Mankind as God’s Children (Jn 1:13)

Mankind as God’s Children (Jn 1:13)

(Before going back to our spiritual journey, let me take this opportunity to inform you, Dear Readers, that we are shifting back to the Catholic version of the Bible – the New American Bible.  Our use of the NLT version has been fruitful so far.  However, as I continue to read the NAB version, I personally find it more appealing to me and my own personal journey.  So, unless otherwise specified, I will be quoting the NAB version of the Bible, copyrighted by Thomas Nelson, Inc. in 1969, to be more specific.)

In our previous article, we talked about God adopting mankind to be His children through Jesus Christ.  To wit,

“But to those who did accept Him He gave the power to become children of God, to those who believe in His name,”

In verse that follows we read:

“…who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.”

†Father God, we thank you for welcoming us in Your loving arms.  Like children we were hungry for love and thirsty for compassion, we come to You and did not turn away Your face from us.  You welcome us instead, clothed us with Your mercy, fed us with Your love and comforted us with Your peace.  Loving Father, we thank You, that by sending Your most precious son, Jesus Christ, to suffer for our sins, we were given the opportunity to have a home, Your home, with You as our father, Jesus your first born as our brother and the Church our Mother.  We praise and glorify You Father, both now and forever. Amen.†

Expecting a child, especially your first born, is a very exciting and wonderful feeling.  All the anxieties and gladness being mixed together is just overwhelming and unexplainable.  The thought of having another human life being entrusted at your care is a very joyful experience.  I don’t know how to explain or how to describe it.  How could a life that is so precious, so sacred and so fragile be placed at the control of filthy and undeserving hands? What is it that God has seen in me to place such responsibility upon my shoulders?  Nevertheless, the excitement that I have can never be contained nor can it be extinguished.  This child, this baby that my wife is carrying in her womb, is the child that I always longed for.  Blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh. 

If I, a mortal, who have waited only for about two years for my child, cannot contain this excitement and joy, how much more God who have waited for His children hundreds even thousands of years to come to Him? 

Creations. People. Children.

I am yet to find a part of the Old Testament wherein it could be read that God calls mankind His children.  If ever the term “sons of God” was used in the Old Testament, it could hardly be pointed out as referring to human beings.  There are still theological debates and discussions as to who the sons of God are as referred to in the Old Testament.  But, from the New Testament, we know who these sons of God are. 

Verse 13, as we can see above, tells us that mankind reproduces mankind through these three natural causes: (1) by natural generation, (2) by human choice, and (3) by a man’s decision.  Therefore, a human is a child to another human.  But our being children of God is not the result of any human or physical means.  It is by the Spirit of God that we became children of God – first and foremost by accepting Jesus Christ. We do not become children of God by our own merits.  We do not make ourselves children of God because of our choices or decisions, but because it is God who decided to take us as His children through Christ.  Man cannot say, “God make me your son.”  But it is God who calls us, “Listen and accept my son Jesus and you will be partakers of my kingdom, be my adopted sons and daughters.”  We do not become children of God because we wanted it, but because God willed it. 

In John 3:5-6, Jesus explained this to a Pharisee named Nicodemus.  “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit.”

Just as adopted children became part of the family through papers and legalities, man becomes a child of God through Jesus.  This brings me to the question, “If the adopted children share in the responsibilities within their adopted homes, don’t we have roles to play as well as children of God?”  

Becoming the Children of God (John 1:12)

There were children and then there were strangers.  The children almost always have part in the inheritance, but not the strangers, except for a very few.  The children have the privilege of being part of a family where they are nurtured and loved. The strangers, aside from a few moments of generosity and compassion, were not part of the grace reserved for the children.  One would not keep his or her children out in the cold of the night and let some strangers in to his or her home.  That’s not the way of the world. 

But there were strangers, unrelated by blood, who were taken in as one’s own.  They are the adopted sons and daughters, worthy to be called heirs and part of the family.  They were given the rights to call their “parents”, father and mother.   If this can happen here on earth, believe that it is possible, too, in the heavenly realms. 

“But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)”

†Father, we thank you for the gift of life.  We thank you Father for Your grace that You made us worthy to become Your children through Jesus Christ Your Son, our Lord and Savior. 

