“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love” (2 Peter 1:3-7).

We started this series on Godliness several weeks ago, looking at Peter’s instructions about growing in our godly life. We are closing in on the ultimate pursuit, which is love. That will be our topic for next week. This week is the penultimate (word for the day: look it up) objective, and that is mutual affection. We are to strive for mutual affection.

Thinking literally about this results in a conundrum. Since mutual means something that is experienced by two people, how can we strive for something that is the responsibility of the other person? Stay with me and we will figure it out.

Starting with affection, we understand affection to be a feeling of liking or caring for someone, a tender attachment, fondness. When we feel this way about someone, we want to show it. We demonstrate affection by our actions. The opposite of affection is being detached, uncaring, unloving, and perhaps even rejection, hatred, loathing. When we feel affection toward someone, we naturally want them to be happy, pleased, healthy, to have all the good things, and we will do what we can to provide these things for them. That further means that we will act with the intention for them to be pleased or at least for it to be for their good and not their harm. We are not being affectionate to serve our own purposes. Truly demonstrating affection is other-focused; it recalls all the “one-another’s” that the Bible teaches (here are just a few):

• Be kind to one another (Ephesians 4:32a)
• Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32b, Colossians 3:13b)
• Bear with one another (Ephesians 4:2-3, Colossians 3:13a)
• Encourage one another (Hebrews 10:24)
• Do Good to one another (1 Thessalonians 5:15)
• Serve one another (Galatians 5:13, 1 Peter 4:10)

So how do all these commands jibe with the adjective “mutual?” A key would be communication. We must be open and transparent with each other, asking what is pleasing to the other, and sensitive to both verbal and nonverbal feedback. We always assume the best intentions from the other. And since we can only be responsible for our own actions, we set the example. We do not give up, even when our affection is not reciprocated, because over time, the odds are that it will be.

Lastly: in order for our desire and effort toward mutual affection to be genuine, the foundation of the preceding attributes in our key passage must be in place. Faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, and godliness must be increasing in our own lives to be the kind of person who is genuinely affectionate—with all that implies—toward another in a way that models and inspires those same attributes in the other.

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10).

In Christ,

Judy