Children of God, Born of God and Not The Will of Men: Daily Devo, John 1:6-13

Here, John the Apostle tells us about John the Baptizer. The Baptizer was sent from God to bear witness to the light in fulfillment of Malachi 4:5-6. John the Baptizer told the world that life had finally come into the world as has been promised repetitively since Genesis 3. At this moment, John the Apostle also refers to Jesus as the True Light—the source of life, which is the light of men in verses 1-5.

The whole world was made through Jesus Christ, God the Word. Yet, when He came into the world, assuming human flesh, the world did not recognize Him. His own chosen nation, Israel, did not receive Him—a fulfillment of Isaiah 53. Anyone who did receive Him, He gave the right to become children of God.

To be a child of God is to believe in Jesus. Those who believe in Jesus’s name are those who were (4) born of God—not (1) of blood, (2) the will of the flesh, or (3) the will of man. Now, there’s a single sentence with profound theological implications.

1) Children of God are not born of blood. By this, I think John means to say that God’s children are not determined by a person’s nationality. God is not a nationalistic God. According to Scripture, He did choose a nation through which to bless all other nations (cf. Genesis 11; 15), but God is not bound by our nationalistic borders. Our religion is not to be confused with nationalism. Just because someone is born under on flag or another does not make him a child of God or restrict him from being a child of God. 

2) Children of God are also not born of the will of the flesh. No person makes himself a child of God by his own striving, desires, or muster. No matter what religion or philosophical viewpoint we take, Scripture claims we can never be children of God by the will of the flesh in any way. People in different theological camps will explain how this basic biblical truth works out differently, but the basic truth remains. It is okay to disagree about what we think the intricacies of God’s economy are, but God must save us. We can’t save ourselves. God must adopt us. We can’t adopt ourselves on His behalf.

3) Children of God are not born of the will of man. According to John, very explicitly here, no one can make another person a child of God whether by means of force, coercion, or persuasion. Any religion that prioritizes man’s work in evangelism or the conversion of another over knowing Christ more hasn’t understood the basic soteriology of the Bible and reduces human religion to our ability to get people to follow after us. Evangelism is important, but it is not the power of God and should not be our idol. When we prioritize an evangelistic spirit over knowing God well, we produce either shallow or false converts. This is the problem with evangelistic ministries today, especially as they are targeted mostly toward young people who are easy to manipulate. We should, instead, be giving them a proper foundation, teaching them how to think well, and not neglecting to give the whole counsel of Scripture. Then, we will see younger generations in deeper faith who do not leave when they come of age and try to deconstruct what they’ve been taught.

4) God’s children are, however, born of God. Those who believe in Jesus have been born of God—by His will and after His likeness. John will expand on this truth throughout his Gospel.

I find great encouragement in the sovereignty of God in salvation. The calling on my life is not to reach and convert the masses. It is not to have a grand ministry by worldly standards. It is not to make one nation or another great. The calling on my life is simply to abide with Christ, going with Him as He accomplishes His work according to His will. As we consider Christ together, I pray for deep roots in the true Gospel rather than in the idolatry of the proselyte—which is widespread in our day.

There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:6-13).