 | Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- |
 | 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: |
 | But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, |
| John 1:12 |
Commentary
Fallen human beings are not children of God by nature; this is the privilege only of those who have faith, a faith generated in them by the sovereign action of God (v. 13).
Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). Reformation study Bible, the : Bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture : New King James Version. Includes index. (Jn 1:12). Nashville: T. Nelson.
John softens the sweeping rejection of Messiah by stressing a believing remnant. This previews the book (JOHN) since the first 12 chapters stress the rejection of Christ, while chaps. 13-21 focus on the believing remnant who received Him.
MacArthur, J. J. (1997, c1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed.) (Jn 1:12). Nashville: Word Pub.