Berean Studies: Ber06 - Brotherly Kindness (Brotherly Love)

Berean Studies / Ber06 - Brotherly Kindness (Brotherly Love)

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Single Click a triangle below to see the references CT Russell selected for the associated question. The study questions (with the references) are also included as an attached Adobe PDF file at the bottom of this page.

1. What is the ‘new commandment’ given by Christ to his disciples?

2. What is brotherly love?

3. Who are our ‘brethren’?

4. Why is the manifestation of brotherly kindness so necessary ?

5. Is it important that we observe the spirit as well as the form of our Lord's command?

6. Why do the Lord’s ‘brethren’ need no ‘outward passwords, grips or badges’?

7. How is our love for God measured by our love for ‘the brethren’?

8. Can we fellowship all ‘the brethren’ alike?

9. Should we always expect to have our manifestations of brotherly kindness received in the same spirit?

10. How are the comfort and peace of the Church dependent upon the manifestation of this grace?

11. How should brotherly love exercise itself in seeking opportunities for service?

12. How should brotherly love manifest itself ‘in honor preferring one another’?

13. How should we ‘consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works’?
Heb 10:24; F308 ś1, 2; R3536 col. 2 ś4

Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

F308 [ś1, 2]:
What a loving and beautiful thought is here expressed! While others consider their fellows to fault-find or discourage, or selfishly to take advantage of their weaknesses, the New Creation is to do the reverse--to study carefully each other's dispositions with a view to avoiding the saying or doing of things which would unnecessarily wound, stir up anger, etc., but with a view to provoking them to love and good conduct. And why not? Is not the whole attitude of the world, the flesh and the devil provocative of envy, selfishness, jealousy, and full of evil enticement to sin, of thought, word and deed? Why, then, should not the New Creatures of the Christ body not only abstain from such provocations toward themselves and others, but engage in provoking or inciting in the reverse direction-- toward love and good works? Surely this, like every admonition and exhortation of God's Word, is reasonable as well as profitable.

R3536 [col. 2, ś4]:
"Let us consider one another," said the Apostle-- consider one another's weaknesses, consider one another's trials, consider one another's temptations, consider one another's efforts to war a good warfare against the world, the flesh and the Adversary--consider one another's troubles in the narrow way against opposition from within and without, and as we do so it will bring to our hearts sympathy, a sympathy which will take pleasure in pouring out the spikenard perfume, very costly, purest and best, upon all who are fellow-members of the one body.

14. How will brotherly love exercise itself in ‘laying down our lives for the brethren’?

15. How should we manifest brotherly kindness toward the weaker brethren?

16. How will brotherly love sympathize with the more demonstrative brethren?

17. How should brotherly kindness deal with the self-seeking ?

18. How will brotherly kindness deal with brethren who lack self- control?

19. How should brotherly kindness seek to avoid ‘busy- bodying’?

20. How should brotherly love control the tongue?

21. How should brotherly love treat a slanderous report against an elder or other brethren?

22. How should the Church exercise brotherly kindness toward those who ‘walk disorderly’?

23. How should the elders exercise brotherly love in reproving the ‘unruly’?
R3211 col. 1 ś3; F300, 301

R3211 [col. 1 ś3]:
"Reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and doctrine." This part of the exhortation is not alike applicable to all; too many feel at liberty to reprove and to rebuke. Doubtless many need reproofs and many need rebukes, but how few are able to administer these to profit and not to injury! The Apostle addressed these words in a particular sense to Timothy as an experienced elder in the Church of Christ, and to some extent an overseer amongst the elders. It would be a great mistake to apply these words in general, and for each of the Lord's people to see to what extent he could administer reproofs and rebukes to his brethren. Rather should sympathy go out to such an extent that reproofs and rebukes would be avoided, except as duty, because of responsibility in the Church of God, should necessitate this. Even so experienced an elder and overseer as Timothy must see to it that his reproving and rebuking and exhorting should be done with all longsuffering--with patience, gentleness and forbearance, and with doctrine (2 Tim. 4:2); showing clearly wherein the principles of righteousness were infringed and pointing out distinctly the Word of the Lord concerning the same. This duty still rests upon those who occupy places of prominence in the Church to which they have in the Lord's providence been appointed; and in proportion as they are filled with the Lord's spirit of love and gentleness and meekness and patience and forbearance, they will strive to perform this delicate and unpleasant business of reproving and rebuking, where necessary, in most modest language and under the most favorable conditions.

