Chapter 17

The Childship of Faith

“As many as received Him, to them gave He the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on His name. ” John 1: 12.

The receiving of the Lord Jesus is here said to be the same as believing on His name. One receives Him as soon as one believes, yea through believing on His name. His name is always Jesus, Savior. As soon as the soul believes this, and on this account looks on Him as the man who certainly saves the sinner, it not merely thinks: “He can do this, yet I know not if it will take place with me,” but it regards Him as a Savior given by God also for himself, and thus believes on His name that it essentially expresses what Jesus is, — as soon as, I say, the sinner does this, he receives Him. He acknowledges Him in His grace as Jesus, appropriates Him in the faith which says, “He is also for me”; he receives Him as a gift bestowed by God, set before Him to be appropriated, receives Him as that which His name signifies — Savior, the only and perfect Savior. He acknowledges that in himself there is nothing good nor ever shall be; he foresees manifold unfaithfulness and backsliding; he feels himself to be wholly powerless: but he receives Jesus as a Savior, as one who undertakes the whole work, who from day to day will continue that work and accomplish it in the leading, the keeping, and the sanctification of the soul. And according as he believes further in that name, in the absolute truth, the far-reaching signification, the inexhaustible power of that name, in this same measure does he receive Jesus more perfectly in the riches of His manifold blessings, and experience how true it is: Jesus saves. He gives power to men to become the children of God, enables them also to say, through the Spirit, “Abba, Father,” and with all the dispositions of children — confidence, fear, love, obedience — to rejoice in God’s fatherly love.

Reader, are you seeking salvation? O, then, receive Jesus. He is offered to you by God as a Savior. Receive Him as a gift of the Divine love; acknowledge Him as really also for you; believe that, with His name, it is the full truth that the work of saving a sinner may well be entrusted to Him; receive Him in that faith, coupled with the simple surrender of yourselves, dead and wretched as you are, into His hands, and be assured that you shall not come out deceived. Away with all doubtings. In the name of God I ask you, as upright dealing is for you indispensable to being saved: Do you believe in the name of Jesus, or do you not believe in it? Do you believe in the name JESUS, given by the true God to His Son, in order that you may build your hope upon it? O sinner, pray, believe that the name, Jesus, is divine truth. Come, say today, “Yes: He is the Savior of that which was lost “; no longer shut Him out, but receive Him in the heart, with simple faith in His word, I am Jesus. Begin with this, continue with this, go forward with this, believe evermore in the name JESUS; receive Him with this, and He shall give you power to become a child of God. Here once more what God says to you today, “As many as received Him ” — thousands on earth and in heaven can corroborate the statement that it is really so — “to them gave He the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on His name.”