(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.�
Believe it or not, there are some who have misunderstood this verse so as to give too great a credence to our status as �sons of God.�
There are some cultists who take the lie of Satan from the Garden of Eden. They use this verse to back up a doctrinal stance which says that they will attain deity, themselves. This, of course, is absolute blasphemy. This doctrine has no basis in the revealed and preserved Word of God! Coming from the tempter, as in the Garden, it is a doctrine of devils.
Please note a very important difference, as illustrated by our English language as it is normally written. Jesus Christ is the only Son of God. We who have been adopted into sonship can, Biblically, be called �sons of God.�
This is a very important difference. Jesus is (see verse 18 of this same chapter) the �only begotten� Son. He is unique, special, the Word, the God-man. We are sinners, saved by grace, who have been adopted into the fellowship of God.
The term �son of� in Scripture can, of course, refer to offspring. But, it can also refer to �the order of� an entity. I Kings 20:35, for instance, speaks of �men of the sons of the prophets.� The reference is to those who are of the order of the prophets. Nehemiah 12:28 speaks of �the sons of the singers� in reference to a group of singers who assembled in Jerusalem.
In the New Testament, Mark 3:17 says, �And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder.� This reference was to their personalities.
Acts 4:36 reads, �And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus.� This was in reference to a gift this man had to comfort others.
Thus, the term �son of God,� in the Scripture can refer to a persons associations, his character, or his special gift in the churches. Only in reference to Jesus does the term, �Son of God� refer to His Office as Deity.
So much for the introduction. I�ve mentioned what the verse does not say. Now, let�s take a look at what the verse does say to us today.
First of all, we should notice the precondition of His salvation.
Many, probably most, people, when they consider the prospect of God and eternity, will assume that they are on their way to heaven. �After all,� goes the thoughts of any normal person, �I am at least as good as the next person. I�m probably better.� Most people, we must understand this, do not consider what they do to be bad. They will feel that there are reasonable purposes in all that they do.
It is our task, and it is a hard one!, as Christians, to point out the truth of the Gospel. Romans 3:23 is still a simple verse: �For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.� To point out this fact, and to do it without arousing the anger of those to whom we speak, is no easy task. In point of fact, we could say, �There is no way on earth to do this.�
There isn�t any way on earth. But, there is a way from Heaven. It is necessary that we work in concert with the Holy Spirit. We do this, of course, by living a life dedicated to the Lord. But, even more important than this, we need to be much in the Scripture and often in prayer.
Remember this Bible truth: It is not our goodness, our dedication, or even our sanctification which will lead a soul to Christ. It is the wooing of the Holy Spirit which will cause a person to renounce his sin and accept Jesus as Lord.
We need to be in prayer, asking that the Spirit would work with the souls of those to whom we come in contact. We need to be in the Scripture so that the Spirit can call to our minds those words and passages which are inspired to the needs of mankind.
I also believe that our attitude is important. We can�t be arrogant in our attitude towards others. Remember, each of us who claim the name �Christian,� were recruited as sinners.
As we have seen earlier in this chapter, Jesus came into a world that was lost in the darkness of the midnight of sin. Even Jesus, Himself, was not recognized, for the most part, by those to whom He came to offer forgiveness from their sins.
When we look at the great salvation examples of the Gospels, we see that people did not understand the purpose for which Jesus came.
In the third chapter of John we see Jesus approached by Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a religious man. Nicodemus was a Pharisee. Yet, Nicodemus realized that there was something special about this Man, Christ Jesus.
Nicodemus may have been seeking religious instruction. After all, Nicodemus approached Jesus with these words, �Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.� (John 3:2)
Jesus went directly past the religious questioning of Nicodemus. Jesus went directly to the soul need that Nicodemus may not have understood. Jesus said, �Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.� (John 3:3)
Jesus turned the conversation from a discussion of religious dogma. He turned the conversation to that great verse of conviction: �For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.� (John 3:16) Jesus moved the conversation from the �professional� religious talk, to the pertinent fact of eternal life.
In John, chapter four, we see that Jesus, �...must needs go through Samaria.� (John 4:4) Now, a look at the geography of the land would make one believe that Jesus needed to go through Samaria. But, in point of fact, there were many roads which went around Samaria. The pious Jew of the day did not want to soil his person with any sort of contact with the Samaritan people. These Samaritan�s were considered to be of another race. They were �second class� Jewish citizens. Most would have probably argued that the Samaritan�s were not �real� Jews.
