In the Life of Christ
“He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” —John 1:11–12
Among the saddest words written about the life of Christ are these: “His own received him not.” Jesus did not arrive without warning. Israel possessed the covenants, the prophets, the promises, the temple, and the expectation of the Messiah. Yet when the promised One stood among them, many failed to recognize Him because He did not conform to their expectations. They wanted deliverance, but often on their terms. They wanted a king who would defeat their visible enemies, while Jesus came first to conquer the deeper enemies of sin, guilt, and death.
As I walk through the Gospel accounts, I see this rejection repeatedly. The people of Nazareth were amazed by Jesus’ teaching but later drove Him toward the edge of a hill. Religious leaders witnessed His miracles but accused Him of working through evil power. Crowds welcomed Him into Jerusalem with palm branches, yet the city soon echoed with demands for His crucifixion. Jesus was not rejected because He lacked evidence, compassion, or holiness. He was rejected because His light exposed what people preferred to leave hidden.
That realization brings John’s words uncomfortably close to my own heart. It is possible to know Christian language, attend worship, read Scripture, and still resist the authority of Christ. I can admire Jesus as a teacher while refusing Him as Lord. I can seek His comfort without surrendering my habits, plans, and loyalties. The decisive question is not simply, “What do I know about Jesus?” It is, “Have I received Him?”
John describes receiving Christ as believing in His name. The Greek verb pisteuō means more than agreeing that certain facts are true. It carries the idea of trusting, relying upon, and placing confidence in someone. Believing in Jesus means entrusting myself to the whole person revealed by His name—Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Savior, Lord, and King. Enduring Word identifies this as the stated purpose of John’s Gospel: “that we might believe.” Faith is not merely thinking correctly about Jesus; it is resting the weight of my life upon Him.
Receiving Christ produces a result no human achievement can secure: Jesus gives us the right to become children of God. The Greek word exousia speaks of authorized right, privilege, or granted status. BibleRef observes that it can convey “a right, or an entitlement.” This is not a spiritual rank we earn through morality, ancestry, religious activity, or self-improvement. It is a position Christ alone has the authority to grant.
Paul David Tripp calls this “one of the most important and glorious identity statements in all of Scripture.” That identity changes the way I face ordinary life. Because I am God’s child, the future is no longer an unexplored wilderness; it is the road leading to my Father’s house. Jesus told His disciples, “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). My security does not finally rest in savings, employment, health, or favorable circumstances. Those matters deserve wise stewardship, but they cannot become my savior.
As a child of God, I can bring my needs to a Father who gives good gifts. I can hold earthly possessions with open hands because Christ has secured an inheritance that cannot decay. Paul says that believers have been made fit to share “in the inheritance of the saints in light” (Colossians 1:12). Jesus also promises that the righteous will one day “shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43). Christian hope is not wishful thinking; it is confidence rooted in our relationship with the Father through the Son.
John the Baptist came as a witness to the Light, but he could not make anyone receive Jesus. His testimony placed a decision before every listener. That same decision stands before me today. Will I reject Jesus because He challenges my expectations, or will I receive Him as He truly is? There is no substitute for Christ. Good works cannot remove sin. Religious familiarity cannot create new birth. Another spiritual light cannot replace the One who declared, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).
Receiving Jesus is not merely the first decision of the Christian life. It becomes the daily posture of discipleship. Each morning I receive His Word over my assumptions, His authority over my preferences, and His grace over my attempts to justify myself. The One once rejected by His own now welcomes all who trust Him and gives them a new name: children of God.
Today I will ask myself honestly: Am I merely familiar with Jesus, or am I fully relying upon Him? I will receive His truth, surrender the area I have resisted, and live with the confidence of a welcomed child in the Father’s household.
FEEL FREE TO COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE OR POST SO OTHERS MAY KNOW