, in this scene. We have no part in the governing or ordering of the vast system called the world; if we had, we should not be strangers. What, then, is our relation to things here, to the men of this world, and to God? The scripture already quoted answers the question. "Honour [margin "esteem"] all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king." In these four brief but pregnant sentences, we have our whole duty defined.

First of all as to our relation to men generally. Though converted, we are left for a longer or shorter period in this world, very often amid the same surroundings as in our unconverted days. In any case, we are constantly rubbing shoulder to shoulder with men who have their portion in this life. How are we to behave to such? The Word of God gives us a general principle to guide our conduct. "Esteem all men," it says. Naturally we are prone to go to one of two extremes, just according to our bent. Either we sink too much to the level of other men, or we are apt to 'assume an air of superiority, and act the Pharisee. Scripture points out a middle course, which, if adopted, would prove both a safeguard to ourselves, and a help to those who are at present outside. All earnest Christians, who desire to follow the Lord fully, have doubtless felt a difficulty as to their precise attitude towards worldly friends and neighbours. It is easy enough to treat people with cold indifference, to avoid them, or pass them by with only the slightest recognition. In doing so we can never hope to win them for Christ, nor do we give them an opportunity of seeing what Christianity has done for us. On the other hand, it is equally easy to form worldly acquaintanceship and fall under its influence, rather than, as the children of God, shining as lights in the world. But if we seek to carry into practice the injunction to "esteem all," we shall neither be looking down upon people, nor yet defiling our garments, but we shall be letting our light so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven.

Next we come to our own circle. "Love the brotherhood." How feebly we do it! At the best sometimes we make our own little circle, and are content. The words are not, however," Love a portion of the brotherhood," but "Love the brotherhood." If a person comes within the brotherhood, he should come within the circle of our love. Let us thank God there is a brotherhood to love. Sometimes it seems as though the word had dropped out of our vocabulary. We know what it is, it may be, to love those who are related to us according to the flesh, but do we think much and often about the "brotherhood?" Neither is it a clique, whose spiritual tastes or particular views of doctrine accord with our own. How apt we are to limit our love to these, and just tolerate the rest! In the abstract, certainly, the brotherhood must be taken to embrace all true believers, though in these days many, it is sad to say, may exhibit very few of the traits that belong to it.

A brotherhood marked by love! What an exhibition to the world of the power and influence of Christianity! Such it should be. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." If we have reached love, we have reached the life of God.

Christians are therefore to submit themselves to every institution of man for the Lord's sake. Peter points out, as Paul does, that the powers that be, whatever the character of those who may be holders of the power, are yet sent "for the punishment of evil-doers and the praise of those who do well." The mercy of being delivered in this way from the anarchy which would otherwise rule is a thing undoubted. Thus, it was the will of God that they should be subject in well doing, thus putting to silence the ignorance of foolish men; free indeed, not fettered by any constraint of this kind, while they recognized God's rule in all, most free when they were most fully the bondmen of God. Thus, also, they were to "honor all men," men as men, men in the character which God has given them as His creatures, men as the representatives of God. on earth, however far they might in fact have departed from this. How important to realize this honor to be given to manhood, even in the most utterly reprobate, this respect to be shown to that which they themselves do not respect; and how helpful as a spirit of recovery, such as God would use us for, thus to own something in all to which we may appeal, and by which we may, through God's grace working in it, raise them above themselves! If they have fallen, in fact, to beasts, they yet are not beasts; and the very penalty which they bring upon themselves is itself a witness of the higher destiny for which God meant them, and of that in themselves against which they are thus sinning. It is striking that in the midst of such thoughts (and with what relief of heart it comes!) the apostle reminds us here that there is now in God's goodness a brotherhood among men, originally fallen from God as these, yet now where the affections may go freely forth, and where manhood rises up to that which was God's original thought for it! Yet here also, as we know, we may, and do, find contradictory things which make an exhortation to "love the brotherhood" not without meaning. We are not just to love our own particular friends among these, or those bound to us by any narrower ties, or even those who approve themselves by their ways, however much we are called to give these special recognition; yet we are to "love the brotherhood," the children of God as such. If we love Him that begat, we shall love also those that are begotten of Him." But this is, as it were, a parenthesis in what is said here. The apostle returns to it to join together the fear of God and the honor due to the king. These two come, in fact, together. It is the fear of God which is shown in honoring those who are put in office by Him: "For the powers that be are ordained of God."*

The matter is tersely summed up in verse 17, and we find what becomes "the servants of God." As to all men — honour. As to the brotherhood, i.e., all believers — love. As to God — fear. As to the king, the representative of all human authority — honour. Carrying out this we do the will of God and silence foolish adversaries.

