Brotherly Love

The word of the Lord speaks of loving one another with brotherly affection. The Hebrew word for brotherly love is Phileo. It is a love that signifies friendship, fondness, affection, delight, and personal attachment. Phileo is also the word for kiss. So for a man to kiss another man based on Phileo love, it is referred to as a holy kiss in the bible. When we are devoted to loving each other in this way, it could start a chain of positive effects not only on others but within ourselves we build a strong foundation for our faith to work more vibrantly. Agape love is the love of God. This love is unconditional, meaning it can take a lot of abuse and not be affected to change its stance of love. As Christians we are the salt of the earth. We are the preservatives of this world. But if our saltiness (our preservative qualities) becomes less, so does our effectiveness to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. To love with brotherly affection as if we’re all members of one family is the way of Phileo love. This is the love we should exemplify while working together in the church amongst each other, without the bickering, backbiting, and discord. Keeping in step with Phileo means practicing it everyday. Dealing with the persecutions, offenses, and disrespect but still holding our position with Phileo love concerning our family in Christ. To honor one another above ourselves, is a sure shot for humility and Phileo love.