“But as many as received Him, to them He gave authority to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” John 1:12
A great deal of importance is placed upon the word “receive” in the New Testament. You might ask, What does it mean to receive Christ? When do I receive Him? At what point can I say I have received Him? In the above verse, the answer to these questions does not mention joining a church or merely subscribing to doctrinal statements; neither does it require us to go through a religious ritual. It simply says — “as many as received Him.” Then it says, “to them He gave authority to become children of God.” The word “become” implies that we were not children of God, but by the act of receiving, an authority is imparted to us by Christ Himself to become children of God. It is by receiving Him that I become a child of God.
At this point may I ask, Have you received Him? Do you have the assurance that Christ is in you? If not, you can receive Him now. You can receive Him at any time and in any place. You can receive Him by yourself or with others. While you are reading this daily selection, you can take the step to receive Him. It is as simple as receiving a gift. For example, someone may offer a pen to you. They can say, “This pen is for you. It is a gift.” They can offer the pen to you all day long, but for the pen to become yours, you need to receive it. Then it actually becomes yours. In a similar way the Lord Jesus offers Himself to us through the gospel. But He is like a gentleman. He waits for our act of receiving. Whenever anyone receives Him, He instantly comes into them.
It is a momentous thing to receive the Lord Jesus. You receive by confessing with your mouth, “Lord Jesus, I receive You.” At that moment He gives you the authority to become His child. There is more authority in simply saying, “Jesus, right now I open to You, come into me,” than in all the form prayers you have ever prayed and all the rituals you have ever practiced. The authority to become a child of God is yours by the act of receiving Him. You can do it now, if you have not already.