Power to Become Sons

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons (and daughters) 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. John 1:12-13

It is natural to think of God’s greatest gifts as a throne, a crown, a mansion on high. But this verse talks about Power to become not power to have something.

Maybe if we understood the fall better, this would make sense. When Adam and Eve fell, they were “cut off” and so were we. Everyone was born equal - zero points, no connection to God, cast off. It’s like God is a vine and he cast off all his leaves. Or God is a root of an olive tree and all of us have “olive” in us but none of us are attached to the root.

Jesus said, “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:4-5

So we are branches but in order to grow and produce fruit we have to be connected to the vine (i.e. God). God invites this connection to happen and he gives us the “power” to produce or create fruit.

Other places where God uses the same wording about “power to become” contain hints as to what He means. In 3 Ne 9:17, he says, “for behold, by me redemption cometh,” equating this “power” with “redemption.” For those of us that thought redemption was something we passively receive, these verses allude to an action of “becoming” redeemed. What action or actions are required? The most obvious is to believe on his name. Synonymously he says, to receive me.

A version in D&C 45:8-10 says, “I came unto mine own, and mine own received me not; but unto as many as received me gave I power to do many miracles, and to become the sons of God; and even unto them that believed on my name gave I power to obtain eternal life. And even so I have sent mine everlasting covenant into the world, to be a light to the world, and to be a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a messenger before my face to prepare the way before me. Wherefore, come ye unto it…” This verse qualified the “power” as power to do many miracles and power to obtain eternal life. It also contains a directive that we come to and accept his “everlasting covenant.”

So if we accept the covenant, and enter in by the “strait gate,” we choose to reattach ourselves by a strong promise to the True Vine. Then we “abide in him” and actually take nourishment from the vine. This leads to fruit.

But in the allegory of the olive trees in Jacob 5, the master of the vineyard goes to great lengths to nourish his trees for the purpose of fruit production. All of the branches are grafted in to various root stocks. Some produce good fruit, some bad. If God is The Vine or The Root, than this allegory doesn’t make sense in the way that there are many trees. However, if you know that olive roots when they are cut, will automatically sprout, then the original tree can be planted in various places. What I like about the allegory is that it shows how the branches are nourished by the root in more than one scenario. It makes the directive to “abide in me” a little more like real life and less straightforward. It predicts the outcomes of the many people who choose to attach themselves to the True Vine, but then for various reasons, fail to get nourishment and never produce fruit. The power to thrive is in the root. The power can flow into the branches that are grafted in, but fruit is not guaranteed.

Redemption is possible through Him. We choose when and how we will draw on His power. He is in us and we are productive because He empowers us to be so. I looked and saw that the concept of eternal life is tied to action as in this verse, “And if thou art faithful unto the end thou shalt have a crown of immortality, and eternal life in the mansions which I have prepared in the house of my Father.” (D&C 81:6) If I keep growing and keep producing fruit until God declares the “end” of His work, then I have eternal life flowing through my veins.