F300 through F301--Admonishing Not a General Order
It would be a great mistake, however, to suppose that the Apostle, in using this general language to the Church, meant that every individual of the Church was to do such admonishing. To admonish wisely, helpfully, is a very delicate matter indeed, and remarkably few have a talent for it. The election of elders on the part of congregations is understood to signify the election of those of the number possessed of the largest measure of spiritual development, combined with natural qualifications to constitute them the representatives of the congregation, not only in respect to the leading of meetings, etc., but also in respect to keeping order in the meetings and admonishing unruly ones wisely, kindly, firmly. That this is the Apostle's thought is clearly shown in the two preceding verses, in which he says:

"We beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their works' sake. And be at peace amongst yourselves." 1 Thess. 5:12,13

If divine wisdom has been properly sought and properly exercised in the choosing of elders of a congregation, it follows that those thus chosen were very highly esteemed; and since novices are not to be chosen, it follows that these were appreciated and selected for their works' sake, because it was discerned by the brethren that they had a considerable measure of the holy spirit of love and wisdom and meekness, besides certain natural gifts and qualifications for this service. To "be at peace amongst yourselves," as the Apostle exhorts, would mean that, having chosen these elders to be the representatives of the congregation, the body in general would look to them to perform the service to which they were chosen, and would not attempt to take it each upon himself to be a reprover, or admonisher, etc. Indeed, as we have already seen, the Lord's people are not to judge one another personally; and only the congregation as a whole may exclude one of the number from the fellowship and privileges of the meeting. And this, we have seen, can come only after the various steps of a more private kind have been taken--after all efforts to bring about reform have proved unavailing, and the interests of the Church in general are seriously threatened by the wrong course of the offender. But in the text before us the Apostle exhorts that the congregation shall "know"--that is, recognize, look to-- those whom they have chosen as their representatives, and expect them to keep guard over the interests of the Church, and to do the admonishing of the unruly, up to the point where matters would be serious enough to bring them before the Church as a court.

24. How may we avoid judging one another as individuals ?

25. How should brotherly kindness be exercised toward brethren who have doctrinal ‘hobbies’?

26. What is the relation between brotherly kindness and ‘the unity of the faith’?

27. How should brotherly kindness deal with serious offenders in the Church?

28. By what rules are ‘false brethren’ to be judged?

29. What should be our attitude toward ‘siftings’ among the brethren?

30. What should be the attitude of all ‘true sacrificers’ toward each other and toward those who have left ‘the Holy’?

31. How does brotherly kindness apply ‘the Golden Rule’?

32. How should brotherly love exercise itself toward the special servants of the Church?

33. How should we exercise brotherly love toward our brethren still ‘in Babylon’?
R3541 col. 1 ś6- 8; R3566 col. 2 ś10- 13; F150 ś2

R3541 [col. 1 ś6-8]:
Let us rejoice with those who rejoice! Let us be glad to note every evidence of reform in heart or conduct! But let us remember that conversion is the beginning and not the end of the Christian life. If these converts are now of "the household of faith," let us greet them as such and congratulate them and hope for their growth in grace and knowledge to the point where they will be ready for the next step,--full consecration.

The privilege and responsibility for the instruction of these lies at our door; for alas! most other Christians through lack of development are unable to assist these into right paths of faith and hope, not having found these for themselves,--being still bewildered by the fog and smoke of the "dark ages." Let us be as wise and kind and helpful as possible along these lines; and let us pray for the wisdom from above promised in our year-text.

