John 1:12

But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name.

As many as received him ... and "them that believe on his name" refer to the same persons, namely, to those who accepted the claims of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and believed the message that he delivered to mankind. Since the days of Martin Luther, many religious persons have believed that faith alone makes people children of God; but, in this verse, it is clear that believers are not sons of God merely because they are believers, but that believers have the right to become sons of God. As Johnson explained it:

It is not declared that they were made children by believing, but to the believer he gives the power to become a child. When one believes in Christ, his faith becomes a power to lead him to yield himself to God and to receive the Word into his heart. He can then repent of sin, surrender to the will of the Father, and, being baptized into Christ, he puts on Christ, becomes the Lord's brother and a child of God by adoption.[21]

The efforts to get rid of the plain teaching of this verse have resulted in some fantastic assertions, as, for example,

The right to become children of God is reserved for the future, when freed from every impurity, the life of God, his holiness and love, shall have become completely manifest in us.[22]

But, of course, John was speaking here of the right, or power; that men enjoy now, the privilege of being children of God now. Absolutely nothing in this text warrants removing the privilege to some far-off eternity. That some should have recourse to such an explanation is proof enough that the text contradicts the popular notion of salvation by faith only.

Gave them the right ... The privilege of being a child of God is the greatest privilege afforded by life on earth; but even when people have complied with the conditions antecedent to the gift, no one can ever be considered as deserving or meriting so marvelous a gift. The disagreements of people regarding the terms of salvation should never obscure the truth that salvation CANNOT be earned or merited by mortal man. Conditions there certainly are, else salvation would have to be universal; but when all conditions are complied with, the sinner is still saved by grace.

[21] B. W. Johnson, New Testament Commentary (Cincinnati, Ohio: Christian Standard, 1886), p. 30.

[22] William Hendriksen, op. cit., p. 82.