“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.”
John 1:12-13
As Christians, we may think that by saying, “I believe in Jesus and God, I’m saved,” like that’s all there is to it. One and done. Yet looking at the verse above, it says we have “the right to become God’s children”. What does that mean?
Think of it like getting a “salvation voucher”. A voucher is a coupon that says you can receive a particular item on a specific date and time. You cannot receive the prize or gift before or after the specified date and time. You also have to know and meet all the requirements necessary to redeem that voucher. If we look closely at the Bible, is just saying, “I believe,” all there is to receiving the prize of salvation, or is there more?
What does it mean to have the right to become children of God?
By believing in Jesus, you’ve taken the first step. If you’ve ever received a stamp card at a cafe or restaurant, it probably had some condition like, “get ten stamps and get a free meal or drink”. If you don’t fill out the whole card, or even if you’re missing just one stamp, then the offer is not valid. You don’t get your prize.
Similarly, if you just say you believe in Jesus, but don’t know what else God and Jesus have asked Christians to do, are you positive you’ll be getting that gift of salvation in the end?
The “right to become God’s children”, means we have an opportunity to become God’s children.
In our world, we have all kinds of rights such as a right to education, healthcare, or other social or moral endeavors. When a family member passes away, we have a right to an inheritance. But in order to use that right, we must prove that we are related to the person who passed away. How do we do that? Through our genes – our DNA.
To get the salvation voucher, you have to be in the family.
How much do you resemble your biological parents? Maybe you have your father’s eyes or your mother’s hair, or maybe you share one of their personality traits. We have all been created with our parents’ DNA. That is the proof that we are their children – being born of the same seed.
For us to become God’s children, we must be made of His seed. Well what is God’s seed then? According to Luke 8:11, it says that the seed is the Word of God. It makes sense, right? If you are born of God’s seed, His Word, you would resemble that Word. Your words, actions, behaviors, even your wants and desires would look like your Father’s because you’re His child, born of His seed.
Life and the potential for life is the one thing that all seeds share. Whether it’s a plant seed or the seed from an animal or person, they all carry the potential for life. Apple seeds create apple trees, watermelon seeds create watermelons, so if God’s seed is the Word, His children would also be made from the Word. So how can we make sure we’ve been born from God’s seed?
You’ve probably heard the term, “You are what you eat,” and that can be applied to God’s Word as well. The Bible is referred to as our daily bread, our water, our spiritual food. So the more we consume it, the more we resemble it. The more we resemble the Word, the more we resemble God because God is the Word (John 1:1). If we resemble God and have the Word, then we can confidently say we are His children and will be the recipients of the inheritance of salvation that God has promised to His children.
We must know what was promised so that we can keep it.
Let’s go back to our salvation voucher analogy. If we don’t know all of the terms and conditions (aka, the fine print) necessary to redeem it at its proper time, can we receive what has been promised to us?
Likewise, for us to receive salvation, we have to know the terms and conditions given by God and Jesus. What are those terms and conditions? In John 14:23, Jesus says that he and the Father will love and be with those who obey his teachings.
By knowing and obeying Jesus’s teachings, we are fulfilling the requirements necessary to redeem our voucher in the end. Since all of Jesus’ words came from God, by obeying Jesus, we are obeying God. And by doing that, by keeping the Word within us, becoming more like it, we show that we have been born of God’s seed because we resemble the Word.
The New Covenant Jesus made with us…is it for now? Or later?
Well then, what are these teachings that Jesus is referring to? Let’s look in Luke 22:14-20. At the Passover the night before he went to the cross, Jesus made a new covenant with his disciples and all who would believe in him. He established this covenant with his blood.
“In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you.”
Luke 22:20
What is a covenant? It is a promise to be kept at a later time. And just like the salvation voucher, there are terms and conditions for this covenant. There is a specific time when this covenant will be kept and when we will be able to redeem our salvation vouchers.
“For I tell you I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God… For I tell you that from now on I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
Luke 22:16, 18
So we see that the time when we can keep this covenant is when the kingdom of God comes. When will that be? When Jesus returns. And where can we learn more about that time when Jesus promised to return? What book prophesies about that time? Revelation. The terms and conditions of the new covenant and our salvation are within the prophecies of Revelation. How do we know that salvation will be available at that time? Because it is promised in the Bible.
“…so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people, and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”
Hebrews 9:28
What should we do while waiting to cash in our salvation voucher?
Instead of just saying, “I love Jesus, I believe in Jesus,” we must put our love and faith into action. Jesus told us that we can prove that we love him by obeying his teachings. But in order to obey them, we must know them. And by knowing them, knowing the terms and conditions and when we’re able to cash in our salvation voucher, we can be those that are ready and waiting.
In the meantime, we must do our best to know, understand, and obey Jesus’s word. While it may seem difficult, we must have the patience and endurance to learn, develop our faith, obey, and wait. The promised gift of salvation and eternal life, by being God’s children, is definitely worth it.
Written by Kenny
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