Our Salvation, Part 2

Dr. Alan J. Dunn

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

In Part 1, we saw that we are focusing in on what happens to us when the Holy Spirit applies the blessings of Christ’s saving life, death, and resurrection to us. He changes us and our relationship with God.

We Have Been Given Salvation

As we discern how our blessings are interrelated, we look for what the Spirit is doing and how He acts. [Grammar alert!] We are interested in the verbs of John 1:12-13 because verbs tell us who is doing what to whom. We have to look at the grammar of the sentence. Can you identify the main verb in the sentence? It is He gave. Who gave? To answer that question, we have to see the context of the sentence. When we read v9-11, we see that He in v12 refers back to the Logos, the Divine Word of God, who shines like living light into the darkness of this fallen death-cursed world. It is He who came to His own people who neither knew nor received Him. John continues to profile the Logos in v14-18 as the only begotten God sent from the Triune God’s very being. He became flesh and dwelt [literally ‘tabernacled’] among us, and He revealed divine glory which is full of grace and truth. John names Him for the first time in v17: He is Jesus Christ. So in v12, when we read, He gave, we know that it is the Son of God, Jesus, who gave. It is not until later in the gospel narrative that we learn that Jesus, upon His resurrection, ascension, and exaltation to the throne of God, acts in and works through the third person of the Godhead: the Holy Spirit. We can interpret John 1:12 in the light of what we know from Scripture about the Spirit who acts as the divine agent of the Son and the Father. We, therefore, read He gave and understand that John is telling us about how Jesus blesses us through His Spirit, who applies the blessings of salvation to us.

This grace upon grace salvation is all a gift: He gave. John uses a word that means ‘to give,’ but in some contexts, it conveys the idea of a superior condescending to bestow kindness on an inferior. It can also connote placing someone in a privileged position and entrusting them with an assignment. This nuance enhances the value and benefit of the blessings of our salvation. Now, we can examine the text to ascertain how these blessings are given and related to one another. Is there a sequence [first, second, third] to these gifts? Does one gift cause or effect another gift? Does this make logical sense within v12-13 and other places in Scripture that teach us about our salvation?

We Have Been Born of God
We see John point to the past activity of the Spirit. In v13, we read, who were born of God. [Grammar alert!] Here is a passive verb, meaning we were not the actors in this action but were acted upon. The verb is also in the past tense as something that was actually completed in the past. The Spirit acted on or in us when we were passive and inactive in the past. So, here are people [the verb is plural] who God the Spirit birthed at some point in their past. This birthing, or generating, is not natural. It is of God. It is from and by God, not from or by bloodline, biological necessity, or human decision. [Trinity alert!] It is a life given from God the Father, by God the Spirit in union with Jesus, the Son of God.

We Have Received Jesus
There is another past-tense verb in v12, but this one is in the active voice: as many as received Him. So, here are the same people we saw in v13. There, in v13, God acted upon them, and here in v12, they acted: they received Him. We envision them in the past, passive and acted upon by God the Spirit who birthed them and gave them life. Now living, they acted and received Him. Whom did they receive? The incarnate Son of God, Jesus. We can discern a sequence. First, they were birthed, and then they received. We can also discern a cause-and-effect dynamic and logically understand that having been given life, the Spirit enabled them to act according to that life. What did they do? They received Him.

We Have Been Given the Rights of the Children of God
What next? We have already looked at this verb. It is the main verb: He gave. It, too, is in the past tense and brings into focus the recipients of this gift. Who are they? They are those people whom John describes by their past. They were born of God and received Him. God changed these people. Once, they were not alive, but then God made them alive. Once, they had not received Him, but then they received Him. They were changed and enabled by God to do what they otherwise could not nor would not do. God also gave these people the right to become children of God. Here, we see that God changed not only them but also their relationship with Him. He gave them the rights and privileges of being members of His family. They became children in God’s family, which is to say, they became spiritual siblings. Scripture later describes this blessing as the blessing of our adoption and gives meaning to who we are as the church of Jesus Christ.