Romans 1:4-6 English Standard Version
4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
What does it mean to belong to Jesus Christ?
In the world we all struggle for a position in the world. We want to belong in order to have a life worth living. It begins in the family. We identify with our birth order. The first will always be the first. No one that comes after that one can replace them, even by death. It is an unmistakable reality.
In the world, position means success. We have coined the phrase, “rank has its privileges.” We equate success with position, CEO, President, Pope, and there are many leaderboards that show our rankings. We put numbers to positions to track our progress. We want to be number one. But that is the world, that is not Kingdom living.
Romans 8:29 English Standard Version (ESV) For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
No matter how much we look like the firstborn we will never be the firstborn in the family of God. That has to be made clear.
John 3:28-29 English Standard Version
28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.
John the baptist refers to Jesus as the bridegroom.
Ephesians 5:31-32 English Standard Version
31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
Which is it, our big brother or our betrothed?
What is the profound mystery?