“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: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).
As the new year begins, it is only natural to reflect upon new beginnings. Yet, for the first article of this first newsletter to you all, I’d like us all to reflect on the beginning we have had in Christ Jesus, that is, in our birth from above. As the days wax wickedly and the doctrines of grace seem to be pushed aside in many American pulpits, the very foundational truths are that much more precious. Therefore, I desire to put you in remembrance of the first things, the primary things, though many of you have been established and steeped in the truths of God’s grace far longer than I have; but it is even as the apostle wrote when warning of the apostasy to come: “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth” (2 Peter 1:12).
I pray that you would never stop rejoicing in these very basic truths; that you would not take them for granted, as there are so many people these days who profess a saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, yet in the very same breath declare that their salvation came by their own choice, decision, free will, or cooperation with the work of the Holy Spirit.
In John 1:12 we have the event of a soul’s salvation. First, it is expressed that a soul is saved because the person of Jesus Christ is received; He is the gift as salvation is only found in Him and given by God.
Second, because salvation comes to “as many as received Him,” we can conclude that it is not for all. The text says, “many,” which is consistent with the statement prior to v.12, that Jesus “came unto His own, and His own received Him not.”
Third, v.12 expresses that those who receive saving faith have the rights and privileges of that salvation given in Christ; that is, we have become children of God.
Fourth, John 1:12 declares just who it is that have received the rights and privileges of that intimate family relationship through the gift of salvation: it is granted “to them that believe on His name.” In other words, salvation belongs to those whose trust is founded upon who Jesus is, upon what He has done, and upon all that His holy name represents.
Then, in John 1:13, the apostle expresses how this salvation is received: it is by birth. But what kind of birth? Before the apostle declares what kind of birth, he first tells us what kind of birth it is not.
1. NOT OF BLOOD. This actually presents many truths, as the Greek literally reads, “not of bloods.” Surely, it is not speaking of the precious blood of Jesus Christ, by whose shed blood we have forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22) and justification before God and salvation from His holy wrath (Romans 5:9); for the blood of Christ is the blood of faith. Yet, it was not by some magical, mythical property in His actual blood from His spear-pierced side that dripped upon the centurion. It is not by the actual, physical application of Christ’s blood upon a man that salvation is received.
1a. If salvation is not born of blood, it eliminates universal salvation. As God “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26), then salvation is individual and personal.
1b. If salvation is not born of blood, it eliminates salvation by natural generation. The faith of our parents, grandparents, or any other relative will not save us. “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Peter 1:23).
1c. If salvation is not born of blood, it eliminates salvation that comes by the blood of animal sacrifices. These sacrifices only pointed to the Righteous sacrifice of Jesus Christ. “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4).
1d. If salvation is not born of blood, it eliminates salvation that comes by the communion cup; and that, we will look at when will look at how salvation does not come by the “will of the flesh.”
2. NOR OF THE WILL OF THE FLESH. “Will” means desire (also a lustful desire), pleasure, or determination. “Flesh” means several things.
2a. Flesh has to do with mankind or humanity. Jesus told Nicodemus, “…that which is born of the flesh is flesh” (John 3:6), meaning the actual physical body. Therefore, if salvation is not born of the will of the flesh, this is almost an emphatic reiteration of the fact that salvation does not come by natural generation.
2b. Flesh is also used in the Bible for spiritual things in what is represented by them; such as is the case when Jesus spoke of spiritual nourishment received from feeding off of Him. When the Lord said, “I am the Living Bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this Bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51), He was prophetically uttering the grace that comes by the ordinance of communion. Therefore, if salvation is not born of the will of the flesh, this would mean that communion, whether in the partaking of the bread, or the blood as represented by the wine (not of blood), does not save a soul.
2c. Flesh may also speaks of man’s wisdom and intellect: “For ye see your calling brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called” (1 Corinthians 1:26). Therefore, if salvation is not born of the will of the flesh then it is not achieved or attained by one’s great learning or exploration of knowledge.
2d. Flesh also may refer to the acts, deeds or works performed by man: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). Therefore, if salvation is not born of the will of the flesh, then it does not come by what a man does to appear righteous before God.
Flesh and blood are summed up in this verse: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption” (1 Corinthians 15:50).
3. NOR OF THE WILL OF MAN. Again, “will” means desire, decision, or determination. Therefore, salvation is not born of, nor does it come by any choice, desire, decision, or determination that originates within a man.
It is interesting that I have actually heard preachers and Bible teachers, who have not come to terms with the Biblical language or the Biblical doctrines of grace, just to come to this part of the verse and run right over it as if it was not there. I suppose that it can be pretty easy to preach that salvation comes by your decision if one ignores those six words.
So how is salvation born in the soul? It is not of any other means as mentioned earlier...
4. BUT BORN OF GOD. Just as we have had no choice or decision in our physical birth, we have no choice or decision in our spiritual birth. Just as we did not choose our birth parents, we do not become sons of our heavenly Father by a determined choice. Salvation must come by the power of God: “No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him” (John 6:44). Salvation is not born of men, but from above of God: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with who is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17).
CONCLUSION
If saving faith means a trust in Jesus Christ, then teaching salvation that comes by a decision is such a horrible and horrifying sin. If we must trust in a personal decision for salvation, the evidence that one was ever saved may be elusive; and that person will tend to place more trust in self than trust in God in life’s daily walk.
