John 1:12
“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:”
King James Version (KJV)
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This verse stands in John's prologue, immediately after the lament that the Word's own people did not receive him. It marks the contrast: those who do receive him are granted a new standing before God.
What Does John 1:12 Mean?
John 1:12 promises that everyone who receives Christ and believes on his name is given the right to become a child of God. The previous verse mourned that the Word came to his own and his own received him not (1:11). This verse is the bright "but" that follows -- a turn from rejection to welcome, from those who refused to those who responded.
Two words describe that response: people "received him" and they "believe on his name." The two go together. To receive Christ is to welcome him personally, and to believe on his name is to trust who he truly is. To all who do, he "gave" -- the gift is his to give and not earned -- the "power to become the sons of God." The word translated "power" means rightful authority, a granted standing. Notice the verb "become": this is a new relationship that begins when a person responds to Christ, a genuine entrance into the family of God. The invitation in this verse is wonderfully open. It is not limited by birth, status, or past, but extended to "as many as received him." Whoever will come is welcomed, and the welcome is nothing less than belonging to God's own household.
In the Original Language
The Greek "exousia" (power) means rightful authority or granted privilege. "Tekna theou" means children of God, and the verb "genesthai" (to become) points to a new relationship that is entered, not inherited by birth.
Cross References
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
- Galatians 3:26
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
- Romans 8:15
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”
- 1 John 3:1
Application
You are invited to receive Christ and believe on his name -- and to all who do, he grants the standing of God's own children. No past disqualifies anyone who will come.