The Gospel of John

John 1

“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:” (v. 12)

“Belief” or faith is a very powerful weapon against the forces of evil. By it we become what we are not; we receive a power we do not have; and by it we find freedom, safety, and continued victory in the battle between good and evil. This is all given freely, and all we have to do is accept it, by accepting Christ as our savior. Our verse says to “receive Him”, and that is what we actually do; we receive His person, and Christ actually occupies us, and lives inside of us. Though this sounds rather fantastic, and to some, unbelievable, it is nonetheless true, we have God’s Word on that! This God-given “power” is something we need to consider, because it remains the crux of the thought behind this verse.

The word “power” can be translated into many different words, and still be correct. Now, I do not believe in those other translations of the Bible because they attempt to cloud the very verses they wish to clarify, most of the time, but even in the English Dictionary the word “power” has many different meanings, so which is the appropriate meaning here? I am glad you asked! Many other “translations” of the Bible change this word to “authority” or “privilege” or “right”, etc., but there is only one word that actually clarifies what the Lord is telling us here, and gives us true insight into this verse, and that is the Power of God, as we know it. Christ gives us His power, or a portion of it, and that allows us to become (because we are not yet His) the sons of God. “Become” is not a gradual process all the time, as we think of it, but a transformation also, keep that in mind as we continue on in this line of reasoning.

If we translate the word “power” here to mean “authority” as some do, the Lord would be saying “go ahead, you have my permission, now become a son of God”. The same, by the way with all those other words they like to stick in there. What it amounts to is that the Lord sits back and watches as we do it ourselves, with His endorsement, but in our own power or strength. Though the word can be correctly translated to mean authority, and privilege and all the other words, there is only one which properly fits the text and glorifies the Father, as well as falls in line with the principles of the Word of God elsewhere, and that is “might” or “strength”, specifically, Jesus’ strength in us. We seek the power of God upon us, and that is what is promised here in this verse. Without that, we are powerless to do anything significant for the Lord or for ourselves.