'Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God ' The word 'household' here means 'family.' This is the more common term that is used in the New Testament for families. In Ephesians 2:19 the church is described as the household of God. ' The whole family in heaven and in earth refers to the universal church, which comprises of all born again Christians of every age. In Ephesians 3:14,15, the Apostle Paul said, 'or this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. There are numerous passages of scripture that teach us that the church is actually a family of God. And this concept is not only taught in Romans 12:10. This concept of the church as a family adds to it a dimension of warmth, tenderness, care, concern and loyalty.
He wants us to think of the church as a family. He wants us not to think of the church just as a group of people who trust in the same God, and gather together once a week to worship Him. This is why the apostle Paul chose to use the family term, 'kindly affectioned' when he was writing about the way we should relate to one another in Romans 12. Being a part of a family is something that most of us can identify with. I trust that each of you have had your own unique experience of tender affection and mutual love in your own family. And when we do get together at Christmas or New Year or to celebrate a birthday, we enjoy being together again, especially when we reflect on our past and on God's grace in allowing us to be together as a family. Although we do not see each other very often now, we can still rely on each other for help. But we are still a family and are still keeping in touch with another. Today all the children are grown up with homes and families of their own. And there were some crises and moments of anxiety that we went through together like when dad suffered a stroke and an ambulance was called to bring him to hospital. There were some tense moments in our relationships. We were basically a close-knit family, though we were not perfect. Since I was the youngest I had the smallest brush. And about once a month we would all take out pails and brushes and clean the whole house together. We took turns to lay the table for mealtimes, to wash and dry the dishes together, to help mum in the kitchen or to help dad in the garden. Each of us had our assigned duties at home. My best memories of my family are of the things that we used to do together. And although my brother and sister were much older than me, we shared a lot of good times playing games together. At times when one of us got sick, she would stay awake to nurse us and brew all kinds of cooling herbs. Mum cared for us wonderfully, getting up very early in the morning to get breakfast prepared and she never complained at all about anything. He provided very well for the children and was always there to help, advise and encourage us or discipline us when necessary, as we were growing up. Dad worked as a draftsman but was never too busy to spend time with the family. My dad and mum married when they were young and had 42 years of happily married life together. I was the youngest child in a family of five, consisting of my parents, my brother and sister, and myself. I thank God that I had the privilege of being brought up in a close-knit Christian family. And so, this verse is saying that the devotion that Christians should have toward one another should be like the devotion that members in a close-knit family have for one another.
The words 'kindly affectioned' refer to an attitude of 'warm and loving devotion' and 'tender affection.' The word that it is derived from is actually a word that was often used to describe the mutual love and affection between family members, such as parents and children, husbands and wives. This title is actually derived from the first part of Romans 12:10. Preached at / Published Life BPC 10.30am service, Romans 12:10 - Be Kindly Affectioned One To Another
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