A Brother From Another Mother
Who do you associate with? What kind of people are your closest friends? Aside from literal siblings, who do you consider to be your brothers and sisters?
The answer to these questions matters a great deal.
Proverbs 12:26 tells us: “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.”
And in 1 Corinthians 15:33: “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
All this is very true in regards to our co-workers, neighbors and friends, and should be dutifully considered when making or retaining friends, but these basic truths and biblical guidelines are even more important when it comes to our spiritual family.
Proverbs 18:24 “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
Who do you consider to be your spiritual brothers and sisters?
Is it the person who believes there is a Creator? Is it the person who has a bumper sticker that says “I ❤️ Jesus,” or the one who you see at church every now and then?
For those of us who follow our Messiah and strive to walk as He walked, the answer to these questions has a simple answer. He told us plainly.
Luke 8:19-21. “Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. And it was told Him by some, who said, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.” But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”
That is Yeshua's standard for who He considers to be His spiritual family, and this should be our standard as well. This is what should define for us what a believer is: “These who hear the word of God and do it.”
The “Word of God” is quite clear on what is required of us.
Keep the 10 commandments.
This includes the fourth one, which is the only one that “Christians” have a problem with. The seventh day “Saturday” Sabbath. This is referred to many times in the Bible as a sign between our God and His people.
Keep the annual Holy Days.
These seven annual feasts are listed in Leviticus 23. Yeshua Himself kept these feasts as did His disciples before and after His death. The Bible allows no wiggle room on the keeping of these feasts. They are required.
Keep the food laws.
These can be found in Deuteronomy 14, and are as applicable today as they were in the Bible times.
Be baptized.
Mark 16:16 “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Of course this is far from an exhaustive list, but it seems these subjects sum up the Biblical standards for us quite well.
This is not saying that people who don't adhere to these standards are not decent people, or that we cannot be friends, this is simply showing who we should and should not consider to be spiritual brothers or sisters.
Why does any of this matter anyway? What is dangerous about considering a person a believer that keeps Sunday and Christmas?
Well first of all, our Messiah doesn’t consider them as such. But then there is the proverb we read earlier, “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray” (Proverbs 12:26). It is about influence, and nothing is a greater influence than a spouse, this introduces what I assess to be the biggest danger of being too inclusive.
Considering people to be believers opens up the potential for marriage among the singles crowd. Many times our God warned the Israelites to not intermarry with the people of the land. If you have read the Bible, you know how that turned out.
Both the strongest and smartest men to ever live (Samson and Solomon, respectively) were both destroyed by getting unequally yoked.
To consider someone to be a believer because he is a “good Christian” opens up this pit.
If someone really is a good Christian then maybe he should show it by obeying his heavenly Father's commands.
In Mathew chapter 7 verse 21 Yeshua said: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"
This, I believe is directly addressed at "Christianity," namely the people who belive that the law was nailed to the cross. Christianity is rife with people doing their own good works as described above, but rejecting the law that the Christ commanded. Practicing lawlessness is quite common.
Ezekiel 22:26--“Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.
1 John 3:24 — "Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us."
Until someone's mind is opened to basic Biblical truths then we should not consider him to be a believer. But we can plant seeds and look forward to the time when everyone's eyes will be opened to the truth.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:”
“I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.” Therefore
“Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the LORD Almighty.”
If you disagree with this post, that is just fine. Everyone is not in the same place on their path to eternal life. That being said, it is still best that you only consider people to be brethren that hold the same core beliefs as you, and to not compromise your standards for the sake of fellowship or marriage.
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