Father, touch our hearts today, so that as we read and meditate on Your words, we may fully understand Your message.  Lead us, Father, in a life that will make us worthy to be called Your sons and daughters, children of the Most High. All this we pray, Father, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

From our last article, we talked about how Jesus, being the Light of the world was not received in the world.  He created it, yet He was not accepted by it.  Such were the people living in the dark.  And many of us today are not different from the people of Jesus’ time on earth. 

We love darkness because in the dark, we can be bold and daring and careless.  Compare the crime rate during the day and during the night.  Most crimes were committed at night.  Why?  Because people, like us, who do bad things believe that we are isolated from the light during the night.  We can do whatever we want because no one can see us.  So we gain false courage and dare to be bold.  But you know that is not true, because God, who is ever present and ever powerful, can see us even during the darkest hour of the night or even if we hide in the deepest abyss of the earth.  That’s why many would deny Jesus – and deny God.  We hate the light the would expose our wrong doings. 

No one would want to wave their dirty hands in broad daylight.  Not even me.  So we move away from the light, making us strangers to God. 

But there is hope.  And that hope is in Jesus. 

Many people, in order to achieve the grace of being called child of God have done so many things.  But if we will look at the verse above, we need to do only two things: BELIEVE and ACCEPT.

BELIEVE

We know that there are many who do not believe in Jesus –  as to who or what He is.  So let’s not talk about them.  Let us talk about the many who “believe” in Him. Believing something is associating it as real or true.  If we believe in Jesus, then we believe that He lived on earth and that He existed.  But this “belief” requires more than just acknowledging the fact that Jesus lives and that He is the Son of God.

If we are to believe in Him, then we must believe His works and His words.  You cannot say, “I believe in what you said, but I don’t believe it’s the truth.”  What is the point in believing a lie.  Believing in a person but not in his words is very contradicting in its own.  Such is something we cannot do when it comes to our belief in Christ.  We cannot simply believe that Jesus is the Son of God and our Savior, and yet do not believe the words He said.  We cannot also say that we believe Him to be the Christ, but not believe that He died for our sins. 

Many people who are suffering and struggling in life profess their beliefs in Jesus but they live their lives as if He can do nothing about their problems.  Many people believe in Him and His remission of sins, but continue to live their lives as if they can never be forgiven.  They believe in Him, but not His words, not His works.  If we truly believe in Jesus, we will believe what He said and will DO as He commanded. 

ACCEPT

Accepting Jesus means letting Him in into our lives.  You cannot accept and not receive.  “I accept this gift, but take it with you when you leave.”  “I accept you in our house, but you have to stay outside.”  That’s not acceptance. And I don’t know what it is.  We cannot say, “Jesus, I accept you in my life as my Lord and Savior, but don’t meddle in my affairs.  I can do this on my own.”   Accepting Jesus means surrendering everything to Him.  When you ride a taxi, you don’t instruct the driver when to turn left or right, when to step on the brakes and when to change gears.  You just tell him the direction or location you want to go and let him do his job. 

So, when we accept Jesus, we just have to let Him do His job of changing us, from the inside out.  We cannot accept Jesus and then continue on our own “journey” of self-enlightenment, self-discovery, self-fulfillment or whatever you want to call it.  All our efforts, though some may succeed in some areas and for some times, will all end empty and will fall short.  Because only by accepting Jesus we can have the fullness of life.  With Jesus in our lives, we shall lack nothing for He is the Good Shepherd with unfailing love that will pursue us all the days of our lives (cf. Ps. 23).  

BECOME

This not something you can do – this is the outcome of your belief and acceptance of Jesus Christ.  This is the grace of God that is offered to all of us through Christ.  This is made free for you and me because Jesus already paid the ultimate price – His death on the cross.  With His death and resurrection, we can become heirs and be called children of God.  All we must do is Believe and Accept.

Then, what shall we do as we become children of God?  Live like one.

