John: A New Identity

John 1:6-13

Reflect on when you became a Christian. For most of us, the journey involved several steps. Maybe you first learned about Jesus from a family member or at a church event. For others, recognizing your need for a Savior might have been sparked by a personal crisis or a friend's influence. God initially caught Taylor’s attention through an Instagram post, then a friend invited her to a Bible study during her first year of college. 

My point is this: While God is always the One who opens our hearts, he uses many different ways to bring people to himself. We might hear the gospel message several times, and then, through an experience or further personal study, surrender to Jesus. In whatever way God chooses to act, he is at work, graciously revealing who he is and how we can have a personal relationship with him. 

God repeatedly told the nation of Israel that their Messiah was coming. But God’s people did not respond to what he was telling them. God said, “My people do not understand” (Isa. 1:3). Even the message of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53 was introduced with the question, “Who has believed what he has heard from us?” (Isa. 53:1).  

God does not want us to miss Jesus. Along with many Old Testament prophecies predicting his coming, when God sent his Son to take on flesh, he also provided a specific person to prepare the way. The prophet Isaiah describes this forerunner as follows: “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God’” (Isa. 40:3). The gospel writer states it like this:

John 1:6-7
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 

In his grace, God sent John the Baptist to introduce Jesus. He came with authority because he was “sent from God.” Luke provides a detailed account of the birth of John to Zechariah and Elizabeth, who were childless and both well past the age of childbearing (Luke 1:5-25). The apostle John knows this historical record has already been documented, so he emphasizes John the Baptist’s divine purpose. Three times, he states that John came as a “witness.”

The term “witness” is derived from the Greek word martyrion. It’s the word from which we get the English word “martyr.” John the Baptist’s mission was to tell God’s people that the Messiah, “the light,” was coming. There will be more about John the Baptist, but I want to emphasize this point: John the Baptist’s message was always clear that he was not the expected Messiah, yet some chose to follow him instead of Jesus. 

Interestingly, after John the Baptist died, some continued to identify with his ministry (John 4:1, Mk. 6:29; Lk. 5:33). Even twenty years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, Paul found many in Ephesus still claiming to be followers of John the Baptist (Acts 18:25; 19:1-7). I came across an article about a group in Baghdad, Iraq, known as the Mandaeans, who still follow the teachings of John the Baptist.[1] What a reminder that human nature tends to follow people rather than the Person of Jesus. Even believers today are often tempted to follow well-known authors, celebrity pastors, and Christian influencers, rather than staying focused on Jesus and his Word.

Many who saw Jesus face-to-face did not fully recognize him. They didn’t take the time to get to know and trust in him as God in the flesh. 

John 1:9-10
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 

The “true light” entered the world. The gospel writer has already told us that Jesus is the eternal Creator. Here, he introduces his first mention of the incarnation. When Jesus arrived, he brought “light to everyone.” Let’s take some time to reflect on this. 

Some interpret the statement that Jesus “gives light to everyone” as proof of universalism. They wrongly assert that Jesus’ light guides everyone to heaven. However, later passages will show this is not true. Only those who believe in Jesus as God’s Son become children of God. So, what does “light to everyone” really mean? I believe this phrase can be understood in two ways.  

• For some, it means salvation. The Person and Work of Jesus opens our eyes to see our sin and separation from God. We trust in him as the only way to have a relationship with the living God.  
  
  
• For others, it means that knowing Jesus reveals their sin and upcoming judgment (3:18-21; 9:39-41; cf. 16:8-11).

Think about the core truths these verses teach us. Jesus is God—the eternal Creator, for “the world was made through him.” Yet, humanity did not recognize their Creator. We know that God chose the nation of Israel to send his Son (Gen. 12:1-3). He told Israel throughout the Old Testament that the “Anointed One” (Heb: Messiah, Greek: Christ) was coming. However, when Jesus stood before them in the flesh, proving he was God through signs (miracles), and rose from the dead, many did not “receive” him. They did not accept him as their Savior. 

But…

John 1:12-13
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. 

Not everyone rejected Jesus. Many did “receive” him as God’s “Anointed One.” Many trusted in him as the Son of God. And to those who did, everything changed. He gave them “the right to become children of God,” so they entered into a new life with a new identity. Once separated from God, they became “children of God.”  

This new birth is not “of blood.” Just because someone is Jewish by birth doesn’t mean they are a child of God. There is nothing physical about this experience. The new birth is a supernatural work of God. As one scholar explains, “A person welcomes Jesus and responds in faith and obedience to Him, but the mysterious work of the Holy Spirit is ‘the cause’ of regeneration.”[2]

We will keep learning more about this supernatural work of God as we continue our journey through John’s gospel. 

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD 
Time in the Word: Read and meditate on John’s powerful introduction: John 1:6-13.

Talking to God: Praise God for the work he has done in your heart so that you can be called his child.

Isaiah Zoom Call
We’ve spent many weeks in Isaiah together—thank you for walking through these daily devotions! We’re excited to invite you to a special Zoom call where we’ll talk about what God taught us through the study. Mark your calendar: Monday, July 7 at 7:00 pm. Zoom call details will be at the bottom of July 7 Daily Devotion.

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