John 1:12–13

Context

John 1:1–18 is commonly called the "Prologue." In this section the Gospel writer introduces the "Word" (Greek logos), who was in the beginning. The immediately preceding verse, verse 11, states that the Word "came unto his own, and his own received him not." Verses 12–13, by contrast, describe what happens to those who did receive him. The words of verse 14 that follow, "the Word was made flesh," are the classic text on the Incarnation.

Verse 13 first names three sources from which this new birth does not come and then states that those so born were born "of God."

• "Not of blood": the original reads literally "from bloods."
• "Nor of the will of the flesh": that is, the will of the body.
• "Nor of the will of man": this may also be rendered "the will of a male."

Many commentators read "blood" as a contrast to Jewish pride in descent from Abraham (John 8:33–39).

Interpretation

• Common reading: Most denominations take "as many as received him" and "them that believe on his name" in verse 12 as two expressions referring to the same people. They read the passage to mean that becoming a child of God depends not on ethnicity or circumstances of birth but on faith and on God's action. "Power" (exousia) is understood in the sense of a right or entitlement.
• Reformed reading: Presbyterians and others in the Calvinist tradition cite verse 13 as evidence that regeneration (being born again) is entirely the work of God. Many theologians in this tradition hold that it is those who have been born of God who believe and receive him, and they therefore maintain that regeneration logically precedes faith.
• Wesleyan-Arminian reading: The Wesleyan tradition, including Methodists, Holiness churches, and the Church of the Nazarene, emphasizes the receiving and believing of verse 12 as a genuine human response. It holds that people are enabled to respond by the prevenient grace that God first extends. It reads verse 13 as affirming that the new birth does not originate with human beings, rather than as establishing the order of faith and regeneration.

Debates and Issues

• The order of faith and regeneration: The difference between the two readings above is treated as one strand of the broader predestination and free will debate.
• The meaning of "receive": Some contend that citing the verse to suggest that salvation is secured by a single prayer of receiving Christ narrows its context. They point out that "believe" denotes ongoing trust. Those who use such prayers explain that they regard the prayer as a first confession of faith, not as a ritual that takes the place of faith.
• Textual issue: Verse 13 has a variant reading with the singular "who was born" rather than the plural "which were born." This reading is reported in some Latin manuscripts and in quotations by Church Fathers such as Irenaeus and Tertullian; read this way, the verse refers to the birth of Jesus. The great majority of Greek manuscripts and modern translations follow the plural.

Perspective: Korean Protestant practiceHow this idea is used in Korean churches, kept from the original Korean article.

In Korean Protestant churches, the evangelistic tract The Four Spiritual Laws, used by Korea Campus Crusade for Christ, quotes John 1:12 in its section explaining how to receive Christ. The verse is widely used there in evangelism of newcomers to the faith, in guiding prayers for receiving Christ, and in teaching on assurance of salvation.

Related Passages

• John 3:3–8
• Galatians 3:26
• 1 Peter 1:23
• 1 John 3:2
• Romans 8:14–16