John 1:12 (LSB)

Passage

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,

Nearby Context

John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

John 1:11 He came to what was His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,

John 1:13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "received", "gave", "right", "become", "children", "even", "believe", and "name". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "received" and "gave", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "He came to what was His own..." into verse 13's "who were born not of blood nor...", so "received" and "gave" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "received" and "gave" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.