“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.But as many as receivedHim, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” John 1:11-12
The word receive is a very big word in the New Testament! It’s the Greek word lambano, which means to take, to seize, to latch on to, clutch or grasp. This is not a passive word, but an action word. Jesus always gave people an opportunity to take or seize upon what He was offering. That’s what faith does, faith takes what God has provided by grace. Jesus would often say, “Do you believe I am able to do this?” Then He would say, “Your faith has made you whole.” Faith is an action that requires us to take what Jesus is offering! The Bible calls that receiving. And everything we receive from God requires faith!
God’s Plan of Redemption has already been fulfilled through the finished work of Christ through His sacrificial death, burial and resurrection. The only requirement is that we believe it and receive it by faith! The above scripture states clearly that, “…as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God.” Have you received Him? Taken Him into your heart? Seized His promise of eternal life? If not, you need to…
It’s much like a forward pass at a football game. It’s not complete until the receiver catches, or takes, seizes, latches on to, clutches or grasps the ball! It’s really electrifying to watch a long forward pass! It’s almost as if everyone in the stadium is on the edge of their seat holding their breath! Everyone watching knows that if the receiver doesn’t catch the ball, the pass is incomplete! All the yards that the receiver ran downfield during the play mean nothing! All the effort the entire team exerted to move the ball downfield means nothing! Why? Because the pass receiver never received the pass! There was no forward progress, and the ball goes back to where it was originally!
Our Redemption is much the same. God has completed His Package of the Redemption of mankind. He sent His Son into the earth! He did all the work, the heavy lifting; He shed His own Blood, provided forgiveness, and offers our acceptance into the family of God by faith in Him, and what He has done! His part of the Covenant is Complete! But that doesn’t mean everyone is automatically redeemed. There is still the matter of RECEIVING HIM… Receiving Him is what completes our part of the Covenant, where we willingly come to Him and receive, take, and latch onto Him as our Lord and Savior! If it was any harder than that, it wouldn’t be a Covenant of grace. Redemption has been fulfilled for 2,000 years and the Church Age is coming to an end very soon.
To receive Him as your Lord and Savior, pray this simple prayer:
Lord Jesus, I believe that You are the Son of God, that You came to pay a price for me that I couldn’t possibly have paid. I believe that Your Blood paid for all my sins. I take You at Your Word. I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead, and I say with my own mouth that You are my Lord from this day forward! I receive You, I take You, and Trust You with all my heart! Amen!
With Love,
Pastor Tom