John 1:12-18
As we saw in our last post, He (the Word) came to his own, and His own did not receive Him. But the scriptures say, “For as many as received Him.” How do they receive him? They receive Him, not as a good man or even as a prophet. Instead, they receive Him as the Son of God. The sent of God, the Messiah. So that those who believe in Him, He gave to them the right to become children of God. Not just the Jews or Israel, but all from every nation of the world. Therefore, those that believe He is the Messiah are considered children of God.
How do we become children of God? We become children of God, not by our will, not of blood or flesh or the will of another human being or even our own will, but by God.
James the brother of Jesus, in his letter to the church’s states, “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruit of His creation (James 1:18.
The word “first-fruit” is an Old Testament way of saying those born as firstborn sons. Peter in his first letter to the churches, states it this way, “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth, through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible through the Word of God which lives and abides forever (I Peter 1:22, 23).
These two passages show God’s intent for us, and the power God has to change us, but according to John 1:13, that power is supplied by God. Our part is to accept Christ, the Word as our Saviour.
To accomplish this, God the Word became one like us, becoming the firstborn of God and dwelt among us. Those present during the Word’s time on earth saw in Him the glory of God the Father, full of grace and truth. But, as I stated in an earlier post, you must have an announcement of your coming. If you, as a star performer, want to put on a concert for your fans in a certain city, you would want to advertise the place, day, and time you would be performing so your fans could see you and interact with you.
Please do not misunderstand. I am not implying Jesus; the word of God came to perform. But the principle is the same. Through Moses and the Prophets, Jesus’s coming was announced. The prophet Daniel even gave evidence of the very day Jesus was to be born, who would be the ruler of the world and the circumstances surrounding His birth.
But for everyday people, to know Jesus was soon to come with all the power of heaven, God needed a witness. That witness was John the Baptizer. Dr. Luke, the New Testament historian and author in the Gospel that bears his name, gives us the circumstances surrounding John’s birth.
John the Baptizer bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’” John is states that the One coming after Him was indeed God in the flesh. John continues, “And of His faithfulness we have all received, and grace for grace. The Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
John continues by testifying, “No one has seen God at any time except the only begotten Son.”
As we progress through the book of John, we will see that John often uses the term “begotten son.” What exactly does that statement mean? In our next post we will explore this more.
John, the author of this gospel, asks us this. Will you believe that the One si coming in the flesh to be God, the world’s Saviour? After all, He was one with God and is the Word that spoke the world into existence. Now he has come, not as God, but one like us, yet still God and flesh. Flesh like you and I, for He is one like us. The Law, Prophets, and John the Baptizer all bear witness to His coming. Therefore, the author asks, will you accept or reject Him? John is saying the choice is yours to make. Most failed to accept Him. But to help you decide, I will present evidence of exactly who Christ the Word is. As the evidence is presented, will you Accept Him or reject Him? What will your choice be?
The Bible In Your Hand 