City Life Starter

By Stefan Johnsson

John 1:6-13

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.

8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Every verse, every word of John, especially the first chapter, unpacks so much wisdom and knowledge about our savior that many books have written about it. Dwelling on the first chapter of John in one week almost feels like a crime. Though, I, having been given a few verses, which a simple blog post will practically not be enough. But I, just like Ji Yun preached on Sunday, will try to do my best.

I believe the Holy Spirit wanted me to speak on verses 12 and 13. John, in these verses, wants to point out the significance of Jesus being a light for all people, and not just the Jews. That there was a new covenant for all people, who believe in Him. This is a spiritual birth that John speaks of, and an important one in that. That if we receive the Word, which is Jesus Christ, we are born again. That this is of God and not of man.

John wants to show that there is nothing in our power that can bring us to God except God himself, which means we have to believe in Jesus Christ. There is no other way; no other option available to us. John shows this in verse 13 and points out three alternatives that do not gain us salvation.

Not of Blood

Blood often refers to heritage. The NIV says, children not born of natural descent. By blood, we are tied to our race, and by blood, we are related to our family. For the Jews, they were connected by blood. Nothing could separate them from their heritage. They were born a Jew, and they were always going to be a Jew by blood. For John to say, it is not by blood; it means we cannot inherit salvation by birth. That is, we cannot be born a Christian physically.

Not of the Will of the Flesh (NIV: Not of Human Decision)

Will of the flesh has also translated into lust or passion. There is no amount of enthusiasm or zeal that God requires of us to gain salvation. We are enemies of God by birth. Jesus, knowing this, died on the cross for us, while we were still sinners. It is a gift from God. We see in today’s society, the, and zeal that people have for their religion. God does not require this. He needs a humble spirit that believes in who He is and the salvation that comes from this.

Not of the Will of Man (NIV: Not a Husband’s Will)

Will of man refers to someone giving you salvation on earth, and this can mean by works. We cannot receive salvation from a human and from any works that we do. There is no one on Earth we answer to; No human can give us salvation for the good things we do or have to do. God has chosen us out of the world, and we have chosen Him. No one can take this away from us. There is no human decision, no sin that is too great, which can separate us from the love of our savior and our Lord.

How great is our God? He, in a matter of three days, by dying on the cross and resurrecting from the dead, destroyed all human barriers that separated us from Him. It was a free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. There is no bad heritage or person that is excluded. No race, no nationality, no country of origin, no ethnicity that takes you away from God. There is no desire or zeal that is required of you. There is no amount of love for God that other people show that you have to as well. There is no works or the will of any man on this world that can separate you from God’s love. You do not have to work for it, and no man can require you do to works to receive salvation. No man can give or take away from you a gift that only God can provide.

God loves you for who you are and how you are made. Our salvation is only through Jesus Christ, and we are all brothers and sisters, all image bearers of our one true God. No one is better than another, and no one can take away your love for your savior. For it is the grace and love of God that has chosen you from among the rest. Dwell on this today as you seek Him.