Christ Unashamedly Our Brother

"...So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters."

~ Hebrews 2:11b

I wonder if my readers are as astonished as I am that although we so often grieve Him who loves us, and sin against Him who is our righteousness, yet His love for us has not faded in the slightest. He loves us as much in our foolish transgressions as when He chose us from before the foundation of the world, and as much as when we will be presented spotless and holy before the throne in our eternal home.

This is not as though to downplay the seriousness of our sins. In fact, the mercy of a holy God and His faithfulness towards unfaithful transgressors such as I, will actually cause us to tremble when we consider that we have sinned against such grace. While the filthiness of our sin is not reduced in any way, what will never change is His love for us. And to think that He is never ashamed to call us His brother or sister although we so often behave foolishly! I am sure my readers have experienced situations where we find ourselves in the company of someone whose uncouth & inappropriate behaviour embarasses us, particularly in public. We almost want to cringe and say, "I do not know or assosciate with this person." Yet the most holy One is not ashamed to call Himself the brother of a entire community of sinners who are continually stumbling!

What an unchangeable contract of union with Christ! What cords of faithfulness with which we are bound to our Brother! How steadfast is His devotion toward us! O let such love never be license to sin, nor such grace, a permit to grieve our gracious Brother who has spilt His priceless blood to redeem us. But let us not withdraw ourselves in the shame of our sins either, but let us fall upon His bosom as a repentant yet redeemed brother and sister of Jesus Christ.