e.r.m.
Church of Christ
1. What is the modern definition of "receiving Jesus?" I have heard the modern definition means 'received him as savior'. Am I right?
2. What was the original intent when John wrote "To all who received Him..."?
3. Do the two match?
The greek for the word receive in John 1:12 is
λαμβνω,v \{lam-ban'-o}
1) to take 1a) to take with the hand, lay hold of, any person or thing in order to use it 1a1) to take up a thing to be carried 1a2) to take upon one's self 1b) to take in order to carry away 1b1) without the notion of violence, i,e to remove, take away 1c) to take what is one's own, to take to one's self, to make one's own 1c1) to claim, procure, for one's self 1c1a) to associate with one's self as companion, attendant 1c2) of that which when taken is not let go, to seize, to lay hold of, apprehend 1c3) to take by craft (our catch, used of hunters, fisherman, etc.), to circumvent one by fraud 1c4) to take to one's self, lay hold upon, take possession of, i.e. to appropriat to one's self 1c5) catch at, reach after, strive to obtain 1c6) to take a thing due, to collect, gather (tribute) 1d) to take 1d1) to admit, receive 1d2) to receive what is offered 1d3) not to refuse or reject 1d4) to receive a person, givehim access to one's self, 1d41) to regard any one's power, rank, external circumstances, and on that account to do some injustice or neglect something 1e) to take, to choose, select 1f) to take beginning, to prove anything, to make a trial of, to experience 2) to receive (what is given), to gain, get, obtain, to get back
Personally, I don't believe John 1:12 reads
Yet to all who received him 'as savior', to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God---
Because:
1. If John had meant received 'as savior', as is a popular notion today, then they would not need the right/power to become children of God, as they would already be children of God, by virtue of having received Him as savior.
2. Chronologically, it makes more sense that, as the ones who gave Jesus a deserving reception, as opposed to those who rejected him, that they would be the ones granted the right to become His children.
3. It says that to all who received him, believed in His name, He gave the right/power/authority to become children of God. That's different than already being there.
4. It simply does not say, -Yet to all who received him 'As savior'...
2. What was the original intent when John wrote "To all who received Him..."?
3. Do the two match?
The greek for the word receive in John 1:12 is
λαμβνω,v \{lam-ban'-o}
1) to take 1a) to take with the hand, lay hold of, any person or thing in order to use it 1a1) to take up a thing to be carried 1a2) to take upon one's self 1b) to take in order to carry away 1b1) without the notion of violence, i,e to remove, take away 1c) to take what is one's own, to take to one's self, to make one's own 1c1) to claim, procure, for one's self 1c1a) to associate with one's self as companion, attendant 1c2) of that which when taken is not let go, to seize, to lay hold of, apprehend 1c3) to take by craft (our catch, used of hunters, fisherman, etc.), to circumvent one by fraud 1c4) to take to one's self, lay hold upon, take possession of, i.e. to appropriat to one's self 1c5) catch at, reach after, strive to obtain 1c6) to take a thing due, to collect, gather (tribute) 1d) to take 1d1) to admit, receive 1d2) to receive what is offered 1d3) not to refuse or reject 1d4) to receive a person, givehim access to one's self, 1d41) to regard any one's power, rank, external circumstances, and on that account to do some injustice or neglect something 1e) to take, to choose, select 1f) to take beginning, to prove anything, to make a trial of, to experience 2) to receive (what is given), to gain, get, obtain, to get back
Personally, I don't believe John 1:12 reads
Yet to all who received him 'as savior', to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God---
Because:
1. If John had meant received 'as savior', as is a popular notion today, then they would not need the right/power to become children of God, as they would already be children of God, by virtue of having received Him as savior.
2. Chronologically, it makes more sense that, as the ones who gave Jesus a deserving reception, as opposed to those who rejected him, that they would be the ones granted the right to become His children.
3. It says that to all who received him, believed in His name, He gave the right/power/authority to become children of God. That's different than already being there.
4. It simply does not say, -Yet to all who received him 'As savior'...
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