A Study of John's Gospel

John 1:12-13: Children of God by Belief in His Name

A study of John 1:12-13

"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who 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 ‭ESV‬‬

Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage:

-Received: "lambanō", "λαμβάνω"; verb - to receive what is offered; not to refuse or reject: one, in order to obey him.

-Believe: "pisteuō", "πιστεύω"; verb - used especially of the faith by which a man embraces Jesus, i. e. a conviction, full of joyful trust, that Jesus is the Messiah — the divinely appointed author of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God, conjoined with obedience to Christ.

-Name: "onoma", "ὄνομα"; neuter noun - is used in the N. T. of all those things which, in hearing or recalling that name, we are bidden to recognize in Jesus and to profess; accordingly, of "his Messianic dignity, divine authority, memorable sufferings, in a word the peculiar services and blessings conferred by him on men," so far forth as these are believed, confessed, commemorated.

-The Right (The Power): "exousia", "ἐξουσία"; feminine noun - physical and mental power; the ability or strength with which one is endued, which he either possesses or exercises; followed by an infinitive of the thing to be done. (In this case: "to become children of God").

-Children: "teknon", "τέκνον"; neuter noun - in the writings of John, all who have been begotten of God, those whom God knows to be qualified to obtain the nature and dignity of his children.

-Were Born: "gennaō", "γεννάω"; verb - peculiarly, in the Gospel and First Epistle of John, of God conferring upon men the nature and disposition of his sons, imparting to them spiritual life, i. e. by his own holy power prompting and persuading souls to put faith in Christ and live a new life consecrated to himself.

-Blood: "haima", "αἷμα"; neuter noun - the word serves to denote generation and origin.

-The Will: "thelēma", "θέλημα"; neuter noun - equivalent to inclination, desire.

-Of The Flesh: "sarx", "σάρξ"; feminine noun - the sensuous nature of man, of sexual desire.

-Of Man: "anēr", "ἀνήρ"; masculine noun - a male person

Observation/Summary(short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):

Although many of His own people rejected Jesus, some did accept and believe in Him as the Messiah and were therefore given the right to become children of God. Those who become children of God are not conceived or born by any human means or desire, but only by the will and power of God.

Implication (what does this mean to us):

In the verses previous to these we learned Jesus came into the world He created and to the people He had chosen, Israel, yet the world did not know Him and His people rejected Him, or, "did not receive Him" as John puts it. However, in these verses we read not everyone rejected Him. There are those who received Him and believed in His name. This story of the Word, the True Light, entering into the world He created and being rejected seemed to be only a tragedy as we read the passage through to verse 11. But from the valley of verses 10-11, the passage ascends to the summit of verses 12-13 where we find out this story does not end in the sadness of rejection, but rather in the glory of grace accepted.

To this day people are still rejecting or receiving Jesus. From John's words in verse 12 we learn that to "receive" Jesus means to "believe in His name." To believe in His name describes saving faith in which a person fully embraces Jesus as their one and only Lord God and Savior. The "name" of Jesus, which those who receive Him believe in fully, describes the entirety of who He is as revealed in Scripture. This is more than simply believing Jesus is God and the Messiah, because even the demons believe that (James 2:19). To receive and believe in Jesus means to repent of sin, trust in Him as able to save, and to surrender our whole heart to Him as Lord. It is to rest completely on Jesus Christ and His eternal love and salvation, and nothing or no one else.

To those who have received and believed, He "gave the right to become children of God." This is really amazing. Jesus came not only to redeem us from slavery to sin and save us from the penalty, He came to bring us into His family as adopted sons and daughters of God. This same "Word" who was before all things and created things (John 1:1-5) does not view us as nameless servants, but as beloved children. In receiving Him, He not only saves us from eternal damnation, but for eternal love and glory. Interestingly the word "right" can also be translated as "power". This statement indicates our total lack of ability to redeem ourselves. In redeeming us by grace through faith in Him, Jesus, God Himself, gives us the right, power, ability and privilege of becoming His children when we were previously cut off from Him.

In verse 13 John explains to become children of God has nothing to do with human effort or cunning. He writes that children of God are not born of "blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." There is a triple emphasis here to drive the point home that we do not become children of God by our own effort, which is why John lists blood, will of flesh, or will of man. He is making it abundantly clear that it is only by God's power a person is made a child of God, and that becoming a child of God means being born again to new life, separate from the old life lived enslaved to sin before receiving Jesus and becoming a child of God. There is a change that takes place wherein the pre-existent Word, in whom is Life, gives new life to people who were previously dead under the curse of sin.

I like the way the great preacher Charles Spurgeon described this when He said, "The man is like a watch which has a new mainspring, not a mere face and hands repaired, but new inward machinery, with freshly adjusted works, which act to a different time and tune; and whereas he went wrong before, now he goes right, because he is right within." (Spurgeon)

Application (How does this change how I think, act and pray?):

From this we learn to receive Jesus and believe in His name means to repent of our sin, place total trust in Him and His ability to save us for eternity and to surrender our hearts and lives fully to Him as Lord. In doing this He makes us children of God, not merely redeemed slaves, but children of the God of the universe and we now enjoy a close, personal relationship with Him. He is our all-powerful Lord God, but He is also our tender loving Father.

This should cause us who have received Him to think of ourselves as God's children and this knowledge should shape how we approach Him. We do retain a proper awe and reverence for His majesty, but we also relate to Him as children to a loving Father. When we fail to act in the way His children should, we should not cower in fear. We should run to His loving arms in prayer to confess our failings and receive mercy and grace. As we pray we can and should open up to Him with real, raw honesty about what we feel, think and struggle with, even as we praise and adore Him. And also, as we pray, think about Him, and act according to His will, we should thank Him for opening our hearts to receive Him, and for making us His children. We have been given a gift we do not deserve from our Lord who delights in giving grace to sinners, and we should make it a habit of our lives to praise the Lord with thanksgiving.

Self Reflection:

Have I received Jesus by believing in Him as the one and only Lord of my life?

Are there any parts of my life or heart I have not yet received Jesus into and surrendered to Him?

While I am a servant of God, how does the knowledge that God has not saved me merely to be a slave, but a beloved child affect my daily life?

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