But, Jesus �must needs� go through Samaria. He had a purpose. That purpose was to talk with a woman at a well. Jesus didn�t enter into a great theological discussion with this woman. He simply asked for a drink of water. This simple question was used as a springboard to bring up the subject of the Messiah.
Even this woman tried to turn the discussion to theology. She asked (John 4:20) where Jesus thought it would be proper to worship. Jesus went past her theological rambling and identified Himself as the One Who could offer rest in the world of sin. A great revival followed in that city.
In the eighth chapter of John we see the woman who was caught in the act of adultery. She came into the presence of Jesus through the efforts of zealous religious workers. But, these workers had no care for the soul of this poor woman. They only wanted her as a tool to score points in a religious discussion.
The woman had no thought as to her eternal soul. She was only interested, at that point, in whether or not she would survive in a physical sense.
As the religious workers skulked away in the presence of the Son of God, Jesus addressed the woman with what was of real important. His final words to her were to �...go, and sin no more.� (John 4:11) Jesus reached beyond her physical worries and asked for soul repentance.
We, each and every one of us who are bought by the Blood of the Lamb, came to Jesus past our theological ramblings. We came to Him as sinners. He reached down to us in love, at the place where we were, and called us unto repentance.
As we, in the presence of the Holy Spirit, reach out to those about us who have the need of salvation, themselves, may we always remember from whence we have come. We have no goodness. We have no reason to feel superior. We have only the message that Jesus Christ died in time that we might live in eternity.
But, as we live our daily lives, may we realize that, while we were recruited as sinners into the Army of the Redeemed, we have been retooled as saints.
Like the woman taken in adultery, who stood before Jesus, may we live a life before men so that Jesus may ask us also, �...where are those thine accusers?� (John 8:10) We need to live the life of a Christian before the world. We need to, in our personal lives and as best we possibly can also. �...go, and sin no more.�
We need to heed the advice of John, �If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father; Jesus Christ the righteous.� (I John 1:10 - 2:1)
The Spirit, speaking via inspiration, is saying to us, �Don�t sin! And don�t tell me you haven�t sinned.� But, He understands our weakness. �And, when you do sin, even after I�ve said not to do so, take it to the Cross. Confess. Repent.�
The world at large has a faulty understanding of what the word �saint� means. It does not refer to a super-Christian, or to one who has been appointed as a saint by a church council. A saint is any person who has been born again by faith in Jesus Christ.
Of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul wrote, �And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.� (Romans 8:27)
There is a popular misconception that we can pray to church appointed �saints� and gain their assistance in dealing with God. That sort of attitude does not understand that we are adopted sons of God, as Christians. We are the children of our Heavenly Father. We do not need the intervention of third parties with our Father. As a matter of fact, if you�ll look at this verse above, you will see that it is the Spirit that makes intercession for the saints. This intercession is according to the will of God, not according to strong arm tactics by super-Christians.
We�ve been retooled. But, it is a continuing process. Paul, another place, puts it like this:
�And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and division, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?� (I Corinthians 3:1-3)
Paul said that these Corinthians Christians were acting like spiritual babies. He said that they needed to grow in the faith and move from the simple milk of the Word.
Examine your own Christian life, and your attitudes towards others both within and without the household of faith. Examine whether you are still on the �bottle� of your Christian babyhood, or have you progressed to the �meat� of the Word.
May we also realize that, as Christians, we are routed to stupendous glory.
When I first went into the U. S. army, I went to a little thing they like to call �basic training.�
Part of the purpose of basic training seemed to be classic brainwashing technique. They tend to keep one tired and agitated. Their purpose was to mold a person who was a civilian in temperament and attitude, into a �soldier.�
The military is a caste system in a, mostly, classless society. The military demands instantaneous and unquestioning obedience. It is a matter of survival. In a combat situation one does not have time to always consider his actions; he must be so trained as to just react to the situation as it is presented.
The purpose of the trip through basic training is to tear down a civilian and rebuild him into a soldier.
God doesn�t want us to change our basic personalities. He calls us as we are. He does ask that we �...lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.� (Hebrews 12:1)
He has a great prize in store for us, as we lay aside that which we do not need, and accept that which He has offered. �For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.� (I Corinthians 15:53)
That is not simply a nice verse to read at a funeral. That is the glorious truth which awaits each Christian. This world of trial and temptation - and sorrow - is not our inheritance as sons of God. We do have a mansion in glory awaiting!
The text verse, John 1:12, also tells us of the power of His salvation. �...to them gave he power to become the sons of God...�
When I was a teen, the church I attended had an adult fellowship group. They were called the �Joint Heirs.� They got their name from Romans 8:16-17. �The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.�
Look also, here, at Galatians 4:1-7.
�Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all, But is under the tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world; But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.�
We, who are Christians, have been adopted into the family of God, as heirs of the riches of eternity.
Some will look at the above sentence, of mine, and imagine that they can go out and get a new car and put the bill on God�s account. How foolish.
We are adopted into a spiritual family. We are the sons of God. That means that we must do the work of God. The work of God, in this present dispensation, is to seek and to save that which was lost. (see Luke 19:10) The glory that is ours is that we are allowed to work with God. Think of the glory of that not so simple fact. We, us, weak humanity, are allowed to be used of God to spread His message of sin and salvation.
The souls of men and women, the eternal destiny of men and women, the joy and fulfillment of others, lies within our hands as we move forward in the will of God.
This isn�t to say that there is even one thing great, or noteworthy, about any of us. This is to say that we are so privileged as to be allowed to serve the Great God of Eternity!
As we carry forth this message, our lives, our persons, are adapted as counselors.
There are two ways, of course, to look at this idea of counselor. First, we are counselors in that we help people to manage the greatest debt they have.
There is an advertisement that is on the local T.V. quite often. This is especially so since the �gambling boats� have invaded our near shores. It is a �credit counselor� who offers to help people with their monetary debts.
This group offers to work with people and show them what they need to do to discharge their debts. All of the counseling is worthless if the people counseled do not follow the advice of the counselors. The people with the debt can understand everything that they must do. They can understand all the reasons they must make the necessary changes in their life styles. They can understand the need to change their spending habits. But, unless they take that advice and act upon it, they will not see progress.
The plan is given them. The outcome depends upon their acceptance of the plan and their acting upon that plan.
I have, in my wallet, a little card that says I am a �Life Time Member� of a Christian counseling organization. I got the card when I took a course many years ago. The card says that I am qualified to advise people, and to counsel people, about problems in their lives. It ain�t true! I am not qualified. I know better. I may have taken a course; but the problems of people�s lives is not something I can cure.
But, I know who has the cure. The closer our walk is with Jesus Christ, the more we walk with the realization that the values of Heaven are the only abiding values, the more the cares of this world will seem manageable.
But, the most important counseling I could possibly do has to do with the management of a persons debt toward God. Romans 6:23 says, �For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.�
We, each of us, has earned eternal damnation from the God of Justice. We have no way to repay this debt. But, God steps forward and offers us the free gift of salvation. He looks at our sins, and He looks at the death of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary, and He says, �Paid in Full.�
Telling people this is the best, the most important, counseling that we could ever do. It reaps eternal benefit.
But, this benefit is only theirs if they follow the advice of Jesus and come to Him in faith and repentance. Just knowing about this is not enough. They must act, personally, to appropriate this salvation unto themselves.
In order to do our job as counselors for Jesus, we have also been armed as combatants.
�Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day; and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thererunto with all preserverance and supplication for all saints. And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel...� (Ephesians 6:10-19)
There are only a couple of comments I have time to make about this passage. First, note that each of these armaments speak of moving forward. We need to be continually striving to move forward for the Lord. The minute we begin to rest on our laurels, we begin to backslide. It might be helpful to always remember that we have no laurels. Any success we might have seen in the spiritual battles is the result of the Lord working in our lives. Alone, we have no power. With Him, we can defeat any foe.
When I first arrived �in country� during the Viet Nam War, I was assigned to a group that made little forays our into the jungle. Just four of us at a time would walk about in our assigned area. We were told, often, that our mission was simply to be eyes on the ground. We were to find what of the enemy we could. We were to simply report this back to our base camp. We were to strive, as much as possible, not to make contact with the enemy.
Since there was only four of us, I thought this prudent!
Out by ourselves, in the Spiritual War, we have no power over the enemy. But, when we call in the support of the Holy Spirit, when we pray, when we appeal to Scripture as the Spirit gives us remembrance, we are undefeatable!
Move out forward for the Master. But, do this with the Master!
Verse 16 reminds us, �Above all, taking the shield of faith...� Remember that this is a spiritual warfare. We can not do things on our own. Before you decide to become a �spiritual John Wayne,� remember that John Wayne died in most of his war movies! We cannot move an inch without the Spirit. The best I can possibly do will be summarily swatted aside by the adversary. The worst I can manage, when it is under the leadership of the Lord, is a certain victory.
That is why verse 18 reminds us that we need to be �Praying always...� Once my unit was under attack by mortar and RPG fire. We could barely see where it was coming from. Our commander got on his radio and called in some air strikes on the enemy positions.
