John 1:9-13

Jesus, the Word of God made flesh. All who choose to accept Him will not perish but have everlasting life with God.

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

John 1:9-13

9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. The New King James Version

The Greek word used here for world, kosmos, occurs 78 times throughout John’s Gospel. Sometimes it refers broadly to the whole created order, but most of the time it refers specifically to humanity in rebellion against God and hostile to Christ. 

Not only did the entire world not recognize its Creator, but God’s chosen people rejected their Messiah. Messianic expectations in the old testament outlined how even the nations would one day come to Yahweh for salvation. John’s Gospel addresses the issue of how the messianic age could have arrived through Jesus when the old testament conditions of the Messiah’s ideal kingdom have not been met. 

Unlike the people who rejected Him, those who accepted Jesus as Messiah are the true “children of God”. John never uses the phrase huioi theou, “sons of God,” to describe believers (unlike the Apostle Paul, preferring tekna theou, “children of God.” As in Revelation, John uses the category of “Son of God” exclusively for Jesus. For John, it’s a title denoting authority and precise relationship; He is from the Father just as an earthly son is from his father. As such, He has been given an inheritance to care for—creation and humanity—as a son on earth is given an estate. Faithlife Study Bible

In order to give due notice to the incarnation of Jesus, this verse may be rephrased: “That was the true Light coming into the world, which enlightens every man.” Jesus became man in order to reveal the truth to all people. Depending on the context, world can refer to (1) the universe; (2) the earth; (3) humanity; or (4) the human system opposed to God. 

Receive here means “to receive with favor” and implies “welcome.” Instead of a welcome mat, Jesus had a door slammed in His face. The themes of rejection and reception introduced in the prologue appear again and again throughout the Gospel of John. 

The phrase believe in His name occurs three times in the Gospel of John. Name does not refer to the term by which He is called, but to what His name stands for—the Lord is salvation. In this context, the phrase means to believe that Jesus is the Word, the life, and the Light—that is, He is the Christ, the Son of God. To them He gave the right refers to the legitimate entitlement to the position of children of God. 

By believing, undeserving sinners can become full members of God’s family. This new spiritual birth is not of blood, that is, by physical generation or by parents. Nor is the new birth of the will of the flesh, that is, by personal effort. Neither is the birth of the will of man, that is, something done by another individual. Each person must individually trust Jesus Christ for eternal life. It is a gift to be received, not a reward achieved through any human effort. The NKJV Study Bible

Christ was in the world when he took our nature upon him, and dwelt among us. The Son of the Highest was here in this lower world. He was in the world, but not of it. He came to save a lost world, because it was a world of his own making. Yet the world knew him not. When he comes as a Judge, the world shall know him. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Isaiah 49:6 Indeed He says,‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”

Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. and we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

John 11:52 and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.

1 John 2:29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.