1:12-13 Is this teaching as some claim that God determines who will be saved?
1:12-13 Is this teaching as some claim that God determines who will be saved?
No! This simply teaches that the new birth - being born again - is a supernatural work of God in regeneration to all who receive Jesus as their Saviour. Jesus gives all who choose to believe on Him the authority to become sons - children - of God (CP Ga 3:26). Jn 1:13 teaches that all who accept Christ undergo a spiritual rebirth - they are born again by the spirit of God (CP Jn 3:5-8; Tit 3:5; 1Jn 2:29
(see also comments on Jn 3:5 and Tit 3:5).
The power to produce this new birth rests solely with God (CP Jas 1:18; 1Pe 1:23).
One does not become a Christian by being born into a Christian family, "… not of blood;" by any human effort, "… nor of the will of the flesh;" or by any plan of man, "… nor of the will of man."
John is simply saying in Jn 1:12-13 that the power to produce the new birth does not rest with anyone or anything, but with God (CP Jn 3:16; Ro 3:20-30; 2 Cor 5:14-21; Eph 2:8-10; He 7:25).
The clear teaching in all those scriptures is that salvation is the personal choice of the individual - it is not predestined by God. Everyone is responsible for their own destiny in eternity (CP Isa 45:22; 55:1-7; Joel 2:32; Mt 11:28-30; 12:28-30; 12:47-50; 18:3-4; Jn 3:16-18; 7:37-38; Ac 2:21; Ro 10:11-13; 1Ti 2:1-6; 2Pe 3:9; Rev 21:6; 22:17).
See also comments on Mt 11:28-30, 13:10-11, 20:16; Jn 3:14-15, 3:36, 6:37, 12:37-40, Ac 2:37-38, 13:48, 28:23-29; Ro 3:24-25(A), 8:28-30, 9:7, 9:10-13, 9:14-18, 9:19-21, 10:14-17, 11:2, 11:4, 11:7-10; Eph 1:3-6, 1:11-14, 2:8-10; 1Th 1:4; 2Ti 1:8-9; 1Pe 1:2, and author's studies Salvation -
A Free Will Choice or Predestinated? and Chosen by God? in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 1).