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But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—
John 1:12 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name:
  • KJV 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:
  • ESV But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
  • NKJV But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
  • NASB But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name,
  • NLT But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

To everyone who received Jesus by believing in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. Faith in Christ is how one enters God's family.

Overview

Against the backdrop of rejection, John shows the gracious alternative: receiving Christ, defined as believing in His name (His person and work). To such people Jesus grants the 'right' or authority to become God's children — an adopted status, not a natural one. This verse summarizes the gospel offer: spiritual sonship comes through personal trust in Jesus.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 21

  • Gal 3:26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
  • Rom 8:14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
  • 1 Jn 3:1Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.
  • 2 Cor 6:17–18“Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”
  • Gal 4:6And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
  • John 3:18Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
  • Matt 10:40He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me.
  • 1 Jn 5:12–13Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
  • Col 2:6Therefore, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in Him,
  • Isa 56:5I will give them, in My house and within My walls, a memorial and a name better than that of sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.
  • John 20:31But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.
  • 2 Pet 1:4Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
  • Hos 1:10Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. And it will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’
  • Matt 12:21In His name the nations will put their hope.”
  • 1 Jn 3:23And this is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another just as He commanded us.
  • Jer 3:19Then I said, ‘How I long to make you My sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations!’ I thought you would call Me ‘Father’ and never turn away from following Me.
  • John 11:52and not only for the nation, but also for the scattered children of God, to gather them together into one.
  • Acts 3:16By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know has been made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through Him that has given him this complete healing in your presence.
  • John 1:7He came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that through him everyone might believe.
  • Matt 18:5And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me.
  • John 2:23While He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the signs He was doing and believed in His name.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Pastoral

  • CommentaryCommentary on John 1Matthew Henry · Free

    Henry on the prologue — rich on the Word and the incarnation.

Seminary

  • ★ Start hereCommentaryThe Gospel According to John (Pillar NT Commentary)D. A. Carson · ~720 pp · Paid · reformed

    The go-to mid-level exegetical commentary on John — rigorous and readable.

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — John videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on John 1:12YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JohnMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.

How John 1:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.