Hebrews 2:10-13 (HCSB)
For in bringing many sons to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God—all things exist for Him and through Him—should make the source[a] of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12 saying:
I will proclaim Your name to My brothers;
I will sing hymns to You in the congregation.
Again, I will trust in Him. And again, Here I am with the children God gave Me.
The mystery of the incarnation, God made flesh, is a mystery congruent with the mystery of the passion of Jesus, God in the flesh suffering real pain and experiencing a real physical death to pay for the individual sins of all mankind. Those who receive salvation through faith in Jesus are not simply brought to God as slaves, merely trading one master for another. We are adopted by God as sons (John 1:12-13).
Those who belong to God as His sons and daughters are by definition brothers and sisters of Jesus, as well as coheirs of all God possesses. And, far from shying away from that reality, Jesus is prophesied in several places in the Old Testament as embracing it, like the passages quoted here from Psalm 22:22 and Isaiah 8:17-18.
Note that the goal of Jesus was not merely to save people. If that was all He came to do, then the best strategy would have been, once a person is saved, to translate them instantly to heaven. That way there would be no possibility of backsliding or poor witness through bad choices.
Instead, God’s goal, and Jesus’ goal as well, has always been to make people genuinely holy. This is not mere positional holiness. Jesus was not “positionally holy”, but literally holy, morally pure and righteous in his actions. And, as the writer points to here, His goal is to make those who are His brothers and sisters holy in the same way that He Himself is holy (Leviticus 11:44, 2 Timothy 1:9, 1 Peter 1:15-16).
Even though many scoff at the idea that people could actually be made holy, they must realize that they are scoffing not at Pharisaism or legalism, but at God’s commandment and His promise of not only salvation, but genuine transformation. All of this is absolutely possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus, providing salvation and victory over death, and through the indwelling presence of Jesus through the Holy Spirit, providing power and authority over sin.
Father, we can so easily read some of the words of Scripture, like these verses, as theological prepositions or historical statements, and completely miss the promises You have placed there for us. Yes, Jesus was and is holy. But he is also the one who makes us holy. Yes, Jesus is your Son. But he is also the one who brings us into your family as sons and daughters, and who owns us as brothers and sisters. Help us to not only really receive these truths and these promises, but also to allow You to live them out in and through us. Amen.