In the Life of Christ
“Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
—John 1:13
When I read John 1:13, I am reminded that receiving Jesus is both a genuine human response and a gracious work of God. John has just declared that those who receive Christ and believe in His name are given the right to become children of God. He then carefully explains that this new identity does not arise from ancestry, human desire, personal planning, or religious achievement. Spiritual life comes “of God.”
This truth is displayed throughout the life of Christ. When Jesus called fishermen beside the Sea of Galilee, He did not select men who had constructed impressive spiritual résumés. He spoke, “Follow Me,” and His authoritative call awakened a response within them. When He found Zacchaeus hiding in a tree, Jesus took the initiative: “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for today I must stay at your house” (Luke 19:5). Zacchaeus responded joyfully, but the encounter began because Christ sought the man whom grace intended to rescue.
Our new birth is not inherited through family history. John says it is “not of blood,” literally “not of bloods,” a phrase pointing to natural descent. In Jesus’ day, many assumed that being descended from Abraham guaranteed acceptance with God. Yet John the Baptist warned that God could raise up children for Abraham from stones. Jesus later told religious leaders that physical descent from Abraham was not enough; true children of Abraham would share Abraham’s faith and respond to God’s Son.
This speaks directly to those of us raised in Christian homes. We may treasure faithful parents, grandparents, congregations, and traditions, but no one enters God’s family through another person’s faith. A family may introduce us to Scripture, teach us to pray, and bring us into worship, but only God can give spiritual life. Christianity cannot merely be inherited like a family name. Every person must personally receive the Christ whom God graciously reveals.
John also says that this birth is not “of the will of the flesh.” Sincerity, passion, and emotional intensity cannot create spiritual life. A person may feel deeply about religion, admire Jesus, enjoy worship, or be moved by a sermon while remaining unchanged within. Emotion may accompany conversion, but emotion cannot manufacture regeneration. Ligonier Ministries summarizes the necessity clearly: “The spiritually stillborn must be brought to life.”
Jesus explained this to Nicodemus, a sincere, educated, disciplined religious leader. Nicodemus possessed knowledge, morality, reputation, and spiritual curiosity, yet Jesus told him, “You must be born again” (John 3:7). The Greek word anōthen can mean “again” or “from above.” Nicodemus needed more than religious improvement. He needed life from above, created by the Spirit of God.
Neither is salvation “of the will of man.” Human planning, discipline, and effort cannot bring a person into God’s family. We can plan an education, a career, a marriage, or a ministry, but we cannot plan ourselves into spiritual life. Good works may become the fruit of salvation, but they can never become its root.
The rich young ruler illustrates this struggle. He had carefully ordered his outward life, observed commandments, and pursued moral respectability. Yet when Jesus exposed the ruling attachment of his heart, the man walked away sorrowful. Human effort had shaped his behavior, but it had not liberated his heart. Salvation required something that human determination could not accomplish. Jesus therefore declared, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
John’s final words bring the entire verse into focus: “but of God.” The Greek verb translated “were born,” egennēthēsan, is passive. The children of God do not give birth to themselves; they receive life from God. One commentary describes being born of God as “a supernatural event initiated by God, not a human achievement.”
This does not make faith unnecessary. John joins receiving Christ and believing in His name with being born of God. Yet our faith gives us no ground for boasting, because the grace that calls us also enables us to respond. James writes, “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth” (James 1:18). Paul likewise teaches that salvation is by grace through faith and “not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).
When I look at Christ’s mission through this verse, I see the Shepherd who searches for lost sheep, the Physician who approaches the sick, and the Savior who gives life to the dead. Lazarus did not call himself out of the tomb. Jesus stood before the grave and cried, “Lazarus, come forth!” The command of Christ carried the life-giving power necessary for Lazarus to respond. That miracle becomes an illuminating picture of grace: Christ does not merely advise the spiritually dead; He gives them life.
This teaching should not make us passive, proud, or argumentative. It should make us humble, grateful, prayerful, and eager to proclaim the gospel. We share Christ faithfully because the Word of truth is one of the means through which God brings people to new life. We pray because conversion is more than persuasion. We worship because our salvation began not with our worthiness but with God’s mercy.
When I remember that I have been born of God, I no longer need to pretend that I rescued myself. I can confess that grace found me, Christ received me, and the Holy Spirit awakened me. My testimony is not ultimately the story of how wisely I chose God. It is the story of how mercifully God came for me, opened my eyes, and enabled me to receive His Son.
John 1:13 teaches that Christian conversion and the new birth do not arise from ethnic ancestry, parental faith, emotional sincerity, religious planning, moral effort, or human merit. To be “born of God” means that spiritual life originates in God’s gracious action through His Word and Spirit, resulting in personal faith in Jesus Christ. The life of Christ demonstrates this divine initiative as Jesus seeks the lost, calls disciples, opens blind eyes, raises the dead, and gives eternal life to those who believe in His name.
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