Being born/begotten "of God," or being born/begotten "from above," indicates the Spirit of the Father is intimately involved. We can safely declare, therefore, that those who are His children have experienced a spiritual conception and birthing, one which has come from the eternal realm, and which is of Him rather than of men. God's Spirit is clearly in view here as the source of this spiritual birth/begettal "from above."
A true gift, however, is never imposed upon someone against their will. It is freely offered, but must also be freely received. Thus, John informs us that although some chose to receive this gift, the majority of men chose to reject it. In so doing, they rejected life, for eternal life is in the Son. So, how does one receive this gift? The answer is: simply by faith. In John 1:12 this is brought out beautifully. "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."
One receives the Messiah by believing (having faith) in him, and those receiving by believing are thereby born/begotten because of him. "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the the Messiah is born/begotten of God" (1 John 5:1). This is our "right" (a privilege bestowed from above) resulting from our faith/trust in him. Only the Father has the authority to bestow the gift of sonship, and He grants that privilege/right to, and bestows that gift upon, those willing to receive it by faith.
God gave His Son as a gift to the world, but not all were pleased with that gift. Indeed, the vast majority preferred the darkness to the light, thus continuing under the curse of death rather than the blessing of life. The good news was/is that "in Him was life" (John 1:4). The bad news is that most men rejected Him, thus rejecting life. "And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:11-13).
The apostle John stresses in both his gospel and epistle the fact that life is a gift from God. The apostle Paul emphasizes the same truth. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in the Messiah Jesus our lord" (Romans 6:23). "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). We, who were dead in our sins, have been given the gift of new life; we, who were slaves to sin, have now, in the Messiah Jesus, been given the gift of freedom and sonship.
The Greek scholar Dr. W. Robertson Nicoll, in his classic work "The Expositor's Greek Testament," states, "to believe and to be begotten of God are two inseparable aspects of the same event or process" [vol. 1, p. 688]. "Receiving the Messiah means receiving him by faith. ... The moment one comes to faith he becomes a child of God" [R.C.H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John's Gospel, p. 62]. "Every time when life, pardon, or salvation are involved, the verb 'give' brings out strongly the note of unmerited grace.
The implied note of contrast is not that of synergism, as though any man might become a child of God by effort of his own or by on his part adding something toward this end. ... The instant of accepting the Messiah is the instant of receiving the gift of childhood. To receive the Messiah is to receive life, light, and salvation" [ibid, p. 60-61]. "God offers, faith accepts" [The Pulpit Commentary, vol. 17, p. 67].
Does the Father have expectations of those whom He has begotten (who have been born from above by His Spirit)? Of course He does. We are expected (enabled by the indwelling of His Spirit) to be "conformed to the likeness of His son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers" (Romans 8:29). Thus, we grow in our understanding and appreciation of who he is and what he has accomplished for us, and we increasingly follow the leading of the Spirit and bear spiritual fruit for the Father. "For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:14). We daily seek to be reflectors of His nature to those around us. "As He is, so also are we in this world" (1 John 4:17). For example, "we love, because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). By His grace He has "born/begotten us from above," a gift we receive by faith. Now, as His beloved children we seek, by the help of His indwelling Spirit, to be pure and holy as He is pure and holy. In so doing, we not only evidence the validity of our faith, but the glory of our Father. "For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the son of God. ... And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His son. Whoever has the son has life; whoever does not have God's son does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the name of the son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life" (1 John 5:4-5, 11-13, New Living Translation). Yes, if we believe in his name, we thereby receive him as our savior, at which point God "births/begets us from above" by His Spirit, causing us thereby to exist by divine creation as His beloved children, who from that moment forward increasingly live to reflect the nature of their Father. Thank God for His love, mercy and grace!
A true gift, however, is never imposed upon someone against their will. It is freely offered, but must also be freely received. Thus, John informs us that although some chose to receive this gift, the majority of men chose to reject it. In so doing, they rejected life, for eternal life is in the Son. So, how does one receive this gift? The answer is: simply by faith. In John 1:12 this is brought out beautifully. "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."
One receives the Messiah by believing (having faith) in him, and those receiving by believing are thereby born/begotten because of him. "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the the Messiah is born/begotten of God" (1 John 5:1). This is our "right" (a privilege bestowed from above) resulting from our faith/trust in him. Only the Father has the authority to bestow the gift of sonship, and He grants that privilege/right to, and bestows that gift upon, those willing to receive it by faith.
God gave His Son as a gift to the world, but not all were pleased with that gift. Indeed, the vast majority preferred the darkness to the light, thus continuing under the curse of death rather than the blessing of life. The good news was/is that "in Him was life" (John 1:4). The bad news is that most men rejected Him, thus rejecting life. "And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:11-13).
The apostle John stresses in both his gospel and epistle the fact that life is a gift from God. The apostle Paul emphasizes the same truth. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in the Messiah Jesus our lord" (Romans 6:23). "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). We, who were dead in our sins, have been given the gift of new life; we, who were slaves to sin, have now, in the Messiah Jesus, been given the gift of freedom and sonship.
The Greek scholar Dr. W. Robertson Nicoll, in his classic work "The Expositor's Greek Testament," states, "to believe and to be begotten of God are two inseparable aspects of the same event or process" [vol. 1, p. 688]. "Receiving the Messiah means receiving him by faith. ... The moment one comes to faith he becomes a child of God" [R.C.H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John's Gospel, p. 62]. "Every time when life, pardon, or salvation are involved, the verb 'give' brings out strongly the note of unmerited grace.
The implied note of contrast is not that of synergism, as though any man might become a child of God by effort of his own or by on his part adding something toward this end. ... The instant of accepting the Messiah is the instant of receiving the gift of childhood. To receive the Messiah is to receive life, light, and salvation" [ibid, p. 60-61]. "God offers, faith accepts" [The Pulpit Commentary, vol. 17, p. 67].
Does the Father have expectations of those whom He has begotten (who have been born from above by His Spirit)? Of course He does. We are expected (enabled by the indwelling of His Spirit) to be "conformed to the likeness of His son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers" (Romans 8:29). Thus, we grow in our understanding and appreciation of who he is and what he has accomplished for us, and we increasingly follow the leading of the Spirit and bear spiritual fruit for the Father. "For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:14). We daily seek to be reflectors of His nature to those around us. "As He is, so also are we in this world" (1 John 4:17). For example, "we love, because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). By His grace He has "born/begotten us from above," a gift we receive by faith. Now, as His beloved children we seek, by the help of His indwelling Spirit, to be pure and holy as He is pure and holy. In so doing, we not only evidence the validity of our faith, but the glory of our Father. "For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the son of God. ... And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His son. Whoever has the son has life; whoever does not have God's son does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the name of the son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life" (1 John 5:4-5, 11-13, New Living Translation). Yes, if we believe in his name, we thereby receive him as our savior, at which point God "births/begets us from above" by His Spirit, causing us thereby to exist by divine creation as His beloved children, who from that moment forward increasingly live to reflect the nature of their Father. Thank God for His love, mercy and grace!
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