Meantime let us stand fast in our uncompromising but kindly opposition to Churchianity, "Babylon," and our loyalty to the One Church of many members of which Christ is the Head. While repudiating sectarian systems as of the Adversary, let us fellowship as brethren all who trust in the precious blood and are consecrated to his service --no matter how imperfectly they discern the truth--hoping for the fuller opening of the eyes of their understanding soon.

R3566 [col. 2 ś10-13]:
Every true Christian, that is every believer in the atonement, secured by the precious blood, who has consecrated his all to his Savior and is striving daily even though stumblingly to walk in his steps, has a duty toward the visible Church-- toward the fellow-members of the Church of Christ.

(1) He should recognize all such and that without partiality, loving and striving to serve them as "brethren" in deed and in doctrine.

(2) Should he find these "brethren" bound in sectarian "bundles" (Matt. 13:30) he should not join a "bundle" to please them and encourage them in their error; but standing fast in his liberty in Christ he should seek the deliverance of the "brethren." His duty is to lift up the standard and get the true wheat out of all the tare-bundles into the same liberty, in union with Christ, the only Head.

(3) If he cannot have full fellowship at first, he will be all the more in the position the Savior himself occupied before he got a faithful few delivered from Jewish bondage and error. He should be just as kind and helpful to opposing brethren as their wrong ideas and position will permit; and he should foster fellowship specially with those who more and more hear the voice of the Shepherd and come out of Babylon.

F150 ś2:
We have seen some of the Lord's consecrated people in a lean and starved condition--earnestly desiring a fulness of fellowship with him, yet lacking the necessary instruction as to how it should be attained and maintained. True, they had the Bible; but their attention was called away from that and they learned to look more to teachers and catechisms, etc., running after the traditions of men and not after the Mind or Spirit of God, and have, therefore, lacked the proper spiritual nourishment. The result has been that they have felt dissatisfied with formalism, and yet knew not how to draw nigh unto the Lord with their whole heart, because they knew not of his goodness and the riches of his grace in Christ Jesus, and of the grand plan of salvation for the world by and by, nor of the call of the Church to the New Nature. This starved condition needs, first of all, the pure, "sincere milk of the Word," and afterward the "strong meat" of the divine revelation. Such dear ones are not to be despised nor neglected even though, after realizing the emptiness of churchianity in general, they have been inclined to seek for something else to satisfy their heart-hunger--something of worldly entertainments, etc. We have known some of this class who had settled down to seeming indifference to spiritual things after having vainly tried in various directions to find some soul-satisfaction; but receiving "Present Truth" they blossomed forth in the spiritual graces and knowledge in a most remarkable manner. We believe there are many more of such in the various denominations, and that it is the privilege of those who have received the light of Present Truth to lend them a helping hand out of darkness into the marvelous light; out of spiritual starvation into a superabundance of grace and truth. But to be used of the Lord in blessing such, it is necessary that both wisdom and grace from on high be sought in the Word, and that these should be exercised kindly, faithfully and persistently.

34. How should brotherly kindness consider ‘social obligations’?

35. What course will brotherly love dictate in the matter of ‘borrowing and lending’?

36. How should brotherly love regard visiting, ‘borrowing a neighbor’s time ‘?

37. What is the relation between brotherly love and communism?

38. Do those who have reached ‘the mark’ still have trials along the line of brotherly love?

39. Why is brotherly love ‘one of the final and most searching tests ‘ of the brethren and how may we prepare to meet it?

40. What should be ‘the main- spring back of brotherly kindness’?

41. What does the illustration of ‘the third- quarter mark’ signify?

42. Why is it important that we manifest brotherly love now ?

43. How may we become members of ‘the Mary class’?

44. How did Jesus show us a grand example of brotherly love and sympathy?

45. How can we fulfill Jesus’ command to ‘wash one another’s feet’?

46. How jealously should we guard and increase this grace of brotherly kindness?

47. How may we cultivate brotherly love?

48. What additional thoughts are found in Topical Index of ‘Heavenly Manna, ‘ under ‘Love One Another‘?