The holy brothers are the heirs of salvation (1:14) who inherit “so great a salvation” (2:3) that does not only make us holy brothers to participate in God’s holiness, but also brings us into God’s glory.
The holy brothers are also the partners of God’s appointed Heir (1:9, 2). God’s Son is God’s appointed Heir to inherit all things. This Heir has been anointed by God for the fulfilling of His eternal plan. The holy brothers have a partnership with such a One.
The holy brothers are also the followers of the Captain of salvation (2:10). The Captain of salvation is the Firstborn Son of God who has pioneered the way into God’s glory. The holy brothers are the followers of such a Captain to be brought into the divine glory.
Furthermore, the holy brothers are the brothers of the Firstborn Son of God. Christ is the Firstborn Son of God with both divinity and humanity as we have seen in one of the previous messages. The holy brothers, as human beings being regenerated with the divine life, are the brothers of Christ with humanity and divinity. They are the same as Christ in both life and nature.
Ultimately, the holy brothers are the church in resurrection (2:12). Individually they are the brothers of Christ; corporately they are the church, the Body of Christ. This is absolutely a matter in resurrection. Before the resurrection of Christ, the church did not exist. It was through Christ’s resurrection that the church came into being, composed of Christ’s brothers. This was why after His resurrection the brothers of Christ, the church, were produced. Today the church in the Lord’s recovery must be the church in resurrection.
The holy brothers are being sanctified by and with the Son of God and the Son of Man (2:11). The Sanctifier is the Son of God and the Son of Man. As we have seen in message eleven, we have been made qualified to be partakers of the divine holiness. The divine holiness is simply the holy nature of God. Holiness is God’s nature. As the Sanctifier, Christ is now sanctifying us dispositionally by imparting God’s holy nature into our being. I have often used the illustration of teaification. A glass of plain water is teaified by putting tea into it until the water is completely teaified. The way to teaify the water is to add the element of tea to the water until the water is saturated and permeated. Then all of the water will be teaified and will have the appearance, color, taste, and flavor of tea. This is teaification. We are the glass of plain water, and Christ is the very essence of the divine holiness, the divine nature. Christ has put Himself into us, the glass of plain water, to permeate and saturate us until we are fully sanctified with His holy nature. This is sanctification.
The holy brothers are also partakers of the divine holiness (12:10). We are partakers of the divine holiness that is nothing less than the holy nature of God. When we are being sanctified, we are saturated into this holy nature of God. It is by this saturating way that we partake of the divine holiness.
As holy brothers, we have to pursue holiness (12:14). On the one hand, we have been sanctified by the blood of Christ (10:29); on the other hand we have been regenerated with the holy nature of God (2 Pet. 1:4). Now as such sanctified holy ones, we should pursue holiness in our daily walk. Without holiness we shall not see the Lord. Without it, our fellowship with the Lord will be broken. We need a holy life in order to keep a continuing fellowship with the Lord that we may see Him all the time.
As holy brothers, while we are under the process of being made holy, we are on the way to glory (2:10). To be made holy, to be sanctified, is a preparation for us to be glorified. As we are on the way to glory, Christ is sanctifying us, ministering to our needs as the High Priest, and bringing us into glory as our Captain.