(V. 17). As to the social positions of the world, we are to be careful not to treat men with contempt or disdain. We are not to treat a poor man with disdain, nor a rich man with servility. We are to honour both. Very specially are we to honour all in that circle in which our happy lot is cast, the brotherhood which binds us together in Christian bonds. In this circle we can do more than honour, we can love one another.

Therefore, it is certainly the will of God that the believer, should, in subjection to Government, exhibit the well-doing becoming to his confession, so that foolish men, will have no ground for their ignorant accusations against him. For he is: free: he is not dependent on the government, though he respects it: he depends on God. And such liberty as this is not to be perverted into mere self-will, for it is actually liberty to please God as His willing servants. To honor all is to have proper respect for them as those whom God has created. To love the brotherhood is of course to love the saints of God as brethren, a far nearer relationship than that of creatures of God. " Fear God" is a firm, decided command. This involves standing in awe of His greatness, His glory, His holiness, giving Him His place of absolute supremacy and dignity. And lastly, to honor the, king is to give him the respect due to his position: it is honoring authority, not merely the person who holds it.

The loving of one's brother is of course the loving of each and all who equally with ourselves are begotten of God. It is the love of the divine nature, extended to each who has entered the divine family, — loving children of God as children of God, apart from all human likes or dislikes.

"Brother-loving" is a plain call, as belonging to the same family of God. Are we not to love them personally beyond our affection to our natural kin, as the bond is deeper and of divine nature and everlasting? Assuredly the enemy strives continually to bring in contention and misunderstanding, and every other means of hindrance; but the duty is as incontestable as the relation. How it is to be exercised depends on each case, for which we need the word and Spirit of God. For as John clearly shows, it is no mere human impulse and must not clash with the truth of God or with obedience.

The paragraph ends with a pointed and pregnant conclusion: — "Honour all, love the brotherhood, fear God, honour the king." The form of the first honouring is not the same as the last expression of the act: done when called for, not the habitual doing it. The Christian should not fail to remember that man was made as none other in the image of God. He alas! when fallen is prone to forget what rebukes his manifold inconsistencies.

Loving the brotherhood is a constant duty; but the love takes a shape according to their state. No Christian is called to love carnality or worldliness; nor yet a schismatic way, nor the heretical or sectarian, but to turn away from the one, and to have no more to do with the other after a first and second admonition, however once perhaps honoured in God's service. Love would take pains with those guilty of lesser faults, admonishing the unruly, comforting the faint-hearted, sustaining the weak, and patient toward all. It is the very reverse of either self-seeking or indifference, of independency in any shape.

Then how necessary to cultivate habitually the fear of God! There is nothing right where this fails. The holy fear of God shuts out every dishonouring fear of man, and all tormenting fear of God. We know His majesty, His holiness, and His righteous character; and we know also that He loves us beyond a father's love, with the perfection of the Son's Father. May we all deepen in our fear of Him!

The divine nature being in every believer, we cannot help but love one another. But we also have the flesh within us, hence the need for the exhortation, “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love” (Rom. 12:10). We are not asked to love the flesh in our brethren, but we are to love the brethren because they are brethren, and in spite of all their weaknesses. The exhortation in Hebrews 13:1 is “Let brotherly love continue.” Amidst the trials through which the Hebrew Christians had been passing there was ample opportunity for expressing their care and affection for one another, and it had been shown, so that the exhortation is for its continuance.

That is the pattern of it, but it is "one toward another," and "toward all." We never find it stated that Christ loved the world, or that God loved the church, because this latter refers to the relationship of Christ and the church, His body and His bride. When it speaks of "love as brethren," it is again the love of relationship.