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Home » Free Books » Bonar, Horatius » Light & Truth: The Gospels ! Chapter 56 - John 1:12, 13 - Reception of Christ Our Introduction into Sonship Light & Truth: The Gospels by Bonar, Horatius

Quick Access Chapter 1 - Matthew 1:1 - Very Man... Chapter 2 - Matthew 1:16 - Jesus the See... Chapter 3 - Matthew 2:3 - Jesus the Trou... Chapter 4 - Matthew 3:10 - The Desert Vo... Chapter 5 - Matthew 4:23 - Jesus in Seas... Chapter 6 - Matthew 5:45 - His Sun... Chapter 7 - Matthew 8:1-3 - Human Lepros... Chapter 8 - Matthew 8:34 - Man's Dislike... Chapter 9 - Matthew 11:28 - The Rest and... Chapter 10 - Matthew 11:29 - The Three E... Chapter 11 - Matthew 12:41 - Nineveh and... Chapter 12 - Matthew 13:25 - The Two Sow... Chapter 13 - Matthew 19:6 - Herod's Ball... Chapter 14 - Matthew 19:15-16 - Man's Wa... Chapter 15 - Matthew 14:24-31 - The Help... Chapter 16 - Matthew 17:17 - The Graciou... Chapter 17 - Matthew 18:1-4 - The Peerag... Chapter 18 - Matthew 18:2; Luke 19:10 - ... Chapter 19 - Matthew 21:44 - The Stone o... Chapter 20 - Matthew 22:42 - The Things ... Chapter 21 - Matthew 24:12 - The Chill o... Chapter 22 - Matthew 24:42, 44 - True Vi... Chapter 23 - Matthew 25:3 - Religion wit... Chapter 24 - Matthew 25:31, 33 - The Gre... Chapter 25 - Matthew 24:70 - The Denying... Chapter 26 - Matthew 27:4 - The True Con... Chapter 27 - Mark 3:35 - Relationship to... Chapter 28 - Mark 4:39 - The Great Calm... Chapter 29 - Mark 5:36 - Only Believe... Chapter 30 - Mark 6:6 - Jesus Wondering ... Chapter 31 - Mark 6:33, 34 - Christ's Te... Chapter 32 - Mark 6:53-56 - Jesus and Hi... Chapter 34 - Mark 11:13 - The Fruitless ... Chapter 33 - Mark 10:52 - Christ's Recog... Chapter 35 - Mark 11:22 - Faith in God... Chapter 36 - Mark 13:33 - Watch and Pray... Chapter 37 - Mark 13:34-37 - The Master ... Chapter 38 - Mark 14:62 - The Coming of ... Chapter 39 - Luke 4:16-31 - The Gracious... Chapter 40 - Luke 6:19 - Health in Jesus... Chapter 41 - Luke 7:36-50 - Much Forgive... Chapter 42 - Luke 11:13 - How Much More!... Chapter 43 - Luke 15:2 - Jesus Watching ... Chapter 44 - Luke 15:10 - God's Joy Over... Chapter 45 - Luke 15:20 - The Father's L... Chapter 46 - Luke 15:22 - God's Free Lov... Chapter 47 - Luke 17:26, 27 - Noah Days... Chapter 48 - Luke 19:11-27 - The Lowest ... Chapter 49 - Luke 14:40 - Christ Must ha... Chapter 50 - Luke 21:28 - Signs of the T... Chapter 51 - Luke 21:36 - Deliverance in... Chapter 52 - Luke 22:18 - The New Wine o... Chapter 53 - Luke 22:19, 20 - The Heaven... Chapter 54 - Luke 23:32-43 - The Three C... Chapter 55 - Luke 24:29 - The Disciples'... Chapter 56 - John 1:12, 13 - Reception o... Chapter 57 - John 3:2 - The World's Need... Chapter 58 - John 3:14, 15 - Life in Loo... Chapter 59 - John 3:29 - The Filling Up ... Chapter 60 - John 3:34, 35 - The Fullnes... Chapter 61 - John 4:10 - The Living Wate... Chapter 62 - John 5:39, 40 - Bible Testi... Chapter 63 - John 6:17 - Night with Jesu... Chapter 64 - John 6:50 - The Bread of Im... Chapter 65 - John 6:51 - Christ's Flesh ... Chapter 66 - John 7:37 - Come and Drink... Chapter 67 - John 7:53; John 8:1, 12 - J... Chapter 68 - John 8:31, 32 - Truth and L... Chapter 69 - John 8:54 - The Father Hono... Chapter 70 - John 11:40 - The Honour Giv... Chapter 71 - John 12:12 - Inquiring afte... Chapter 72 - John 12:32 - The Great Attr... Chapter 73 - John 12:35-36 - Light and i... Chapter 74 - John 12:46 - Light for the ... Chapter 75 - John 12:48 - The Judging Wo... Chapter 76 - John 14:8-10 - The Revelati... Chapter 77 - John 13:16, 17 - The Abidin... Chapter 78 - John 14:26 - The Mighty Com... Chapter 79 - John 14:27 - The Divine Leg... Chapter 80 - John 16:25-28 - Christ in H... Chapter 81 - John 16:33 - Tribulation, P... Chapter 82 - John 17:26 - The Declaratio... Chapter 84 - John 18:28 - Ritualism and ... Chapter 84 - John 19:2 - The Greater Sin... Chapter 85 - John 20:17 - Christ's Work ... Chapter 86 - John 21:5 - The Tender Love... Light & Truth - The Gospels - Footnotes...

