Brotherhood by Baptism

In some modern translations of the Bible, the translators have thought that it is very important to translate the word “brothers” as “brothers and sisters” – even though the apostles just used the word brother. I think people are too quick to assume that the apostle was just a man of his times which turned out to be insensitive to all the sisters in the church. In fact, not only is it fine linguistically for men and women to be included in the corporate “brothers” of Scripture – there’s a theological reason too. In Galatians 3, it says, “for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ…” Paul goes on to say, “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son, into your hearts, crying out Abba Father! Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” In other words, it’s theologically significant that all of us (men and women) are “sons” of God in Christ through faith and by baptism. We are sons because Jesus is God’s eternal and perfect Son. And we have been given the Spirit of the Son, and if we are all sons by faith and baptism and adoption, then we are all brothers. In the ancient world it was common for only sons to receive inheritance from their fathers, but in God’s economy, all are sons, and so all receive the inheritance of God’s Fatherly blessing. So parents, my charge to you this morning is to remind your children that on this day when they were baptized, God claimed them to be His sons for the sake of His Son Jesus Christ. Teach them that they are brothers in Christ, and teach them to love the brothers for the sake of Christ. Teach them that their older brother Jesus was the best brother of all, and He laid His life down for all the brothers, so that we might lay our lives down too.