The unanswered question from last week’s article remains, “How can I know that I am a child of God?”

The answer begins with faith in Jesus Christ:

He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:11-13

The bold emphasis in the above passage is mine, of course. I use it to draw our attention to John’s teaching which shows that only those who believe in Jesus are given the right to become God’s children. This of course, is why Jesus said to preach the gospel to the entire world, so that all would have the opportunity to believe in Him, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-16 & Luke 24:46-47.

So then, faith is the condition by which God grants the right to become a child of His, but having the right to do something is obviously different from the actual doing of it.

At what point then, and by what means does one actually become a child of God?

John also tells us how Jesus answers the question. A man by the name of Nicodemus comes to Jesus and says to Him:

Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that you
do unless God is with him.
John 3:2

Is this not an expression of faith in Jesus on the part of Nicodemus? If in fact Nicodemus does believe in Jesus, what does he have from God, according to the above passage in John 1:11-13? Would he not have the right to become a child of God based on his faith in the Son of God?

Jesus at this point, takes Nicodemus immediately where he needs to be based, on the right he possesses by faith, to become a child of God. Jesus says:

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God… Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:3,5-6

Nicodemus had the right to become a child of God because of his faith. Now he knows he has to be born of water and the Spirit of God to follow through.
(more next week)
Marty Kessler