“But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another…“
Chapter three introduced us to the subject of Christian love. Now Paul develops the subject in more detail.
“And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints” (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13).
But concerning brotherly love
The words “but concerning” introduce the new topic of “brotherly love.” Sex sins are self-centered. Love is others-centered.
“Brotherly love” is the Greek term philadelphia. Phila is friendship love, and adelphia is brothers. Christians should carry friendship love for their brothers and sisters in Christ. This Greek word for love means rapport love, reciprocal love. Christians experience warmth when they meet other Christians.
“Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another…” (Romans 12:10).
“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 Peter 1:22).
“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous…” (1 Peter 3:8).
“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (2 Peter 1:5-7).
“Let brotherly love continue” (Hebrews 13:1).
you have no need that I should write to you,
There is no need for humans to teach about reciprocal love because this love is natural amongst believers.
for you yourselves are taught by God
God teaches believers innately that they are to love one another. Christians intuitively know that they are to love other Christians.
to love one another
The New Testament commands us to love one another thirteen times. The word “love” here is a different word for love than in the first phrase of this verse. The word here is a self-sacrificing love produced by the Holy Spirit.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
Principle:
There is a supernatural compulsion to love fellow believers.
Application:
God Himself teaches us to love one another with a divinely implanted determination to love other Christians.
