THE KIN.G’S BUSINESS
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meaningful, majestic word. The twelfth verse has more to do with our adoption into the' family of God, our obtaining a place as sons: the thirteenth verse has more to do with regeneration, our obtaining the nature of sons. In verse 12 we have set forth both the divine and the human side in our obtaining a position as the sons of God. It all originates with Him—it is His to give; all we have to do is simply to take what He offers—to receive. It rests with the individual to say whether or not he will obtain a position as a child of God. The words “deceived Him” are given a further explanation in the last clause of the verse, “even unto them that believed on His name.” To receive Him is to believe on His name, is to receive Him. The “name” stand» for the person and ,His character as revealed. To believe on His name, therefore, means to- put confidence in the person and character of the Lord Jesus as He reveals Himself to us, to put confidence in Him as all He offers to be to us. It is to rely on Him as being for us that which He has made Himself known to be. It is in the written Word, especially in the four gospels, that the incarnate Word makes Himself known to us. Therefore, to believe on His name is to rely upon Him as He has made Himself known to us in the Bible. It is not enough that we have the Bible, we must study it if we would know Him as He has made Himself known to us, and thus rely upon Him (cf. Rom. 10:17). Here we have another favorite expression of the Apostle John, viz., “the name.” He uses it fre quently, both of the Father and the Son (ch. 2 :23j 3:18; 5:43; 10:25; 12:13, 28; 14:13, 14, 26; 15:23, 24, 26; 17:6, 11, 12; 20:31; 1 John 3:12; 3:23; 5:13; 3 John 7; Rev. 2:3, 13; 3:12; 11:18; 13:6; 14:1; 15:4). v. 13. "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of maty, but of God.” Here, as already said, we have the truth of regeneration as dis tinguished from the truth of adoption in the preceding verse. Those who receive
His own home and people (or household servants), even they “received Him not” to themselves. How incomplete is the aliena tion of man from God and light. v. 12. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power (the 'right) to' become the (omit, the) sons (children) of God, even to- them that believe on His name.” Here we step out of the deep darkness into the bright light. While the world as a whole knew not “the Word,” “the true light,” while even His own when He came to them, received Him not, still here and there were individuals who did receive Him, and great and marvellous was their reward. No matter who they were, or what they were, no matter whether they belonged to His own, i.e., His, chosen people, who had been so wonderfully disciplined of God for the reception of their Messiah when He should come, or whether they were of the Gentiles, no matter whether they were men and women who had lived moral and upright lives, or whether they were pub licans and sinners, outcasts and vile, “as many as received Him, to them gave He the right to become children of God.” We are so accustomed to the phrase, “children of God,” that we' have largely lost sight of its amazing and stupendous significance. We do well to stop and ponder deeply as to what these words mean, and all that they involve. To be a child of a king may seem to be something grfeat compared with being a child of an ordinary man, but to be a child of G od , how can we ever fathom all the depth of meaning that there is in it, or comprehend all the height of glory, and yet we are here told that every one has a right to call himself, and a right to become, a child of God, the moment he does one thing, viz., receive the Lord Jesus. The word here translated “power” in the Authorized Version, and “right” in th? Revised Version, “does not describe mere ability* but legitimate, rightful authority derived from a competent source, which includes the idea of power.” It is a favorite word with the Apostle John (cf. ch. 5:27; 10:18; 17:2; Rev. 22:6). It is a strong,
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