The right to be a child
“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 1:12
Reflection
This verse reveals the greatest transformation that can happen to a human being: to become a CHILD of God. Notice that John does not say "servants of God", "followers of God" or "admirers of God" — he says "SONS of God". There is an abyssal difference between servant and child. The servant works out of fear or for wages; the child belongs to the family out of love. The servant can be dismissed; the child is a child forever. The servant approaches the master with dread; the child runs into the father’s embrace. And Jesus came to transform us from distant servants into beloved children.
Notice the verb "RECEIVE": "as many as received him". To become a child of God is not something won by merit, by good behavior or by religious effort — it is something RECEIVED. It is a gift, not a prize. And the verse explains how it is received: "to them that believe on his name". To believe in Jesus, to receive Him, is the door to sonship. It is not necessary to be good enough first; it is necessary to receive. Just as a baby does nothing to deserve being born into a family, we do nothing to deserve entering God’s family — we receive, by faith, what Christ offers us.
Notice also the word "POWER" (or "right", "authority"): "he gave them the POWER to become the sons of God". To be a child of God is not merely an honorary title — it is a power, an authority, a new status with real rights. Children have access to the Father, inheritance, protection, belonging. When you become a child of God, you gain the right to call Him "Father", to approach His throne with confidence, to be an heir of His promises. It is a change of identity so radical that the Bible calls it "being born again" — a new life in a new family.
This truth has the power to heal our deepest identity. Many people live seeking belonging, worth and acceptance in a thousand places — in performance, in the approval of others, in achievements. But whoever received Christ already has the most secure identity there is: a child of God. This does not depend on your performance today, your mood, your failures — a child remains a child even when they fail. If you received Jesus, that is your fundamental identity, which no circumstance can take. You are not a servant trying to earn acceptance; you are a child already accepted. Live today from that identity: not as one trying to CONQUER the Father’s love, but as one who has already RECEIVED it and rests in it.
Prayer
Lord, thank You that, on receiving Jesus, I became not merely Your servant, but Your CHILD — with the right to call You Father, to approach You with confidence, to be an heir of Your promises. Forgive me when I live like a servant trying to deserve Your love, forgetting I am already a child. May I rest in that identity which no circumstance can take. I am Your child. Amen.
Put it into practice
When you catch yourself trying to "deserve" God’s love (through guilt, self-demand or performance), stop and recall your identity: "I am not a servant trying to be accepted; I am a child already accepted". Live today from that sonship, not from the search for approval.
To reflect on
Have you lived like a servant trying to earn God’s acceptance — or like a child who has already received it and rests in it?
Bible text: King James Version (public domain).