John 1:12 CHILD OF GOD
“But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
God opened up the heavens and extended His salvation not only to His people, the Jews, but also to us Gentiles. In essence, we the Gentiles are "grafted in" into God's family as long as we continue believing in Jesus Christ (Romans 11:23).
In the Old Testament, the Lord made a covenant with Abraham after his selfless sacrifice of his son Isaac to the Lord. In Genesis 22:17-18, the Lord says to Abraham, "I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand on is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies and win your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." Abraham's blessing was a result of his OBEDIENCE that then resulted in God's PROMISE to him and the generations after him.
RECEIVE + BELIEVE JESUS =
RIGHT TO BECOME CHILD OF GOD
But in the New Testament, our RIGHT to become CHILDREN OF GOD is not dependent upon the generation or ancestors before us. Our salvation is not negotiated or pre-determined by our own parents on our behalf. Our race and the color of our skin have no involvement either. Rather we have been given the right if we are BORN OF GOD, born of WATER and the SPIRIT (John 3:5). The message of salvation is that God shows no partiality for He is the Lord of all. The key is found in Romans 10:9 that, "if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved".
god longs to graft you into his love, to be a part of his family, and to give you an everlasting life.
would you take his offer to receive and believe jesus christ, the son who came to save the lost?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank You for the gift of life and the chance to become Your child. I am so humbled by Your love through Jesus Christ who left heaven and His throne to shed His blood for my sins. I acknowledge that I am a sinner and am unworthy of Your grace. I believe that Jesus died for me on the Cross; thus, I receive Him as my Lord and Savior. Thank You for forgiving all my sins. I am ready to live this life following You and surrendering all my will to Your will. Have Your way in my heart and soul from here on out. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.