Receiving as Children

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). This is one of the best known and loved verses in the Bible. It is beloved because we all need this gift from God. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Wages are earned, gifts are received. Jesus taught that how God’s gift was received is important. He illustrated this using children. In Mark 10:13-16, children are brought to Jesus to be blessed. The Greek word for children here is paidíon. It indicates a small child under training. We begin our Christian lives like small children under training that we are growing up into spiritual maturity (Philippians 3:12-14).

Jesus teaches that we must receive God’s gift of eternal life as little children. The Greek verb for receiving is déxomai. It means to receive in a welcoming, receptive way. The verb is in the middle voice. This means that we are both doing the action and receiving the action. For example, if I “brush my teeth,” I am both doing the brushing and experiencing the action of the brushing.

When I welcome and warmly receive God’s gift of eternal life, I am doing the receiving and experiencing the benefits of eternal life.

Our eternal life starts now as we participate in the kingdom of God on earth. In His Kingdom, we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Also, we desire to obey and serve God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, “for it is God who is working in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (2 Philippians 2:13).

The experience of eternal life continues after our physical life ends as we enter “into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11).

Later in that same chapter Mark, Jesus refers to His disciples as “children.” Jesus uses a different Greek word for children, téknon. Téknon indicates a child living in willing dependence. Just as children are fully dependent on their parents so Christians are to be fully and willingly reliant on God.

God respond by meeting our physical needs (Matthew 6:31-33) and by transforming us into His image. “Beloved, now we are children (téknon) of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

Eternal life is a gift of immeasurable value and can never be earned (Psalm 49:7-9). The gift was not purchased “with things like silver or gold…but with precious blood…the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

Let us warmly welcome God’s gift of eternal life. Let us live in full and willing dependance on the God who died for us and lives in us. Let us serve Him by enthusiastically sharing the Gospel.