John 1:12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" Notice, even here, He did not do it for them. They had their own free will. He made it available to them and gave them power to receive it; but they had to, of their own free will, accept it. “As many as received Him … to them that believe on His name”. The second phrase describes the first. To receive Him who is the Word of God means to acknowledge His claims, place one’s faith in Him, and thereby yield allegiance to Him. “Gave” is a term emphasizing the grace of God involved in the gift of salvation. Those who receive Jesus, the Word, receive full authority to claim the exalted title of “children of God.” “His name” denotes the character of the person himself. The secret to becoming sons of God is in believing in His name. In Romans 10:9, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." It is so simple and yet so many miss out. The confession is that He is our Lord and Savior. Jesus means Jehovah Savior. The belief cannot be surface either. It must truly be in our heart. Proverbs 29:18 "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." This proberb looks both to the lack of the Word and the lack of hearing the Word, which lead to lawless rebellion. The proverb then contrasts the joy and glory of a lawful society. A vision from God can be the will of God being revealed to you in a supernatural way. To lose sight of the will of God would certainly cause us to perish. The person who knows the will of God and is living in that will is very happy and contented, knowing they are pleasing God. STUDY THE BIBLE
Posted on: Thu, 08 Aug 2013 14:48:37 +0000