Philadelphia is known as the city of brotherly love. That is in part due to the fact that the Greek word for brotherly love is philadelphia. It is the care and love for one another that we are supposed to have as Christians. In Peter’s letter, he wants his readers to add to their faith this character trait, and this trait will eventually lead to a life-fulfilling love we will talk about next. For now, let’s talk about brotherly love. 

It must first be noted that this love is not just for the males of congregations but for one another in general, male and female. Hebrews 13:1 uses this word to describe that we should love each other as our own brother or sister. Meaning that we should treat one another with the respect and dignity of our own siblings. We should help one another without grumbling and be willing to sacrifice our own needs to help one another. 

The writer of Hebrews goes on to give us some examples of what this might look like. Hebrews 13:2-7 speaks of showing hospitality, remembering the afflicted, keeping marriage pure, and remembering our leaders. By doing these things we promote love and kindness amongst God’s people. The writer wants his readers to remember and pray for the afflicted as if they were going through the same things. This mindset will help us understand each other in hard times. 

Having brotherly kindness towards one another in the church and community of faith will help our faith grow stronger. This kind of love will only lead to the ultimate type of love one human can show another.