Sons and Daughters of the Living God

We are in a season of upheaval  - to borrow a term from aviation, many of us are experiencing spatial disorientation. We are all, I think, susceptible to disorientation - moral, ethical, spiritual. For the followers of Jesus Christ, it is important to remind one another of our core identity. Perhaps for many of us this is not a reminder as much as a discovery of who Christ is in us and who we are in Him. If we don't "put on" Christ we'll "put on" something else.

I've asked the small group I participate in to do some daily readings for the next few weeks, the first group of readings focuses on our core identity as the sons and daughters of the Living God. Below is the first reading in the series, the others will be posted on a daily basis through August, the Lord willing.

Much love,

Bob

Tuesday, July 28: John 1:1 – 18.

Please pay particular attention to verses 12 and 13. What do you see?

            Note that in verses 13 and 14 we have the idea of “being born/begotten” introduced. In verse 14 we see the Word begotten of the Father; in verse 13 we see those who receive the Word “born of God”.

            V. 12 “children of God”

            V. 13 “born of God”

            V. 14 the Word is the “only begotten from the Father”

            In the very beginning of this Gospel the idea of God as our Father is introduced. We see that while Jesus Christ is uniquely the “only begotten from the Father” and (verse 18) “the only begotten God in the bosom of the Father” – that when we receive Jesus Christ, the Word, that we also experience a “birth” in God the Father and become His children.

            In verses 9 – 13 we see:

            V. 9 The Light makes Himself known to everyone

            V. 10 The world at-large did not know Him

            V. 11 The people of Israel did not receive Him

            Vv. 12 – 13 Yet even though the world at-large did not know Him, and even though the people of Israel did not receive Him, there were those, and there are those, who do receive Him – and something happens to these people, this is so much more than some kind of intellectual or emotional enterprise – these people are “born of God”. They are no longer Israelites, they are no longer citizens of the world at-large, they become by birth the children of God.

            This sets the stage for the Gospel of John.

            What’s in your wallet? Who are you?