Those �gun ships,� high above the field of combat, were able to do what we could not.
It is the same way in the spiritual realms. What we cannot do, God can! Use the radio of prayer to call in His support.
While you�re at it, use that radio of prayer to stay in contact with Him. It is necessary that we talk to our Heavenly Father. What kind of relationship do we have if we never speak to Him. Praise Him. Fellowship with Him. Enjoy the fact that we are allowed an audience with the ruler of the Universe.
Notice also those last couple of verses in this passage. This is a picture of a church acting in concert, one person with another. I used to say, �God don�t got no Lone Rangers.�, until someone pointed out that even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.
You cannot worship as well alone, in the �Cathedral of the Pines,� as you can in a local church service. You know why? Because it is not Scriptural to do so. Over and over in the New Testament we see evidence of a band of believers meeting together. Paul, when he went on his missionary journeys, established churches. Why? Because this is God�s will for this dispensation.
We are to meet together so that we can strengthen each other.
I have met many who say, �I just can�t attend those churches because they are all wrong. Only I am right.� To such as these, �The fault, Horatio, lies with thee.� It is spiritual pride, a sin, that leads one to think like that. It is doctrinal heresy that flows from an attitude that neglects the clear leading of the Lord! Assembling, together, in a local church, is the revealed will of God! (see Hebrews 10:25)
Our text verse also speaks of the Person of His salvation. �...even to them that believe on his name.�
We need to be mindful that Jesus is the Cause of our salvation. We had no �goodness� to offer to God. We had only a load of sin and a nature that was disposed to sin.
I was amazed when I looked back upon some of the old pictures of my son. There, staring back at me from those pictures, was my grandson. Little Elijah looks so much like Ethan. That is called �heredity.� We tend to inherit certain physical traits from our parents.
What we have inherited from our physical parents is carnality. That�s a religious word that means, �natural.� Or, �human.� With that carnality comes the sin nature. We had nothing to offer God to expunge this nature from our selves. It was part and parcel of who, and what, we were.
We were destined to die in our sins.
But, Jesus came into the world. Born of a woman; a human in every sense. But, He was virgin born; divine in His parentage. He had no sin nature. He could offer Himself, since He had no sin in His Own life, as a sacrifice for others. This He did at the Cross of Calvary.
Only He could have done this.
Salvation is available only through Jesus Christ because He is the Only possible sacrifice that was acceptable to God. He is human, thus able to die as a man. But, He is also Divine, this able to be the Perfect Sacrifice for sin.
Jesus is also the Constant of our sojourn.
In my lifetime I�ve seen many changes. Others have seen much more. But, change seems the only constant of life upon this earth.
The landscape has changed. The technology and terminology has changed. Even the culture has changed. We are awash in a fluid landscape in our physical habitations.
When I talk to my grandson I talk much differently than I do when I talk with my son. I talk differently still when I talk with my granddaughter. Why? Because each of these three are at differing stages of their developments. If I talked to my son as I do to my grandson, Ethan would probably be offended. If I talked to Elijah as I talk to Ethan, he would be quickly tired of my nonsense. Elijah wants to play more than talk.
If I talked to Shandi as I talked to either of them, she would just tune me out. She�s neither baby nor adult. She�s a four-year-old little girl.
Yet, Jesus can interact with each of these, on their own plain of understanding, and without doing violence to His Own nature or principles.
Jesus is the Constant Contemporary to whom we pray in sweet wonderment as children, talk in earnest devotion as adults, and flee to for wonderful consolation at the entrance to the Valley of the Shadow.
Jesus is also the Cry of our service.
In the olden days, long before regular newspapers, radio, or T.V. news stations, most towns had someone who would vocalize the news that needed to be spread into the community. This person was known as the �Town Crier.�
Well, there is some news that needs to be spread into the community of mankind. It is the news that Jesus Christ died in time so that we could live in eternity.
Politics are important. But, they will never be able to save a man�s soul for eternity.
The weather is constantly changing. But, the soul of man will die in his sins unless he hears the message of sin and salvation.
Sports are frivolous pursuits. But the frivolity is past when a person stands before his Maker and must account for his sins.
Even the social activity of religious benevolence must be seen only as a means of spreading that which is of eternal importance.
Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior? There is no more important question that you will ever face.
Accept Him today.
Do it right now!
If you have already accepted Jesus as your Savior, who have you told? This is too important of a news to keep to yourself! It is eternally important! Will there be any in Hell because, humanly speaking, you were afraid to speak up?