God Made Known - John 1:1-18Sample

Read John 1:12-13

It is wonderful news that John’s Gospel does not end at 1:11! Despite the darkness of our world and our own hearts, and the rejection of the light by so many, here is the most amazing promise. All.. whoever, anyone, who does accept the light and who comes to believe in Him – that is, not only to believe that He existed or is important, but to put their confidence fully in Him, are given the right to become children of God.

Let that sink in for a moment. Imagine the child of the wealthiest and most powerful person you can think of. Maybe you’re thinking of the son of a top businessman, a royal princess, a baby born into a political family who is destined for greatness. Their resources and privilege are as nothing compared to those who know Jesus.

And who is this promise for? It’s not about the family we come from, our natural descent. We don’t have to be born into any particular group of people. It doesn’t matter if our parents are Christians, have another religion, or no faith at all.

In fact, it’s not about being religious at all. This isn’t just for ‘good people’. The human decisions we take to try to please God don’t count for anything here. This is about being born of God. This is His initiative and His decision; we could never deserve or earn it. But notice that it’s also open only to those who put their trust in Jesus’ name. We can’t simply say we all are God’s children... there is a call to believe, and we must respond.