Willingly Love Your Brothers

Harold Corkern: Willingly Love Your Brothers (1 Thess. 2:8)

Let’s open our Bibles to today’s text, 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, and let’s read verse 8 in its entirety: “So having tender affection for you, we were determined to impart to you, not only the good news of God but also our very selves, because you became so beloved to us.”

In our discussion this morning, we’re going to address two things: Why did Paul love the Thessalonians so much? And then, what efforts did he make to show it?

The question, Why did Paul love the Thessalonians? might seem a little odd. But notice what the Insight book says about godly love. It says this: “Godly love is not a quality that one has without knowing why.” It goes on to say: “Godly love cannot exist in the person apart from knowledge and service of God or apart from meditation and appreciation.” So we don’t love someone and not know why. There are reasons.

There are many reasons why we love Jehovah, but that same principle applies to those of our brotherhood. So why did Paul love the Thessalonians? Well, he and Silas, in the year 50 C.E., were used to bring the good news to the Thessalonians. And a number of Jews and many Greek proselytes became disciples. So on one hand, Paul knew that Jehovah was drawing these people to him. And if Jehovah loved them, Paul should certainly love them.

But beyond that, there was this instructor-teacher relationship—a very close bond. But the thing that also made Paul love them even more was what those brothers had to go through while learning and to stay in the truth. In Acts chapter 17, it describes the hostility that the Jews brought upon those in Thessalonica. It was so dangerous that Paul and Silas had to flee the city. That persecution continued after Paul and Silas were gone.

And then one or perhaps more in the congregation fell asleep in death, and it caused great sorrow. So Paul sent Timothy to find out how the brothers were doing. They were doing quite well. In fact, let’s look at 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, and we’ll look at some of the key verses beginning in verse 3 —1 Thessalonians 1:3. The good report says: “For we continually remember your faithful work, your loving labor, and your endurance.” And then look at verse 6: “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, seeing that you accepted the word under much tribulation with joy of holy spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.”

So, what added to the depth of Paul’s love? What these dear brothers had gone through with unwavering loyalty and faith and joy. He loved them even more so.

So, what is the lesson for us? Remember what the Insight book said: “Godly love is not a quality that one has without knowing why.” And without knowledge of God, apart from meditation and including appreciation, love can’t exist.

So how can knowledge of our brothers help us to meditate, build appreciation, and deepen our love? Well, we can think about what they may have gone through when they came into the truth or growing up in the truth. Did this young person grow up in a dysfunctional family? Did they learn the truth as a teenager and their parents opposed them bitterly? Did they learn it as an adult and had to get rid of all sorts of bad association and filthy habits and addictions?

And yet, here all of those folks are in the truth, having come so far and staying faithful. When we review that and we meditate on that, it makes them more lovable.

And when we love them that much and our appreciation is enhanced, it affects our patience with them, our compassion, our empathy. We understand why they say what they say sometimes and why they act the way they do sometimes. That knowledge and appreciation helps us to love them more deeply.

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