Adopted Into The Family of God

John 1

​To receive or accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, is like welcoming someone as a guest into your home to live for all time. Those who receive Jesus by faith, welcome Him into their life and their home, as a substitutionary atonement for all sin—past and present. They are adopted into the family of God as His children, and yes, freely given an eternal inheritance.

To believe in Jesus’s name is to believe in His person (who he is), His work (what he has done), and His power and authority. When someone receives and believes in Jesus for the free gift of eternal life, he/she undergoes a supernatural spiritual birth, the impartation of spiritual life and is born of God—what Jesus would call being “born again.”

Have you been born again? Have you received Jesus in to your life? Have you given Him the Authority over your life? Do you live for Him and follow after His desire and design for your life?

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12–13

In John 1, we gain a great picture of the Deity of Jesus Christ who is both God and man sent by th love of the father to redeem humanity who has strayed since the Garden of Eden. In this powerful first chapter we see that He came down to dwell among us. We see that The Creator came, The Savior came, The Master came, The King came.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:1–5 (ESV)

Warren Wiersbe writes about this powerful passage, “Compare this passage with Genesis 1 and note the emphasis on light and life. Moses wrote about the old creation, but John wrote about the new creation.”

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:17–21 (ESV)

Jesus Christ is the creative Word and the living Word who reveals the Father to us. In His many miracles, Jesus showed His power as Creator. He is a faithful Creator, and you can trust your life to Him.

“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” 1 Peter 4:19 (ESV)

Despite the controversy or even the confusion how such a feat was possible and all of the details, the Father created the world through the divine Word, His Son Jesus, who is the eternal expression of God. The Word was with God in an eternal intimate fellowship, and was God sharing the same eternal divine nature of God. In light Genesis 2, which reveals the Spirit’s involvement in Creation, we see that each person of the Trinity or triune God was unified in the work of the creation of all things living and with much order. The Father, Son, and Spirit are co-equal members of the Trinity, each invested in the lives of humanity by invitation in a loving relationship. Our One exists in three persons and seeks a relationship with you. Will You invite Him in?

Satan, God’s enemy, has blinded many in humanity’s minds to keep them from seeing the glory and majesty of Christ, but Jesus has come to bring light or illumination so that people can see things as they truly are. John’s Gospel shows us how Jesus was continually rejected; nevertheless, the darkness did not overcome His light, as He is the Light of the World. Though His enemies crucified Him, He was actually glorified in His death on the Cross and victorious in His resurrection, resulting in the provision of salvation for all people, including you and me.
Jesus humbly came into this world with grace and truth, not law and judgment, something much different than the world had ever seen. He revealed the Father in all ways and sent the Holy Spirit to those who trusted Him. He is the Lamb of God who alone can offer forgiveness and take away sins. The blood of lambs covered the sins of the Jews, but the blood of Christ takes away the sins of the whole world for all time.

“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 (ESV)

In His perfect plan, Jesus called a few men to follow Him, and He transformed their lives and used them to transform the lives of others.

“The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).” John 1:35–42 (ESV)

Simon’s new name (Cephas or Peter, meaning “a stone”) symbolized a new beginning in his life. He became a part of the new creation, sharing in the fullness of grace. Jesus calls each one individually and uses different approaches, but the same Master calls. Have you heeded His call?

“The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” John 1:43–49 (ESV)

Jesus came to His own creation and everything in creation obeyed Him; but His own people did not receive Him. During His trial before Pilate, His kingship was the paramount issue; and it is still the issue today.

Who is the king of your life? To you who is Jesus? Is He illuminating your path in this dark world? Will you come and see who He is? Will you receive Him into your life and into your home? Will you follow Him all the days of your life? Will you be a fisher of men and enter the discipleship process of bearing fruit?
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Know today what Dr. Tony Evans words so well, “When we receive the substitutionary atoning death of Christ on the cross, our sins are forgiven and eternal life is imparted. That’s amazing grace! The gospel, then, does what the law couldn’t do. Through Jesus, we have access to the unmerited and unlimited favor of God. Grace is the inexhaustible supply of God’s goodness that continuously brings his favor to his people, doing for us what we can’t do for ourselves. God will provide believers with a never-ending supply of grace upon grace through Christ, as waves crashing on the seashore.”

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