John 1:12 Sept 8, Bible study John 1:12

Christ, the Light Received (v. 12)

Not everyone rejected Christ. Some responded, and the result is astounding: “to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (v. 12). That statement is incredible. It is incomprehensible that God, the Creator of all things, the One who upholds all things by the word of his power, should enable me, one who has rejected him, to become his child. We need to hold this New Testament teaching close to our heart at all costs. We need to marvel not only at the greatness of Christ but the absurdity of his love to us.

Being God’s “children” (v. 13) means we can call God Father. More specifically, we can address him as “Abba, Father” or “dearest Father.” We can call God, if we do not say it flippantly, Daddy. That is what my children called me long ago when they toddled to the front door and I took them in my arms. It is what they called me when they were hurting. It is the word my girls used when they wanted something from me. Calling God Daddy is a precious privilege. And before Jesus came, it just was not possible.

In the Old Testament God is called Father, in reference to Israel, fourteen times. Only one or two of those refer to intimacy. However, Paul, in Galatians 4:6, says: “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, Abba, Father.” That cry is implanted in our hearts. When things are not quite right and I cannot sleep, I find myself repeating this great truth over and over and over again and finding comfort in it. Men are sometimes independent and macho, but they need to avail themselves of the precious, blessed fact that God is their Father. We all do.

Are you lonely? Insecure? Are you without God and Christ in this world? God says, “I, the light, have extended myself and my love from all eternity, and I am speaking to you through your conscience, through nature, and through the revelation of the cross. Will you respond?”

God has made everything so simple. Verse 12 is framed by two phrases: “Yet to all who received him” and “to those who believed in his name.” All we have to do is believe. Jesus’ “name” stands for all that he is. He is the eternal Christ who became incarnate flesh (v. 14) and so displayed God (v. 18). He is the One in whom we must believe in order to receive him. Once we ask Christ into our life, we can cry in our heart, “Abba, Father, I have come home.”

Christ the Light—this is a love story from beginning to end. Zephaniah 3:17 tells us:

The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.

When God is pleased with his people, he sings over them. Has God sung over you lately? Has Christ? They want to.

Christ is the Light—the extended Light who shines on, trying to penetrate our conscience, our moral convictions, revealing himself in the stars, in leaves, in the change of seasons. On one hand there is the greatness of Christ, which is far beyond any comprehension. Ten octillion stars are in the universe, and he knows them by name and holds them together. But he is also the Light who desires to penetrate human hearts.

 Hughes, R. K. (1999). John: that you may believe (pp. 27–28). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.