Verse 17 says, “Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” Why does Peter say “love the brotherhood” instead of “love the brothers”? What does the term “brotherhood” mean here? The brotherhood is the aggregate of the brothers, the family of the brothers, the brothers in the feeling of brotherliness. An aggregate is a totality. By using the word brotherhood Peter indicates that we should not merely love the brothers separately, one by one, or individualistically. Rather, we should love the totality of the brothers. This means that we should love the universal family of the brothers.
As believers in Christ, we are not only a community; we are also a family. A family is much more intimate than a community is. Because we are in a family, we refer to one another as brothers. If we were not of the same family, how could we be brothers to one another? No matter what our skin color may be—black, white, yellow, brown, or red—we all are brothers in God’s family. Hallelujah for this worldwide, universal family! This family has been in existence for nearly two thousand years. The word brotherhood in verse 17 refers to this family.
We should love the brothers in God’s family in the feeling of brotherliness. This is to love the brotherhood. However, few Christians today have the sense that in loving the brothers they are loving the brotherhood. This indicates that today’s Christians do not have the sense of the corporate life. Nevertheless, the church is altogether a corporate matter. In verse 9 we see that the church is a race, a priesthood, a nation, and a people for God’s possession. Now in verse 17 we see that the church is a brotherhood. The priesthood is for the service of God, and the brotherhood is for loving the brothers. We need to love the brothers in their totality; that is, we need to love the brothers in a corporate sense.
Suppose twelve people come together from twelve different families. Although they may love one another, this is not the love in the category of a “-hood,” as love in a brotherhood. But if twelve people are in the same family, born of the same parents, their love for one another will be a love in a -hood. They will love one another, but this love for each member of the family will be in a -hood. Their love is different from those from separate families who love others but not with a love in a -hood. In such a case, they may love certain ones more than others. But those born of the same parents love everyone in the family and care for everyone. This is an illustration of loving the brotherhood, of loving the totality of the brothers. In the church we love not merely the individual brothers; we love the totality, the -hood, of the brothers.
In verse 18 Peter goes on to say, “The household servants, subject yourselves in all fear to your masters, not only to the good and forbearing, but also to the crooked.” Even though certain masters may be crooked, the believers who are household servants should be subject to them. This also is an aspect of the Christian life.
In verse 18 Peter charges the household servants to be subject to their masters in fear. This is a holy fear, as in Philippians 2:12. It is a healthy, serious caution for us to behave in a holy way. Such a fear is mentioned a number of times in this book because its teaching concerns the government of God.