Born Into the Family
Our brothers and sisters are those whom God has made His children through new birth.
Who is my brother? That question matters. Because if we don’t know who belongs to the family of God, we’ll either close the door on people God has welcomed, or welcome people who haven’t yet been born into His family. Scripture gives us a clear answer: our brothers and sisters are those whom God has made His children through new birth.
John writes, “But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born—not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12–13). Being part of God’s family isn’t about bloodlines, traditions, or heritage. It’s about new birth. Jesus told Nicodemus, “Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God… unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, 5). Peter explains that God has given us this new birth into a living hope through Christ’s resurrection (1 Peter 1:3, 23). Paul says we are saved not by works of righteousness, but by God’s mercy, “through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). None of us earn a seat at the Father’s table—we receive it by His grace.
This new birth is tied to faith in Christ that leads us to be clothed with Him. Paul says, “For through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus. For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ” (Galatians 3:26–27). At Pentecost, those who received the message responded with repentance and baptism, and “about three thousand people were added” that day (Acts 2:38, 41). Paul describes baptism as burial with Christ and rising with Him through faith in the working of God (Colossians 2:12). Fellowship begins here: in Christ. God Himself adds us to His household.
And once we are in Christ, the old lines that divide us lose their power. Paul reminds us, “There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). He adds that there is “one body and one Spirit… one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” (Ephesians 4:4–6). No one in Christ is a foreigner or stranger… we are fellow citizens and members of God’s household (Ephesians 2:19). The gospel tears down walls and makes us one.
This family identity is not just a legal status; it is a relationship. Paul says, “All those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons… you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Romans 8:14–15). John exclaims, “See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are!” (1 John 3:1). And Hebrews says Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters (Hebrews 2:11). Family is real, personal, and close.
So, who is my brother? Jesus gave the answer when He said, “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50). John wrote, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of him” (1 John 5:1). Fellowship is grounded in a shared life with God and His Son (1 John 1:3, 7). My brother or sister is the one God has made His child: the one who belongs to Christ and is walking in the light with Him.
And this matters. If God is my Father and your Father, then we are family. That truth should shape how we see and treat one another. It humbles us, because none of us earned our place (Ephesians 2:8–9). It guards unity, because we refuse to rebuild walls Christ has torn down (Ephesians 2:14–16). It widens our welcome, because we receive those God has received (Romans 15:7). And it deepens our love, because we care for the children our Father loves (John 13:34–35).
The test is simple: Do I recognize as my brother or sister the one God has made His child? Do I add human requirements where God has not? Do I love the Father’s children because I love the Father? Paul says, “God is faithful; you were called by him into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9). If God has called us into His family, let’s honor Him by loving His children and guarding the unity He has given.
