10" He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,"
John 1:10-12
The conflict between light and darkness, which has been John's theme from 5 onwards, stands out very clearly and starkly in these verses. One almost senses a ring of astonished awe in his words as he underlines the extent of the alienation and estrangement, when the world that was made by Christ and for Him, no longer knew Him. John seems to make a distinction between the world that knew Him not and the people that received Him not, and the implication is that His own did know Him but, knowing Him, did not receive Him. There is a sense in which we could say, 'How could the world know Him, fallen as it was, and not having been the recipients of revelation?' But this could not be said of His own, because to them, as Paul puts it, 'pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God and the promises' (Romans 9:4). There is a sense in which all that was necessary for their knowing Him had been given to the chosen people, and yet they had not received Him. This was their condemnation. Over against this, however, stands the new humanity (12), those who did, and do, receive Him, and in them the purpose of His coming into the world is fulfilled and realised: they are born into the family of God and receive the adoption of sons, with all the rights and privileges that this involves. What was denied to His own, because of their unbelief, is freely bestowed upon all who received, and receive, Him. This 'receiving' is defined at the end of 12 as 'believing on His Name'. This is beautifully underlined in the Shorter Catechism, which defines faith in Christ as 'a saving grace whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He is offered to us in the gospel'.