“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; and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more;” (1 Thessalonians 4:9-10).
1 Thessalonians 4:9 opens a subsection of this letter that contains various exhortations to Godly living in a number of areas of life. The first is related to brotherly love among the people of God.
In the original language of this passage, the term “brotherly love” is translated from the Greek word philadelphia. “Philadelphia” in turn is derived from the ancient Greek word phileo, a word that means, to approve of, to like, to treat affectionately or kindly, to welcome, befriend. (1)
Phileo describes the type of love that can be found among those who share a common interest. For example, when a group of close friends get together for a time of social interaction, the affection, acceptance, fondness, and camaraderie that exists among them is often reflective of this type of love. Other synonyms that can be used to describe the idea of phileo include words such as fraternity, community, and brotherhood.
Since human love is sometimes tainted with the qualities of selfishness, manipulation, and/or self-gratification, phileo probably represents the purest expression of love that most people will ever experience outside a relationship with God in Christ. On the other hand, love for one another (even those who differ from us) is a characteristic that should serve to identify the people of God.
In a world that often recognizes (and enforces) the rigid separation of those who hold different viewpoints, cultural observances, and political opinions, the unity that Christians experience as members of the body of Christ is greater than any characteristic that might divide us. We could also say the same of differences in wealth, social status, personality type, emotional makeup, or any of the other dissimilarities that individual Christians might possess.
For the man or woman of God, the defining qualities of love given to us in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 serve to guide and direct the choices and decisions we make in our relationships. And when it comes to the expression of brotherly love, it’s difficult to improve upon the counsel given to us in the New Testament book of Ephesians…
“Be humble and gentle in every way. Be patient with each other and lovingly accept each other. Through the peace that ties you together, do your best to maintain the unity that the Spirit gives” (Ephesians 4:2-3 GW).
(1) G5368 phileo Thayer’s Greek Definitions https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?t=kjv&strongs=g5368