The Bible states that “But He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of man, but of God, to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name” (John 1: 12–13).
Two verbs in particular in these lines are crucial to comprehending how you can become a child of God, that is, how you will be a part of Him. The verbs “receive” and “believe” are these. In addition to believing in Jesus, we also ought to be open to receiving Him. However, precisely what does this mean?
Repentance
The Bible’s James provides a straightforward but helpful explanation of the solution to this question: “You believe that God is one; you do well.” According to James 2:19, “even the demons believe—and shudder.”
This line indicates that even God’s adversaries, the demons, acknowledge His presence. Furthermore, when Jesus was tempted in the desert, the devil was well-versed in both the Bible and God’s will (Matthew 4:3-10 and Luke 4:3–12). However, his motives were evil. He was misquoted by the devil. Jesus’ teachings can also be used in this way, so we must exercise caution.
We can accept it, but we won’t act upon it or follow God’s instructions. James 2:26 states, “Because faith apart from works is dead, just as the body apart from the spirit is dead.” Since everyone who sins is a child of the devil, it is crucial to be willing to receive His Words in order to be a child of God and to turn away from evil (1 John 3:8).
Your intention
However, how is it possible that Ephesians 2:8–10 states that you have been saved by faith—a gift from God—and not by your own efforts or works? This seems incoherent. You must consider the distinction between the Pharisee and the tax collector in the story found in Luke 18:9–14 in order to realize that this is not inconsistent.
Pharisees served as role models for the Israelites during the time the Bible was written. At the very least, you would have expected them to do this when they demonstrated the “good works” necessary to appease God. However, their “good works” frequently had a hypocritical motivation. God examines much than just the obvious:
As stated in 1 Samuel 16:7, “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
Please God or more
God will consider your attitude in addition to your “good works.” He is focusing on that. He considers how His Word has affected your heart. He checks to see if you’ve adjusted your mindset. Everything is visible to him. He is able to discern whether our relationship with Him goes beyond just obedience and good deeds, or whether we are simply Pharisees.
He desires for us to alter. He desires that we follow Him voluntarily and submit to His will. He prefers a relationship between a husband and wife or a father and child over one between a boss and employee. Because we desire to grow because we love Him, He desires that we return the favor and mature in Him.
Grow in the right direction
Thus, we must take action immediately! We must choose to fix our attention on God rather than on wickedness. To be able to love Him, we must make that decision. This can be compared to a husband’s and wife’s relationship.
It is the duty of a husband and wife to love one another. They have to put each other first instead of other people. They made their choice once, but in order to move on, they must make the same decision every day. When they do, their friendship will develop and they will eventually have a deeper understanding of one another. The same holds true for your connection with God. It will expand.
We are infants in faith at first, but we shall mature into adults in faith if we [develop in the proper way]. You can only be born again once, but each day we have the choice to choose God and go in the correct path (continue in faith). The Holy Spirit will support and sustain us if we sincerely desire to follow Him and ask God for assistance.
Because the Lord, God of your God, is kind and merciful. If you turn back to Him, He won’t turn His back on you (2 Chronicles 30:9 b).