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LVI.

Reception Of Christ Our Introduction

Into Sonship.

"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.

Of the Christ, the Christ coming into the world, yet rejected by the world; coming to Israel, yet rejected by Israel, the evangelist had been speaking. Then he reminds us that the rejection was not universal. He was acknowledged by some, however few; and these some were made partakers of no common honour; yet were they by nature no better than their fellows; owing all that they received to the sovereign God alone.

There is here (1.) the honour; (2.) the giver of it; (3.) the way of attainment; (4.) the personal change through which it is reached.

I. The honour. To become "sons of God" (τεχνα, not ?ιοι); not merely by adoption, but by generation. It is the word used in Romans 8:16,-"beareth witness that we are the children of God, and if children, then heirs;" and in 1st John 3:10,-"Behold what manner of love the Father bath bestowed upon us, that we should be called sons of God!" On our side there is sonship, on God's side fatherhood. Sonship is (1.) higher; (2.) nearer; (3.) more blessed; (4.) more glorious, than creature hood. There is sonship in the angels, sonship in unfallen man; but this is beyond these; resting on a different foundation, introducing us into more intimate intercourse; making us partakers of the divine nature; partakers of Christ; one in nature, privilege, honour, dignity with Him who is "the Son of God." This is the honour to which God is calling us,-us who were children of wrath, children of the evil one! He invites us to this. He beseeches us to receive the honour, the dignity, the blessedness; to accept his divine fatherhood, to enter on the divine sonship! Such is the love!

II. The giver of it. It is Christ himself. Elsewhere it is the Father; here it is the Son. The Son makes us sons! "He gave!"-the sonship is Christ's free gift. For all gifts are in his hands. "I give unto them eternal life;" He gives the living water; He gives the bread of life, which is his flesh. So here he gives the right or power of sonship. It is not, however; simply the sonship itself that is spoken of here; but the right to it,-the power. This right, or power, or title, He has purchased for us;-for those who had no right, nor power, nor title, He has so earned it, and so secured it, that it becomes a lawful and righteous title; and being so, it is secure and eternal. This He holds out, presents to us, as his own and the Father's free gift. Become sons of God is the message of the gospel! Not, as some say, ye are sons now, act on this, and be happy. But become sons! Take the right, the title, so dearly bought, so freely given. It is not merely, Come unto me, and I will give you rest; but, Come unto me, and I will make you sons.

III. The way of attainment. There is no bargain, no price; no terms, no conditions; yet there is an appointed way; and he who will have the sonship, must have it in this one way. This way is "receiving Him ;" and this receiving him is explained as "believing in his name."

(1.) Receiving Him. Doing the reverse of what Israel had done; accepting Him as "the Word;" the "light;" the "life;" the "Son;" the "Christ;" the Messiah sent of God; accepting and owning Him for all that God had announced Him to be; confessing with Peter, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God;" with Thomas, "My Lord and my God."

(2.) Believing on His name. (1.) Believing, that is, receiving God's testimony to Him, and his own testimony to Himself. (2.) Believing on his name. We need not confine this to his actual name Jesus, but to all that has been revealed concerning Him; his person, and character, and work. We get to know Him through his name,-through that revelation of Him which we find in the gospels. There we find Himself and his name.

Thus accepting all that has been testified concerning Him; and joining with that the promise given of sonship to every one who thus accepts, we become sons of God. Faith in Him and in His name identifies us with Him who is the Son of God; and as He is, so are we in the world.

IV. The personal change through which this is reached. We are "born," and so by birth become sons. We are horn into the heavenly family; begotten again unto a lively hope. This is more than adoption, it is birth. As to this birth, the evangelist first tells us what it is not, before he tells us what it is.

(1.) We are not born of blood. Not of natural descent; not of circumcision. Human blood has nothing to do with our divine birth. We are not sons by nature.

(2.) Not of the will of the flesh. Not by natural generation. The flesh, or old nature, has nothing to do with the new birth. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. The flesh neither wills to make us, nor can make us sons.

(3.) Not of the will of man. Not by adoption. No man, and no will of man, whether self or another, can produce this new birth. Man can only adopt children like himself; children of wrath.

Then he adds, "but of God"; out of Him; by means of Him; through His will; His power. He alone can make us sons: can choose the honour for us, and us for the honour. It is He who begets sons; it is He who calls them to this honourable name: "Of his own will He begat us with the word of truth (James 1:18). Yet this fact should hinder none. His will and His grace do not contradict each other. Go to Him for sonship. Receive His Son, and He will make you sons. "He that believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God."

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1709 Jn 1,12,13

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