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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