On the one hand, the Scriptures command us to have sympathy and a tender heart (1 Pet. 3:8). Paul tells us to clothe ourselves in compassion (Col. 3:12; literally, “bowels of mercy”). He tells the Philippians that he yearns for them “with the affection of Christ” (Phil. 1:8). The Greek word for “affection” here, splankna, connotes a depth of feeling, loving someone from the gut. According to Paul, such affection and sympathy are bonding agents, enabling us to be single-minded and in one accord (Phil. 2:1).
