For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.

Mark 3:31-35

For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother. Mark 3:35

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on a commentary-assisted review of Mark 3:35, which is the text for the third division for 3:31-35. Excerpts from the commentary for the third division: 

• Pointing to Kent Hughes' commentary on Mark and referencing Christ's emphasis on being part of the family of God vs earthly bloodlines, the commentary shares 'this new family relationship is far superior, far stronger, far more satisfying, far more demanding, and far more dear than any human family relationship (ibid.). It is an eternal relationship that is marked by unshakeable grace, and those who receive such grace are marked by humble obedience.'
• The commentary then points us to Tim Keller's commentary where Keller compares v35 to the Prodigal Son: 'Jesus . . . is the true elder brother. He willingly brings us into the Father’s family at his expense. He died for us, he was plundered for us. We sit at the Father’s table dressed in Jesus’ clothes, with his ring on our finger. All through him. We must celebrate and live out the fact that we are members of a kingdom family, and it is all at the expense of our big brother, Jesus Christ. Do you live every day as if you are a member of God’s family, accepted and loved? Remember, a child in a family obeys not in order to be loved and accepted, but because he already is loved and accepted.'
• The commentary then points to scripture that highlights text on the topic of the "will of God:" Acts 13:22, Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 1:1, Ephesians 6:6, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 5:18, 1 Peter 4:2, and 1 John 2:17.  

The commentary then offers the following observations about the family of God and His will:

1. "We became children of God by spiritual birth, not by physical birth (John 3:1-8). 
2. No one is born a Christian. You become a Christian and a member of God’s family only by adoption (Romans 8:12-16; Galatians 4:4-7). 
3. Becoming part of the family of God begins when we receive and believe in Jesus, which is a sovereign work of His will, not ours (John 1:12-13).
4.  Doing the will of God gives evidence that we are part of God’s family (Mark 3:35). 
5. Those incapable of knowing and understanding the will of God are objects of God’s saving grace and mercy in Christ. People spend eternity in hell as a result of their conscious and willful acts of rebellion and disobedience against the revelation of God they have received, and those who are incapable of understanding God’s will cannot rebel in this way (see Deuteronomy 1:39; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:11-12). (For more on this, see commentary on Mark 10:13-16 and Akin and Mohler, “Why We Believe.”) 
6. Revelation brings responsibility. The more you know of God’s revealed will, the greater is your accountability. Punishment is not all the same in hell, and rewards are not all the same in heaven. 
7. In spite of sophisticated and even well-intended arguments, there is no biblical warrant or evidence that people will have an opportunity after death to believe in Jesus or that eventually all persons (and perhaps even demons) will be saved. Just as eternal life is forever, so is eternal death. 
8. If it were true that all will eventually be saved, evangelism would be unnecessary, and missions would be a waste of time, lives, and money.
9. Because the Bible promises that people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation will be in heaven at the throne to worship the Lamb (Revelation 5; 7), we rejoice in knowing that the family of God will consist of the 16,600-plus people groups scattered around the world, 7,000-plus of which are still unreached. It is the will of God that they hear and believe and that we go and get them for His glory."  

Confess your sins, surrender your heart and life to Jesus as Your Savior, and be adopted into His family! 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves me and who saved me - while still an enemy and hostile to You.  Thank You God for saving me and for adopting me into Your family.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.