There is a distinct sense of gratefulness which comes at unexpected moments in the course of seminary. This morning was one of those moments. Being taught and equipped in the Greek language has a great deal of responsibility to it. I'm not learning this language to benchmark myself as more spiritual or better able to access the "real" Word of God. I've been given this opportunity to learn Greek in order to use it for equipping and teaching others the gifts and the treasures which are found in the original New Testament language. There is a sense of responsibility and gratefulness which comes when we realize that the opportunities and gifts which God gives us are to be used so much further beyond ourselves.
As my brain begins the aging process of shutting down and the amount of cells dying each day becomes exponential, I thought it would be helpful to remain in the Greek everyday in order to at least give some life-support to the cells that are still hanging on for dear life (and still hanging on to my beginning Greek). I spent this morning in John 1:12-13 looking at the Greek. What I saw there gave me a clear picture of this responsibility and gratefulness.
In this passage John is writing to remind the people of God that their adopted position before him is conceived and founded in the will of God and not in anything they bring to the table (their genetics, family line, self-discipline or self-will). We are children of God because He says we are children of God. In the birth of my sons, they didn't enter the world thinking "Cool. I'm glad I made this happen." They come into the world completely and utterly dependent on the the ones who have given birth to them. The verb John uses of "being born" is both in the Aorist tense (it happened at a distinct point in time) and the passive voice (it happened to us rather than by us). We have been born children of God because God made it so. What a privilege and an honor to be made His own child on His own will for His own glory. Thank you, Father.
"Not what my toiling flesh has borne can make my spirit whole."
