Christian Affection – “loving one’s church family with brotherly love, tender affection, and emotional attachment.” Christian love and affection is not easy, it is something that has to be worked at. It is also something that does not happen overnight because Christian affection is not a toadstool but an oak tree. To build Christian affection in one’s life, one must realize that it demands everything a person has of their mental and spiritual energies, and into which every atom of a person’s strength must be directed. Christian affection is not a matter of emotional feeling, although that is involved, but of a dedicated will that treats others the way God has treated them. Christian affection requires that a person put others spiritual needs ahead of themselves and love them not because they are perfect or without fault but accepting them in spite of these things. Jesus accepted us not because we were perfect or without faults but He loved and accepted us because we needed Him. To practice Christian affection, one must learn to love and accept others not because they are perfect or without fault but because Christians need each other and without each other, they will suffer great ill and tragedy to their Christian lives.
Several years ago the Mayo Clinic performed an experiment that illustrated the value and virtue of love. They took a healthy dog that belonged to one of the medics, put him to sleep, and broke one of its legs. After resetting the bone, a cast was placed on the leg. Instructions were given that no one should show affection to the dog after he awakened. Water and food were placed nearby, but no one smiled or spoke to the dog. The dog refused to eat and drink. Gangrene set in and the dog became dangerously ill. Again the doctors put the dog asleep, treated the affected area, and gave new orders to treat the dog kindly when it awoke. They found when they showed affection and gave their attention to the dog it began to improve rapidly. Christians need to show affection to others in their church family because they need each other.. (Romans 12:10a), “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love…”