“This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions.  Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.  But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. (Colossians 1: 21-23)”

†We thank you, Father, for the love and mercy you have given us.  We thank you for the gift to be rightfully called your children through Jesus Christ.  Without you, we are nothing.  And as a child of the Almighty, we pray that you meet our every needs like a babe helpless and in need of your love and care, every waking moment of our lives.  And when our time on earth comes to an end, welcome us in the gate of heaven, to a place You have reserved for us since You laid down the foundation of the universe.  All this we pray, in Jesus’ mighty name, together with the Holy Spirit, who lives and reigns with You, now and forever. Amen.†

People's Denial of the True Light (John 1:10-11)

There are times when the people you cared the most were the ones who didn't believe and listen to you.  It is a bit disappointing when you tried to reach out to them and share with them what you've learned but they didn't seem to care.  This is not something new, so don’t worry if you experienced setbacks like this.  More often than not, people have their own understanding of things and have their own views of the world, thus, making them pre-occupied with their thoughts and own desires. 

If these things can happen to you, you can be assured that it also happened to the Greatest Teacher ever to walk on earth. 

“But although the world was made through Him, the world didn't recognize Him when He came.  Even in His own land and among His own people, he was not accepted” (John 1: 10-11).

†Father, You sent Jesus to this world so that we may know You, the Truth, the Life and the Way to Salvation.   You sent Him to us as the Light of the world which He Himself made.  Lead us, Father, so that we may recognize Him, receive Him and live as He had lived.  Lord Jesus, guide us as we listen and meditate on Your words.

In the Name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. †

In the previous articles, we learned how St. John described Jesus to the early believers of the Church.  Jesus was with God from the beginning. He created everything.  He was God.  It must be considered that according to most Bible scholars, this Gospel was written during the first century when the Church was in its early years and was suffering from persecutions and challenges.  To give hope to the believers, St. John may have intended to strengthen the Church’s faith by introducing Jesus as the Son of God.  A power to whom everyone can seek refuge and comfort. 

During the time that the Gospel was written, the years before that, and even up to this present day, there were skeptics who don’t believe the message of salvation that is Jesus Christ.  People in the times of Jesus had their own perception of salvation.  From the last book of the Old Testament until the birth of Jesus, the people of Israel have been waiting for the Christ for hundreds of years.  During those years, many came to claim to be the Messiah but all of them proved to be false.  Then there came Jesus.  A Jewish carpenter from Nazareth, uneducated - unlike most scholars of that time.  Born and raised in poverty.  Who was this Man to teach about the salvation of Man and of the Kingdom of God?  The Christ that they were waiting for is a man who will end slavery and oppression. Not a carpenter.  Certainly not Jesus.

As we would also learn later from other verses in the Bible, even His Mother and brothers (and sisters) were skeptical about Him and His teachings.  St. James, also believed to be a brother of Jesus, was at first skeptical about Him until His resurrection on the first Easter when Jesus appeared to him again.  From that point on, St. James became a true believer, lead the Church in Jerusalem until he was martyred like many other saints and defenders of the Faith.

Maybe the people during those times were afraid that they again fall prey to those people pretending to be the Christ.  Maybe, the people during those early times when Jesus was about to start His ministries had doubts about God’s promised salvation.  Eventually, their fears and doubts blinded them.  And when the Light of God came to the world, they denied Him.  They cannot comprehend the way the Light was revealed to them.  It was not what they've been expecting.  It cannot be the truth that they've waiting for.

Doubt and fear lead to blindness.  People who suffered in life would understand.  People who experienced being alone, helpless and brokenhearted would understand the feeling of being forsaken by a God who never seems to listen.  Tired, afraid, brokenhearted people,  resort to closing their eyes and choosing darkness -relying upon their own understanding and strength-than to hope for a distant spark of light.  And these people hold on to their “blinded-faith.”  They refused to acknowledge the Light because it does not conform to what they believe and  expect. 

Until this day, many were living in the dark because they refuse to acknowledge the light.  Many still don’t believe in Jesus because He doesn't fit their preconceived idea of a savior or Son of God.  Many even deny His existence.  Many even deny the very existence of God.  The people of those days still live today. 

But, for the Church and to the believers, Jesus is the Christ – the Son of the Living God.  And through Him, we can find the light of peace, joy, hope and love that endures forever.

†Amen.  Lord Jesus, You are the True Light from the Father.  In You we entrust our lives.  Guide us that we may continue to live the life You have always wanted for us.  And when our time on earth come to an end, welcome us in Your loving presence.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.  As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. †