John 1:12 - The Born Again Experience!!!
John 1:12 - The Born Again Experience!!!
John 1:12 (KJV) 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:
John 1:12 (AMP) But to as many as did receive and welcome Him,
He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the
children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in,
and rely on) His name--
John 1:12 (NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he
gave the right to become children of God.
WORD STUDY
As many as received. John here brands as error the belief
that simply because Christ died for all men, all will therefore be
saved. Marked equally false is the belief that God predestines certain
men to be saved and others to be damned. John emphatically declares
that the decisive factor lies with men themselves - "as many" as
receive and believe are granted access to sonship.
Power. Rightly translated "authority." Because of sin man had
lost all his rights and deserved the penalty of death. The plan of
salvation restored man's opportunity to know God and to choose to serve
Him.
To become. God does not arbitrarily make men His sons; He
enables them to become such if they so choose.
On his name. To believe on the name of Christ is to
appropriate the provisions of salvation in Christ Jesus. [SDA Bible
Commentary]
INTRODUCTION
It is a valiant way to serve God. It does not bring any
earthly reward, and the costs of serving are tremendous, emotionally and
sometimes physically. This is the ministry of a soapbox preacher - one who
stands in the middle of a college campus, for example, and proclaims
the Word of God to sneering, mocking students. He is a modern-day
John the Baptist - a lone voice crying in the wilderness.
At times, John the Baptist was probably treated like a
soapbox preacher. But that did not dissuade him from completing his
mission-to call the Jews to repentance, baptize Jesus, and introduce Jesus
as the Messiah. As you read, learn from the courage and conviction
of John the Baptist, and determine to introduce people to the
Savior.
God sent John the Baptist to identify Jesus as God's living
light (John 1:8). Today, all Christians, like John the Baptist, serve
to bring God's light to the world. We are not the source of God's
light - we merely reflect it. Jesus Christ is the true Light. He helps
us see our way to God and shows us how to walk along that path. But
Christ also has chosen to shine his light through his followers to an
unbelieving world. As we reflect God's moral excellence, our lives and words
help guide others.
If you belong to Christ, your lifestyle, habits, words, and
actions should reflect God's goodness to the people around you. Take
time today to examine your life carefully. Ask God to point out any
area that does not reflect his goodness. Then ask for his grace and
strength, to make the needed changes in your life and to brightly reflect
his light. [The One Year Through the Bible Devotional by Dave
Veerman re vv. 6-14]
COMMENTARY
"As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the
sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." Shall we not,
then, give to Christ that which He has died to redeem? If you will do
this, He will quicken your conscience, renew your heart, sanctify your
affections, purify your thoughts, and set all your powers at work for Him.
Every motive and every thought will be brought into captivity to Jesus
Christ. 7BC909
Satan had claimed that it was impossible for man to obey God's
commandments; and in our own strength it is true that we cannot obey them. But
Christ came in the form of humanity, and by His perfect obedience He
proved that humanity and divinity combined can obey every one of God's
precepts. "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the
sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:12. This
power is not in the human agent. It is the power of God. When a soul
receives Christ, he receives power to live the life of Christ. COL314
ILLUSTRATIONS
When I was an atheist, my wife's conversion to Christianity -
and the subsequent changes in her character prompted me to use my
journalism and legal training to investigate the evidence for Jesus. After
nearly two years, I found myself convinced that he is the unique Son of
God, who confirmed his identity by returning from the dead.
At that point I wasn't sure what to do. That's when I
recalled hearing about John 1:12 from a friend. Alone in my bedroom on
November 8, 1981, I found the verse in my Bible and noticed that the key
words formed an equation about how to become a follower of Jesus:
Believe + Receive = Become.
So I prayed a prayer of repentance and faith to receive Jesus
as my forgiver and leader - and the great adventure of the
Christian life began for me.
Thus, John 1:12 was the last verse I read in my spiritual
investigation, which is why it's so special to me. Even beyond that, however,
I've been able to use this equation through the years to help many
other people understand that believing in Jesus is a great first step
- but becoming a child of God requires us to receive his freely
offered gift of forgiveness and eternal life. I'm thankful the Bible has
encapsulated this critical news in such a succinct and compelling verse.
Lee Strobel, former award-winning legal editor of the Chicago
Tribune, is the author of more than twenty books, including The Case for
the Real Jesus and New York Times best sellers The Case for Christ
and The Case for Faith. [The One Year Bible Live Verse Devotional]
The name of a certain younger man was mentioned to a famous
teacher, whose student the younger man claimed to be. The older man
answered: "He may have attended my lectures, but he was not one of my
students." There is a world of difference between sitting in a teacher's
class room and being one of his students. There can be contact without
communion; there can be relationship without fellowship. All men are the
sons of God in the sense that they owe to him the creation and the
preservation of their lives; but only some men become the sons of God in the
depth and intimacy of the true father and son relationship... This
sonship does not come from any human impulse or desire or from any act
of the human will; it comes entirely from God. We cannot make
ourselves sons of God; we have to enter into a relationship which God
offers us... But there is a human side to this. What God offers, man
has to appropriate. A human father may offer his son his love, his
advice, his friendship, and the son may refuse it and prefer to take his
own way. It is so with God; God offers us the right to become sons
but we need not accept it. [Barclay Commentary]
CLOSING THOUGHT
The same Power that created the universe (v.3) is available to
create a new life from our shattered hopes. The Light of life that
exposes and drives away the darkness of the human race (v.4-5) is the
same Light that brightens the dark corners of our world. This source
of all life and true Light of the world is the source of our
recovery. Eternal life and true recovery are ours when we believe what
God says, renounce our tendency to do things our way, and receive
the one whom God sent to help us (v.11-13). Life Recovery SB]
LIFE STORIES ILLUSTRATING THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUVyxqAV3-Y&feature=youtu.be
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE AND TOPIC:
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2008/20080605-1010.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2015/20150713-1642.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782
Musical Devotional On Christian Living:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcotY5K7T0c
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDY:
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Discover Bible Studies: http://studies.itiswritten.com/discover/
LINKS FOR PROPHECY SEMINARS:
The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
http://www.lastdayofprophecy.com/
[March 21-26, 2016: Charlotte, NC in person with live streaming
and multiple outreach locations]
Revelation Today by Pastor John Bradshaw:
https://revelationtoday.com/other-streams/
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
