GETTING AN UNDERSTANDING - Concerning Who or What is His Own
/by Joseph L. Watkins
We find these words recorded for our learning in the book of John, or as I have come to understand, the dispensation or the message that brings the gift of life unto all men in 1:9-11: “That (One) was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world, He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.”
Yes, “His own” received Him not. Now, most all men that read these words just mistakenly assume that the words, “He came unto His own” only have the one chosen nation of Israel in view, however, this is just not the truth, or the truth of God’s word. The truth is so very precious, and it’s alive and always works so well for God.
Oh yes, perhaps those people do hold a very special position in the out-workings of God, in Christ Jesus, and yet for the first 2,000 years of the record of the world of man, we find no record of Israel, and for the last 2,000 years, since Acts 28:28, there is no Israel of God.
As we have read in Hosea 1:9, John would not have written his record unto that nation, for at that time they are lo-ammi: “Then said God, call his name Lo-ammi for ye are not My People, and I will not be your God.”
Yes, you may always be very sure that God loves all men, even all Jews, but there is no Israel, as such, today. And I for one find it very interesting, to say the least, that the ruling congress in Israel, the Pharisees, did reject the Lord as the Christ of God, but the average people did not reject Him. They came unto Him and believed unto Him by the thousands. Read the record of John and count them all that did believe in Him, you may be surprised at what you find to be the truth.
The record that John was given to write to the world of men may be some of the history of the Lord’s out-workings in that nation, however, the record itself very clearly is for those who did not know the language of that people or their many feast days. See words # 1859, # 3177 and # 2059 in the New Greek Concordance.
The spirit of All Truth puts to rest any and all disagreements of men that concerns the number one purpose of this great record, as He gave John to write in 20:31: “These are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life in His name.” And John was given to write in John 1:3,4: “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life; and the Life was the Light of men.”
Here, “all things” being made are of this earth, and the things made are a part of the world that is upon this earth, and the light of all men that are upon the earth is the one spirit of life in each man born of woman – and that very light whereby all men have received the innate knowledge that above his own being God is there to be considered.
In verse 9, we are told that He was the true light of all men of the world – yes, all men upon the earth, every man knows both good and evil (Gen. 3:22), and yet each of us also know in our hearts, “that God is.” And in verse 10, we also know that if we care to know His truth there are three very important truths we must know and understand:
First, that this very earth that we are a part of, and the world upon this earth, was all made (created) by Him, Christ Jesus.
Second, He, Christ Jesus, was in the world, was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. So, we must acknowledge just when he came into the world. Was it the first day, or was it the sixth day? You tell us, I am very sure it was much earlier than the birth of Christ Jesus.
And the third truth, from verse 10, we are told “the world knew Him not.” Now the man Abel did know Him, but what of the man Cain? Can we say that he ever really knew our God?
In verse 11 He came unto His own things – neuter (see the Companion Bible notes on this); and “His own” – masculine (plural), own kind of souls = the people. Yes, the ones that can be be said to not know or acknowledge Him.
