“For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” Hebrews 3:11 (NKJV)

A work of art is being perfected in the life of every believer. At first glance, it may be hard to detect and for a time may even go unnoticed because it is a work done by God himself within the heart, soul, and mind of those whom He calls His own. This act of God that is wrought on our behalf is called sanctification. Sanctification means to be “set apart, consecrated, or to be made holy.” It is an on going process where God changes us and rearranges our lives, priorities, and behavior from the inside out. He sets us apart for service through the power of the Holy Spirit with the ultimate purpose to get out of us what He has invested and as a result, we bring honor and glory to His name. God through Jesus Christ is the “sanctifier” and the believer is the one that He “sanctifies.” “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” Hebrews 10:14 (NKJV)

The relationship between the sanctifier and those who are being sanctified creates a profound unity between Jesus and those He saves. The text declares that we “are all of one.” While we are all descendents of Adam in the physical birth, in the new birth we become members of the family of God. “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” Romans 8:16-17a (NKJV) Since we are children of God and Jesus is the Son of God, in essence as it relates to our new family, Jesus becomes our elder brother. It is a relationship that was conceived in love and manifested on Calvary’s cross. It is a relationship of full and complete acceptance where we never have to fear rejection. Because we are being sanctified and become one in the family of God, Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brethren.

The term “brethren” is not gender exclusive. It encompasses all that are being sanctified whether male or female. This should never be a point of contention because the pivotal point of the passage is that He is not ashamed to consider us a part of His family. Perhaps you can recall as a child someone in authority maybe a teacher or your parents upon discovering an error or transgression that you committed say to you, “I am ashamed of you,” or even more so, “You ought to be ashamed of yourself.” Do you remember how it felt? The pain, the anguish, the remorse and regret was often overwhelming. One of the reasons for this is that shame always carries a weight of guilt with it. It creates withdrawal symptoms from the party that is shamed, broken hearts, and hung down heads. Jesus says to us today that He doesn’t feel that way about us. He has not one single ounce of regret or shame in calling us His brethren.

Now, if you have never done anything to be ashamed of, or that you are currently ashamed of then this will not apply to you. However, if you have, lift up your head, wipe away the tears, and come into the loving embrace of Jesus, our elder brother. You are a part of the family of God. Jesus cares and knows our every weakness, yet He is still not ashamed of us. He loves us in spite of what He knows about us. He knows things about us that no one else knows, the secret things that we dare not share with anyone. He has been touched with the feelings of our infirmities yet He is not ashamed of us. The only way that He will ever be ashamed of us is if we are ashamed of Him. “For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38 (NKJV)