The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The
Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his
glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full
of grace and truth.
After the sadness of yesterday's verse, this verse is a welcome shot of joy!
There were some who did respond to Jesus. Who welcomed Him into their lives, opened up their lives to His presence.
To those, and to those who will receive Him today, Christ gives the free gift of redemption. Salvation is by grace alone; it's a free gift, not something that can be achieved by humans. But we must understand that the imparting of the gift is dependent on our reception of Christ.
Jesus gave to them the right (or the authority) to become more; the right to change the way they were into the way God is. They have the right to pass from death into life; they can start as children of darkness and become children of light. You see, as we follow Christ, we become the children of God.
Did you see the word believe there? In his gospel, John used the verb believe over ninety times. He never used it as a noun . . . it seems that he thought of faith as an activity; it's something that we do that moves and changes us. We accept Him, and trust in Him as He is revealed.
If I had a terrible cold and couldn't stop coughing, I might go to the doctor and receive a prescription for a sure-fire cough medicine, one that was certain to stop that cough. But it would not do me any good unless I poured it into a spoon and gulped it down, right?
The same is true of salvation. Although Jesus has provided it for us through His death on the cross, what He accomplished will do us no good unless we actively believe and take Him into our life.
Jesus gave to those of His day, and to those of our day, every opportunity to grasp the truth and believe in Him and be born again. He is the way, but we must walk with Him. He is the truth, but we must believe Him. He is the life, but we must receive Him.
This fresh start is available to all who receive Christ. Are you rejecting Christ, like the people in yesterday's post? Or have you accepted Christ and you are trying to follow His will for your life? Have you trusted Jesus to save you? The most important words we can ever say is when we say, "Jesus, I will turn from my sin and receive you as my Lord and Savior. I know that I am sinful, and I know that you are the One who can save me and make me whole."
I would encourage you if you want to make that commitment, to click on our page "What is Salvation?" on this blog. It's my prayer that everyone who reads this blog will receive Christ's gift of salvation -- the best gift of all.
Amen and Amen!
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