Who Are My Brothers and Sisters In Jesus Christ?

The young men were roommates at a small Christian college during the 1950s. It was a time of unrest in the churches of Christ because of the differences in the understanding what the Bible taught regarding cooperation among congregations and the care of orphans. There were debates over the issues and articles written in the major publications in the brotherhood regarding these subjects. Eventually brethren parted ways and a division came into being, affecting the relationship among even the best of friends and family members. The roommates went their separate ways over these doctrinal differences. Years later they
were talking over the telephone and one of the former roommates invited his friend to come by and see him sometimes where he taught at one of our Christian colleges. The other former roommate declined and that is when the first gentleman said to his friend “We can meet somewhere else than on the college campus for we are still brethren.” His ultra conservative friend replied, “I don’t know about that.”

When I was born into the Elliott family I had two brothers and a sister awaiting my arrival. I would have another brother who was born a couple of years later. I did not choose my siblings. I didn’t even choose my parents. In contrast, when I was born of water and the Spirit (John 3:3, 5) I became a brother to all of God’s family who had responded to the grace of our Heavenly Father by being immersed as a penitent believer in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:36-38). It was the Lord who saved us by His blood (Revelation 1:5; Ephesians 1:7) and added us to His spiritual body (Acts 2:47). While we have a part in choosing God to be our Father we do not have anything to do with choosing our brothers and sisters in
Christ. It is often the case that some brethren are living immorally; some may have quit attending the assemblies while others have joined sectarian bodies and some of my brethren have chosen not to associate
with me because of doctrinal differences, nevertheless, they are still my brothers and sisters. When the prodigal son in Luke 15 went to that far country of dissipation and sin, he remained his father’s son and a
brother to his father’s oldest son. It is wonderful to know that he repented and returned to his forgiving and merciful father. It is hard to imagine the sin of a member of the Corinthian congregation who was having sexual relationship with his father wife. The brethren were instructed by Paul to discipline him for such sinful actions and not to have any fellowship with him. But Paul still referred to this man as a “brother” (1 Corinthians 5:1, 5, 7, 11). The apostle Paul later wrote that the brethren were to forgive and comfort this brother and that implied he had repented of his sins. Paul further instructed the brethren “to reaffirm your love to him” (2 Corinthians 2: 5-8). In 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15, Paul informed the brethren to withdraw
fellowship from certain ones who would not work and who would “not obey our word in this epistle and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him
as a brother” (Emphasis, mine, RE).

It is of great importance that we observe closely the teaching of Paul as found in Galatians 3:26, 27: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” It is through the system of faith revealed in the Holy Scriptures and by an obedient faith in the Son of God that a penitent person becomes a child of God by being baptized into Christ where there is salvation (2 Timothy 2:10). It was our Lord Jesus Christ who declared: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved…” (Mark 16:16). The Holy Spirit clearly revealed through the preaching of the apostle Peter that baptism for the penitent believer was “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). The emphasis is placed on the one being immersed and not on the one doing the immersing of the believer. And the place where the immersion takes place is matter of indifference whether it is in a baptistery, a pond or a river. When I preached for a congregation in Savannah, Georgia back in the late 1960s, I met a preacher from a conservative Christian Church located in a nearby city. He desired to make a change and become identified
with the churches of Christ. He gave me a tract that he had written on the subject of “The Plan of Salvation” which I read. I could have removed his name from the tract and placed my name there because every
point that he made on this subject was supported by the Word of God. Years later while preaching in a small town in southeast Alabama I became acquainted with a preacher who had left an independent Methodist church and was worshiping with the local congregation. He informed me that he had always taught that baptism was essential for salvation and he immersed people for that reason. Over the years we have learned of various religious groups in different countries that immerse believers for the remission of sins. Granted that the majority of denominations do not believe that baptism has anything to do with being saved from sins; however, we must realize that there are exceptions to that general rule. And we understand that many who are immersed in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins may also have become members of religious organizations that are not mentioned in the New Testament. But the fact is, since they obeyed the
same commands as a believer in Christ as is common among us, we must conclude that they became children of God and thus our brothers and sisters. Brethren in error, yes, but they are our brothers and sisters in Christ. What they need to do is to leave any and all religious institutions that are not mentioned in the Holy Scriptures and become identified with other baptized believers and worship and serve God in the one body which is the church of our Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 1:22, 23).

I have often said that I may not know all my brothers and sisters in Christ but I do know, according to the teaching of my Lord and His apostles, who my brethren are. More than that, I cannot say. Jesus Christ is the judge and He will deal with all God’s children as to our faithfulness or unfaithfulness as pertaining to His Word and the manner of life that we have lived (John 12:48; Matthew 25:31-46).

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