We Are Holy Brethren

Hebrews 3:1 – “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.”

The writer of Hebrews addresses the recipients of his letter as “holy brethren.” These readers were not unique or peculiar believers and were not recognized as being especially holy because of their unusual godliness. They were fellow Christians, those who had placed their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. All who are the children of God by faith in Christ could be addressed in the same way. We are “holy brethren.”

Both of these words, holy and brethren, describe our spiritual position through Jesus Christ. What an encouragement it is to meditate on the blessed state that we enjoy as followers of Jesus Christ. We are holy by virtue of our position in Christ. The word holy means “sacred or set apart, something or someone that is consecrated.” When a person is born again, he is, in his spiritual position, immediately set apart from the world and set apart for God. Of course, this position should be confirmed through our practice. But, it is not our conduct alone that makes us holy, but also our position in Christ. We belong to God. The moment we were saved, we were indwelt with the Holy Spirit, sealed unto the day of redemption, and seated with Christ in heavenly places. Our lives are not our own, and we are hid with Christ in God. This relationship is eternal.

We are also brethren, as we have been placed into the family of God. The moment we trusted in Christ for our salvation, we were adopted into God’s family. The only way to enter this family is through a spiritual birth. When one is born again, God becomes his Father. There is much in the Bible about the way we are to love and treat each other as members of our spiritual family.

It is imperative that we see who we are spiritually, because we will be prone to live out this reality in our daily lives. Our belief affects our behavior. The more we understand that we are holy and set apart for God, the more we will expect ourselves to live like it. As we realize that we belong to each other as brethren, we will be more likely to appreciate and love each other as we are taught in the Scripture.