John 1: verse 12...alone? or does 1:13 explain it?

<sigh> I suppose the import of Acts 2:25-36 totally escapes you. The Jews didn't get it either.

 

Useless and juvenile? I have exegeted some verses and all you have done is come back at me a la' Van with a bunch of nun uh and taint so retorts. I have shown you the word 'world' rarely(that one place in John 1:10b is the lone exception I can find) means all whoever lived, all without exception. Here are some more verses for you to chew on...

3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel 6 which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth;[Colossians 1]

Paul is here praising the church at Colossae for their faith in the Lord and their love for the saints. He says this is bearing fruit in all the world. So, this can not mean everybody whoever lived, all without exception, seeing many have died, are dying now, and will die later, never hearing the gospel of the Christ. Alliance for the unreached has estimated that 3.2 BILLION ppl(~ 40% of the world's population) have never heard the gospel, and this was from April 2018. Here's the link...

'More Than One-Third of Humanity Will Never Hear About Jesus': Day to Reach the Unreached Set for May 20


1:1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.[Romans 1]

How about here? Paul is saying their faith is being proclaimed throughout the WHOLE world. Yet, as of now, over 3 BILLION ppl have never heard the gospel of the Christ. How can they know this Christ if they never heard of Him? How can the WHOLE world mean all whoever lived, all without exception, if all whoever lived, all without exception, have never known one thing about the Christ?

 

12 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:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Well, one answer could be they came to Him, received Him and chose to believe on Him on their own free will, Then He (Jesus) turns them over to God the Father who regenerates them with no help or intervention from man (no Jewish birth, no circumcision, no mikvah, no baptism...no man ritual).

Another could be that God in His foreknowledge saw who it is that would receive the Son of God and elected the elect on that condition, 12 and 13 following in the process of time.

 

Hmm you indicated no one would/could show the relationship between verses 12 and 13 so I stepped in and offered two.

I am not saying I believe my responses but they are at very least a response to your observation for which I accepted as a challenge..

But apart from that why cant the elect of God be chosen according to His foreknowledge rather than His unconditional decree?

 

Yes IMO that is the essence of C versus A theology.

Ephesians 1
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

So Unconditional Election seems to have a condition : the counsel of his own will:

Unfortunately (or not) the full selection criteria are not revealed apart from the fact that we were in a hopeless and helpless state of being.- and then another revelation in verse 14 of the ultimate reason of the elect.

14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

 

….in the same vein as Acts 13:48:
And as the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

 

Its either that God foreknew due to Him causing us to be chosen in Christ, or else He knew that we would decide to believe in Jesus ourselves. Either election by His will or based upon our will!

 

Don’t hold your breath.

#passout

 

I thought I showed that in my post relative to Paul.

God elected choose, called, Paul. God translated Paul from unbelief unto belief. God gave Paul the Spirit of adoption.

 

IMO, John 1:10 same 'arrangement' as John 18:20.

 

BTW

GOD also foreknew Paul in Benjamin, who came from, Israel who came from Isaac, who came from Abraham, who came from________________ who came from Seth -----

Rabbit trail. Because, Cain had killed Abel. Gen 4:25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

Who came from Adam.

Why did Abel have to die and die childless?

Just an interesting thought, I thought.