February 13 – LD 7, Day 2: Faith
both Ingrafting and Receiving
by Rev J. Kortering
John 1:12,13, “But as many as
received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
When the catechism states that the saved ones are ingrafted
into Christ they emphasize that salvation begins and ends with God. They use
the biblical figure of speech as Jesus did in John 15 where He teaches that He
is the vine and God the husbandman who joins each branch to him in order to
make them alive. “Without me, ye can do nothing,” John 15:5. This helps us
understand the importance of our union with Christ, for He adds, “Abide in me
and I in you, As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the
vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”
There is an important relationship between ingrafting
and receiving.
The sinful and spiritually dead sinner cannot join Himself to Jesus,
cannot accept Him as his personal Savior, unless he is first made alive. This
sinner is made alive through the ingrafting. Just
like the farmer who takes a branch which is considered dead apart from the
vine, and unites it to the vine, God takes the dead sinner and unites him to
Christ through the act of ingrafting. The union
between vine and branch is completed. The living sap of the vine passes through
the graft and causes the branch to live. Life does not go from the branch to
the vine but from the vine to the branch. Jesus is the living vine and God
joins each one, for whom He shed His blood, to Him at His appointed time in
history.
Once that graft takes place, the dead sinner becomes alive.
Proof of the power of spiritual life is that the sinner comes to behold
by faith WHO God is, the sovereign and holy One. Before Him the sinner is
convicted of His sin. He weeps on account of his sins and looks to God with
sorrow of heart. Jesus is Mediator for ALL who are burdened by their sins.
Matt. 11:28-30.
Now such a convicted sinner is ready to receive Jesus as HIS Mediator
with thankful heart.
By receiving Jesus, he receives power to become a son of God. He admits
he is such not by his own will but the will of God.