John 1:12-13 revisited.

[Dave...]

This is one of a few proof texts used to prove that man must be born again before He can believe. The problem is that this text doesn't actually say that.

John 1:12-13 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, 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.

Sounds like a slam dunk, right?

The Gospel of John is still OT up until the cross. That is relevant. Because nobody was indwelt in the OT. As a result, nobody was born again. Not until Pentecost. Notice that it says He gave the "right to become children of God".

I believe that this passage is the victim of old English, where things are said in reverse order. That reverse order was then translated into modern translations. The evidence of being born of God was the result of believing, albeit, the promise delayed because of the transition from the OT to the NT. The promise was made at that time, because they already believed in the Gospel, but the promise fulfilled was later at Pentecost with the indwelling known as the baptism with the Holy Spirit. So the 'born of God' part of that passage, while looking back, looks back to a future promise that was yet unfulfilled. I believe that it was tradition that was read into the text. It just goes to show, people can be just as wrong in the Greek as in English when driven by tradition.

The NEV did a great job with the translation.

NEV--John 1:12-13 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

The NEV uses the dash to make sure that the reader understands the children of God part of that passage correctly. That they were given that right to be called children of God as a result of believing, and the rest, the being born of God is an appositional phrase describing what it means to be children of God. This passage does not teach that a person must be born again to believe. It teaches that they believed and were given the "right" to be children of God, which consists of being born again.

I'll do John 3:3 and 1 John 5:1 next.

[4WD]

The NEV did a great job with the translation.

NEV--John 1:12-13 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

The NEV uses the dash to make sure that the reader understands the children of God part of that passage correctly. That they were given that right to be called children of God as a result of believing, and the rest, the being born of God is an appositional phrase describing what it means to be children of God. This passage does not teach that a person must be born again to believe. It teaches that they believed and were given the "right" to be children of God, which consists of being born again.

I would comment on the NEV interpretation just a little in the following way:

John 1:12-13 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, that is,to become children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.