Blood Relatives

All of us know about strength of ties that people can have with their blood kinfolks. There are many stories told about various situations that can only be understood by knowing about the blood connections of some family. At times we certainly can feel the natural attraction or concern for our own relatives. But do we think of our relationship with Jesus as something empowered by a blood connection? We should feel an emotional dependence as our salvation experience deepens and our understanding of the blood of Christ becomes real to us. Father Abraham is a phrase we heard in Sunday school as a child but “what makes it true?” As Gentiles we can understand that Jesus is a blood relative of Abraham but we, of course, are not. However, God tells us in the Bible that we are real children of His. The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. Gal 3:7 (NLT) Through faith we can have a blood connection with Jesus in a spiritual way. The life of a family, as well as the individual, is contained in the blood.

Actually the New Testament tells us several things about the blood of Jesus. First of all Abraham’s children must be made into perfect people in order to live with God. This became possible when; Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood. Heb 13:12 (NLT) The actual human blood of our Savior was shed at Calvary. This blood made it possible for humans of all ages to become spiritual blood relatives with God. God is a spirit and this requires that His family also become spiritual. The blood of the covenant is the most valuable thing that has ever graced the earth because it can make us spiritual. It is so precious that we should never disrespect the Son of God by treating; the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, or insulting and disdaining the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us. Heb 10:29b.  This blood of the covenant beginning 2000 years ago has always had the power to make any person into a holy child of God. How fantastic that the; Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, has ratified an eternal covenant with his blood Heb 13:20b and that God has accepted everything Jesus did for us.

When this blood covenant becomes activated in our life we begin to receive great benefits that are unavailable to regular people. The Spirit of Jesus moves inside us and brings us a new life which includes his tangible help. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness Heb 12:24 (NLT) The blood must be continually sprinkled for our forgiveness because we are still living in a sinful and dying body. Jesus not only provided the covenant but He operates it in us. And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. Heb 10:19-20 My dear brothers and sisters, is what people say to their blood relatives and the Bible does not lie about anything. After we are purchased and enter into “the family” we may enter into the Most Holy Place where God lives. This means that God the Father is now willing to welcome us warmly into His eternal life.

One of the benefits of our new family is the peace that enters into its members. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean. Heb 10:22b (NLT) The feeling of guilt that plagues regular people is taken away when we serve the Lord. This is one of the reasons Christians are so peaceful most of the time. Give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. Romans 6:13b,14 (NLT) When we find peace in Jesus it is logical that our lives be used for the glory of God. Because we no longer use our time for sinful things and our body can now serve God by responding to the Spirit that teaches and leads us. Now we can be called ministers of the blood covenant that builds God’s family. What a privilege it is for us that God trust us to represent Him on this earth.

Now we have something to do with our life that really counts. It is humbling to think that we are responsible to tell the worldly people about this new life that allows them to live with God forever. Talk about living haply ever after. Of course; It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life. 2 Cor 3:5-6 (NLT) The result of our being ministers should always be that we love the people around us no matter what their behavior might be. But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the (final) righteousness God has promised to us. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. Gal 5:5-6 (NLT) Now we can understand the power of our blood relationship in the family of God. Without it we could never manage to live this new life of caring for others.

Being connected to others is a wonderful new experience that God wants for us. The family of faith was started by Abraham and is continued by each of us that serve God. But it is not a burden because not only did Jesus provide a gateway of forgiveness for us but He is continually helping us along the path of righteousness. This allows us to have a life full of peace and freedom that is not available anywhere else in this world. The blood of Jesus can make us blood relatives with both the Almighty and also with people of all descriptions. It is even possible that someone we used to hate can become our favorite brother or sister. Another great experience is being able to do good things that God will give us reward for. Although it is the Spirit that actually does these things we can receive the credit when we are right with God. Just having the guilt of sin off our back changes everything in our life. There are many things that God has for each of us but we must continue to use the same simple faith that we used to get saved. This new family life has great hope and promise as we patiently wait for the return of Jesus to take God’s children back to Heaven with Him.