[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

Wow! We not only have a "theologian," but an english teacher, huh? Good shot, but it won't work. Thanks for the advice, I suggest you try practicing some of your own theology that is NOT revisionist! Want to try taking it from the Greek, or which inerrantly inspired translation/version/paraphrase are you using. My point stands, and no amount of twisting and turning can change the facts.

The bottom line being that, even if we establish "Believing God" in verse 12 as the necessity for Adoption into God's Family (and this is certainly true), Verse 13 goes on to tell us that the existence of this Belief in the Man CANNOT EVER be ascribed to Man's Will, and MUST ALWAYS be ascribed to God's Will alone. SO, according to Verse 13 -- You can define "Belief in God" any way you like, as long as it is "NOT of the will of the flesh, NOR of the will of man, but of God".

Nah, nah nah nah... Can't touch this.

[Vernon]

Try this..."...but as many as received him he gave to them authority children of God to be, to those that believe on name his..." That sir, is the Greek, and there ain't none of your parsing and spinning there. The authority to become children of God was - and is - conditioned on them and our receiving Him!

Certainly the power to become a child of God came from God; however, it is very clear that it is conditioned on receiving him, and it doesn't say one word other than that. End of issue - Period.