Sons and Daughters - Children of God

John 1:12 (NLT)

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

Break It Down

This verse doesn’t sit on its own.

It sits at the end of a very long road.

John is not announcing a new idea, he is announcing the fulfilment of God’s plan.

To believe and receive Jesus is to step into a changed status,

not just forgiven people, but children of God.

That shift carries both privilege and responsibility.

God’s Intention

From the moment the fall occurred in the garden, God began making a way back.

Covenant by covenant.

Through promise, law, sacrifice, and temple.

Through a system that kept pointing beyond itself.

The tabernacle, then the temple, were not the destination, they were signposts.

The sacrifices did not remove sin permanently, they anticipated a greater work.

And when Jesus gave His life on the cross, and the veil was torn,

the separation ended.

Access was restored.

Relationship was fully reopened.

But not just any relationship.

God’s intention was not merely reconciliation,

it was restoration into family.

Sons and daughters.

Weave in the Passage

Scripture draws a distinction between sons of man and sons of God.

The sons of man are the children of Adam, shaped by the fall.

The sons of God belong to the heavenly realm, those who live in God’s presence and under His authority.

And this is where the miracle deepens.

Through Christ, we are invited into that identity.

Not as angels, but as adopted sons and daughters,

sharing in inheritance, intimacy, and calling.

That status is extraordinary,

and it carries weight.

Responsibility That Flows From Sonship

Jesus makes the response clear and uncomplicated.

You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

What This Responsibility Looks Like

To love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength is not abstract devotion.

It is allegiance.

It is ordering our lives around Him.

And to love our neighbour as ourselves is not passive kindness.

It is active, costly love.

This is where righteousness takes shape,

not as moral superiority or religious control,

but as faith expressed through action.

Standing with the oppressed.

Feeding the hungry.

Defending the vulnerable.

Choosing truth, mercy, and justice in the ordinary and the costly places of life.

This is not about being overbearing or pedantic.

It is about reflecting the heart of the Father in the world.

The Weight of What God Has Achieved

This new status did not come cheaply.

God did not improvise salvation.

From the garden onward, everything was moving toward the cross.

Every covenant pointed forward.

Every sacrifice whispered that something greater was coming.

Every priest, altar, and offering anticipated the moment when God Himself would step in.

And in Jesus Christ, God did not send a substitute,

He sent Himself.

The Son laid down His life so that we might receive life.

Not just eternal life in the future,

but a new identity now.

This is the great miracle.

Not simply that sins are forgiven,

but that former enemies are welcomed as sons and daughters.

Related Scripture

Romans 8:14–17 — Those led by the Spirit are children of God, heirs with Christ

Galatians 4:4–7 — God sent His Son so we might receive adoption

Ephesians 1:4–5 — Chosen and adopted according to God’s purpose

1 Peter 2:9 — A chosen people, a royal priesthood

Micah 6:8 — To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God

1 John 3:1 — That is what we are

Application for Today

This is more than a comforting truth to hold.

It is a calling to live into.

Take time today to reflect, not just on the privilege of being God’s child,

but on what that identity is shaping in you.

How are you loving God with the whole of your life?

How is that love being expressed toward the people around you?

Sonship is not something we merely celebrate.

It is something we steward.

Prayer

Father,

Thank You for the lengths You went to bring us back to Yourself.

Thank You that through Jesus we are not kept at a distance,

but brought into Your family as sons and daughters.

Teach us to live worthy of that calling,

to love You fully,

and to love others in ways that reflect Your heart.

Amen.

Reflection

This is not a small shift.

It is a complete change of status.

Sit quietly today and consider what it truly means

to be a son,

to be a daughter,

of the Most High God.

Let that truth shape not just what you believe,

but how you live.