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The Word of God, Lesson 3, John 1:10-14
In our short study of The Word of God we have covered
A) The Word and Deity (1) B) The Word and Creation (2,3) C) The Word and Life (4,5,9) and the D) The Word and the World (10)
And today we continue our study of The Word of God relevant to:
E) The Word and Men (11-13) F) The Word Incarnate (14) and G) The Word Revealing (16-18)
So we begin our fifth connection of the Word, that of its connection with Men
For we read of this in John 1:10-13 where we are told:
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power (authority and ability) 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.
These verses individualize and personalize the matter discussed in verse 10 where we are told the world knew Him not, with this passage showing how contact with men was made.
He came unto his own, means he came home.
The first “his own” refers to things, the fields, the cities, the dwelling, his nation.
The second “his own” refers to persons, those who were enlightened and exalted by the abundance of divine revelation of the Word of God.
And within this divine revelation His own are called:
In I Peter 2:9, The Lord's people: In Isaiah 46:13, His Glory: In James 2:5, Heirs of the Kingdom: In Ex 19:5, Peculiar treasure In Deut. 7:6A, special people unto himself: And in Psalm 89:27, God's first born:
And how clearly His people are identified in Isa 1:2, Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
And when the word became flesh this truth still remained for we read in John 7:5, For neither did his brethren believe in him.
So He came unto his own,
he came unto that which was familiar,
he came to that place, that Home Sweet Home place
expecting to be welcomed,
that place where one relaxes,
that place where your loved ones abide,
that place where home cooked meals are eaten,
where good conversation is conducted at the family table and beds fit your frame.
And he was the one who created all things, so He came for a visit declaring His right of ownership of all that was seen.
But his own received him not, and not only that, he was rejected.
Isaiah, the Prophet of God wrote of Israel’s reception of the Word made flesh in:
Isaiah 53:3, He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Those who were his own peculiar people joined to his proper surroundings did not accept him, nor did they honor his authority over them.
He came as the Word, the Logos, the wisdom, the light, but now he comes to his own peculiar people in his proper surroundings, his home, but his own did not receive him, "He was despised and rejected of men" we esteemed him not,
He offered liberty from the chains of sin, but they loved their sin instead.
He promised to make them "poor in spirit: holy and happy"
But they did not know they were wretched, miserable, poor blind and naked. Revelation 3:17.
He came to a people "stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart.
But he will be glorious despite the rejection of Israel as stated in:
Isaiah 49:5, And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.
Again, from the Bible Commentator Van Doren we quote:
a) He came as a Savior offering deliverance, but they denied their danger. b) He came to redeem but they denied their bondage. c) He came to offer eternal life as a gift, they denied their fear of any loss by death. d) He came to make them sons of God, but they refused him who alone could give them this power. e) He came to be a fountain, but they denied their need of cleansing. f) He came to be their physician, but they denied they were sick.
But God will have the victory as we see in verse 12.
John 1:12, 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:
Here we see reception as opposed to rejection for God always has a remnant:
We read “As many” meaning there is no limit to opportunity.
God is not a respecter of persons as revealed in the word “whosoever will may come.”
“As received Him” - Those of whom welcomed him home.
He is trusted as a friend, not rejected as a stranger.
The door is open, and he is asked in.
He is received as you would receive a loved one into your home.
This verse starts with receive and concludes with believe.
Receiving and believing then are equivalent terms.
Receiving is to take as a thing offered or sent.
To believe on is to trust, to place full confidence in, to rest upon with faith.
If you receive someone into your home you do so with confidence and trust in that person.
You place your wellbeing in their hands.
Those that you won't do this with, you do not trust.
If you will not receive Jesus Christ, you do not believe on Him.
Receiving the Word brings a new relationship - the right of entry into the family of God.
But as many as received him "to them gave he power to become the sons of God.
Power means delegated authority and ability
God does not create them sons, he gives them power to become sons.
This power does not only refer to salvation but in a deeper sense it refers to the lifetime work that God is doing in his children.
Being born is only the beginning of a life in the physical sense and likewise being born again is only the beginning in a spiritual sense.
You are born a son of God, but God then does a work in you to fully make you a son of God, conforming you to His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
This is what John 6:29 refers to:
John 6:29, Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Believe on and on and on while He conforms.
As we know from Romans 8:29, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Also, Philippians 1:6, Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Whose work is it them? Is it your work?
No! It is clearly God's work!
God uses the phrase: Water of the Word
We are like God’s plant on which we water ourselves with water of the word.
But it is God who gives the increase
In becoming sons of God, we drink of the water of the Word.
In becoming sons of God, we eat of the Bread of Life.
Why then are we so impatient with each other, especially with new believers?
He or she is God's work and not our work or the work of the flesh.
Be not impatient with yourself either - wait on God - he is doing the growing.
For it is God that gives the increase.
Can a child grow by exerting his mind or wishing to grow by his own efforts?
It cannot be done, for the child must wait for time to pass and natural processes to occur.
New believers may not know this - they may think they grow themselves by the will of man or by the will of the flesh.
But faith will bring you to know the truth of verse 13 which identifies clearly our source of growth:
John 1:13, Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
The human family relationship is established through birth.
God's family relationship is established by a new birth, by divine impartation, thru God's power.
John emphasizes this divine intervention by 3 negatives to arrive at the positive, "but of God"
Not of Blood - Shows the superiority of the spiritual birth over the natural birth, you are not born a Christian at birth, you are not a Christian because of your family relationship, your racial or national ties.
Fallen man begets a son in his own likeness not in God’s likeness.
Nor of the will of the flesh - The flesh does not understand this birth, nor have any power to gain this birth.
This birth is traceable to no human power or instrument.
Nor of the will of man - this “will” brings power, rank, and nobility on this earth but these have no eternal value.
The new birth is not brought about by parentage, by desire, or by human power.
Not of blood, the flesh, the will, but of God. |