Sure, its true that blood's consistency and properties does make it thicker than water. Blood has a different purpose to water. The red stuff coursing through our veins is the lifeblood of the body. As it courses through our bodies, it carries nutrients and life-giving oxygen to every corner of the body. Its white corpuscles fend off harmful bacteria and viruses that invade the body. In short, blood is LIFE and SUSTAINS LIFE! Look at what the Scriptures teach about the nature and purpose of blood. Leviticus 17:10-11 "Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any blood - I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people. For the life of a creature is in the blood, …" And in Deuteronomy 12:23 "But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. You must not eat the blood, pour it out on the ground like water."

So let us consider a situation where a possible disagreement or conflict develops in a family between those who wish to obey and serve God and those who don't. These kinds of situation occur all the time. It happens in countless homes where a family holds to a certain belief system and someone makes a decision to following another belief system. I would like to give you some personal examples of this. I was a Roman Catholic previously before my conversion to Biblical Christianity. Both before and after my conversion, I've personally witnessed and heard of situations where Roman Catholic families used the statement 'blood is thicker than water' to prevent family members 'joining' another church, religious group or belief system. This also happens in other religious circles. Like when conversions from Islam, Hinduism and other religions occur. And in some extreme cases, the family totally disowns and disavows the 'erring' member who goes against the family line or the prescribed family religion. I've even heard of some cases where 'mock funerals' were held for the departing family member, where it is implied that the family member is considered 'dead' to the family. And I understand that in certain very orthodox Jewish circles, other types of 'rejection processes' also occur.

So taking the contention that blood is thicker than water, I want to propose the following argument why the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord is thicker than our family bloodline or genealogy. Looking at what the Scriptures teach, I want to confirm what Jesus has to say about this kind of situation. Firstly, let us look at how the blood of Jesus affects us. Do you recall that I said that blood is LIFE and SUSTAINS LIFE! By the same token then, I contend that it is Jesus' blood that provides LIFE and SUSTAINS LIFE, not our family bloodline. And by the same token, the Scriptures teach that THE BLOOD OF JESUS is more beneficial and more important than our family blood bond. JESUS' BLOOD IS THICKER THAN OUR FAMILY BLOODLINE. The blood of Jesus brings far more benefits, a deeper family bond, a much more significant bloodline than our human family bloodlines can. In fact, I contend that the blood of Jesus links us right back to God our Father, the creator of mankind. Therefore we owe allegiance to Jesus first, even when it means taking a stance against our family members who are disobedient to the Scriptures.

So firstly, let us look at the BENEFITS of the blood of Jesus. 

Revelation 5:9-10 "… You (Jesus) are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." By sacrificing himself willingly on the cross, Jesus ransomed (in other words, bought back) sinful man. He paid the price to rescue us from our sins. And then he allowed us to enter his kingdom as citizens and children of God, to serve our God. Matthew 26:28 "Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Here we see Jesus teaching an extremely important benefit resulting from his sacrifice. … my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

By accepting the blood of Jesus as our atonement, we have entered into a COVENANT RELATIONSHIP with God. This has several wonderful consequences. It means that we are now IN AGREEMENT with God. It also means that WE ARE BOUND TO GOD AND HIM TO US through a clear, concise and revealed set of instructions and teachings held in his Word. This covenant is mutually binding on both parties. It also means that God has made a CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT with us, and he will adhere to the covenant promises he made. And we know that God has the power and strength to carry the agreement through to its conclusion. And God expects us to obey this CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT by following its precepts, teaching and instructions too. And as with all covenants God makes, it had to be sealed in blood to be ratified. So it took the blood of the perfect Jesus, God's Son, to seal and ratify the NEW COVENANT IN HIS BLOOD.

Let us look at how Hebrews Chapter 9 explains this more fully. Hebrews 9:11-22 "When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance - now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. He said, 'This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.' In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."

Secondly, let us consider the DEEPER FAMILY BOND I mentioned earlier. When we obey the Gospel of Jesus, the Scriptures teach that we enter into a unique relationship with Jesus our Lord. 

God's Word explains that we become the DISCIPLES of Jesus. In other words, we become his pupils or learners. We offer ourselves to sit under his instruction. And Jesus through his Word becomes our teacher and instructor. John 2:11 "This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him." And in John 8:31 "To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

The Scriptures also teach that we become the SERVANTS of Jesus. In other words, we are called to SERVE Jesus and do His bidding, without question or complaint. And we cede or surrender our rights to Jesus. Just like servants back in the Biblical times. We forgo our freedom to live as we wish and make a decision to live according to our Master's commandments and wishes. Romans 1:1 "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, …"

We also become the FRIENDS of Jesus. Meaning that Jesus is willing to reveal and divulge certain truths to us that he does not divulge or reveal to anyone else. He confides in us and trusts us to be loyal to him. John 15:13-14 "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you."

We are also called the BROTHERS and SISTERS of Jesus. By becoming children of God, we automatically inherit a family bond with Jesus. We become his brothers and sisters, through HIS BLOOD and CONTINUED OBEDIENCE TO HIS COMMANDS. Mark 3:31 "Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you." "'Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.'

Here Jesus clearly shows us how to deal with "blood is thicker than water" issue!' He aligns himself to those who are willing to do God's will, to obey God. Jesus makes it clear that he draws his family lines along lines of OBEDIENCE, and not through NATURAL bonds of KINSHIP. His family members are those who are obedient to God. His brothers and sisters and mother are those who desire to live for God. Here we see the important bloodline; we became the brothers and sisters of Jesus through his blood and by obedience to God. So we are now part of the bloodline of Jesus, and heirs to the promises God made to Abraham through faith and obedience. And because we now belong to the bloodline of Jesus, the Son of God, descendant from Abraham, we can now trace our ancestry right back to God through Abraham and through Jesus.

Look at the genealogy and the family tree of Jesus recorded in Luke 3:21-38. It records that we are the sons of Abraham. He is listed in the genealogy and is confirmed as our father of faith in the Scriptures in Genesis 17:4 "Abram fell face down, and God said to him, 'As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations." We are therefore heirs (sons and daughters) of the promises made to Abraham, which he accepted by faith. And we are the sons of God through our link to the blood of Jesus. And in addition to this, God is our creator too. So we are truly God's children and his descendants.

And finally, if we are faced with a decision on whether to listen to our disobedient family members or to God, the Scriptures tell us exactly the way we should go. Acts 4:18-20 "Then they (the Jewish Sanhedrin) called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, 'Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what he have seen and heard." And Jesus our Lord warned us that divisions in families would occur as a result of those wishing to obey God and those who don't. Luke 12:49-53 "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

If you would like to discuss this article feel free to contact the Weston Favell Church of Christ Northampton via our contact us page