behold gods love for you

3:1 The author begins his parenthesis by urging his readers to recognise the greatness of the love of God: How great is the love the Father has lavished on us! (lit. ‘Look at the sort of love the Father has given us!’). The exact expression of the love of God the author has in mind here is: that we should be called the children of God. In his love, God has called us his children. The author includes himself with his readers among those (‘we’) who are called the children (tekna) of God. To be called children of God is an immense privilege because it means that God himself has chosen us to be in his family. The best commentary on what it means to be children of God is found in John 1:12–13 (‘Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God’). Looked at from a human point of view, those who ‘receive’ Christ, in the sense of believing in him, are children of God. Looked at from the divine point of view, his children are those who are ‘born of God’, or as Jesus puts it in John 3:8, those who are ‘born of the Spirit’. The author not only says that he and his readers are ‘called’ children of God as an outcome of God’s love lavished upon them, but emphasises the reality of this status when he adds, And that is what we are!

Those who believe the Word of life may really be the children of God, but that does not mean they will gain any respect from the world. And lest this should cause the readers any distress, the author explains: The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. The word ‘world’ (kosmos) occurs 23 times in 1 John, and its meaning varies according to the context (see discussion at 2:2). Here, as in a number of other places, it denotes the unbelieving world—people who are opposed to God and to those who believe in his Son. Such ‘worldly’ people are under the power of the evil one (3:13; 4:5 [3×]; 5:19). It is this unbelieving world which does not know ‘us’, and it did not know ‘him’ either. In context, the ‘him’ whom the world failed to recognise could be interpreted either as God the Father who lavished his love on us and whose children we are (3:1), or as the Son of God whom we shall be like when we see him at his appearing (3:2). The latter interpretation is to be preferred because in the rest of 1 John it is always Jesus Christ come in the flesh whose true identity is in question (2:22–23; 4:2–3; 5:1, 5, 10), never that of the Father. The unequivocal statement of John 1:10 (‘He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him [the Word = Jesus Christ]’) is a parallel to our text interpreted along the lines suggested.¹

“Beloved, now we are children of God… .” John’s message is basic and uncluttered. He refuses to become entrapped by details concerning the future, either of our future nature or of the countless possibilities of eschatalogical details about which restless minds are able to wonder. His approach is pastoral and authoritative. We are beloved children of God because of the love that the Father has for us. As for the future, we leave it in His hands with hope and confidence, knowing that the key reality for the future is that His love lasts and our relationship with Him lasts, too. We shall know Him there as we walk in His love here. Our motivation toward purity is because of that hope and that assurance.²

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not [1 John 3:1].

This is a very wonderful statement that John makes here. Let me give you my very literal translation of this verse: “Behold ye, of what sort of love the Father hath bestowed upon (given to) us, that we should be named children of God, and we are: and because of this the world does not know (begin to understand) us, because it did not know (begin to understand) Him.”

John is saying that we do not expect to be the sons of God, we are the sons of God. A better translation includes the words “and we are.” The child of God can say emphatically, “I am a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ.” We don’t hope to be, we don’t expect to be, but the thrilling fact is that every believer can exult and rejoice and constantly thank Him that he is God’s child. We are boasters not in ourselves, but we are boasting of the wonderful Shepherd that we have. John makes it perfectly clear that if you are a born again child of God, you are going to exhibit a life that conforms to the Father. A child of God need not be in the false position of saying as an old hymn says:

’Tis a point I long to know,

Oft it causes anxious thought,

Do I love my Lord or no?

Am I His, or am I not?

—Author unknown

John says, “Now we are the children of God”—right now we are the children of God.

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” The kind of love that John is talking about is a strange kind of love, an unusual kind of love, a kind of love to which we are not accustomed. God loves us. What manner of love the Father has for us! The love of God—that is, His love for us—is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. John will go on to show that God has demonstrated His love by giving His Son to die for us. How many of us have someone who would die for us? How many folk would you be willing to die for? God loves you, and He has proven His love—He gave His Son to die for you.

The greatest motivating force in the world is God’s love. Love is the greatest drive in the human family. A man falls in love with a woman, a woman falls in love with a man, and some make such tremendous sacrifices for each other. When human love is genuine love, it is a beautiful thing, it is a noble thing, it is a wonderful thing, and it is a tremendous drive. But God’s love for His children far exceeds anything we can experience on the human plane.

The true child of God is going to prove his spiritual birth by being obedient to God’s Word. God’s wonderful love for us should motivate us. It is that which is going to cause us to want to live for God. Behold, what an unusual kind, what a different kind of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God.

John has emphasized that we are God’s children right now. This brings me to say that our salvation is in three tenses: I have been saved; I am being saved; and I shall be saved.

1. I have been saved. The Lord Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). The moment you trust Christ you receive everlasting life, and you will never be any more saved than you are the moment you trust Him. You are born again, born into the family of God. John is addressing “little children”—these are God’s children. He says, “What manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us.” Why? Because we are His children. He has bestowed His love upon His children, and they respond to that love by obedience unto Him and by living a life that is well pleasing to Him.

2. I am being saved. Paul said, “… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12–13). Peter said, “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ …” (2 Pet. 3:18). John is talking to us along the same lines here. If we are the children of God, we are going to be obedient unto Him, we are going to grow, we are going to develop, and we are going to go on in the Christian faith. Therefore, we can say that we are being saved.

3. I will be saved. When the Lord Jesus comes again for His own, we will experience the final stage of our salvation. Sin no longer will have power over us, and we will be with the Lord forever.³

God’s love for us is unique. First John 3:1 may be translated, “Behold, what peculiar, out-of-this-world kind of love the Father has bestowed on us.” While we were His enemies God loved us and sent His Son to die for us!

The whole wonderful plan of salvation begins with the love of God.

Many translators add a phrase to 1 John 3:1: “That we should be called the sons of God, and we are.” “Sons of God” is not simply a high-sounding name that we bear; it is a reality! We are God’s children! We do not expect the world to understand this thrilling relationship, because it does not even understand God. Only a person who knows God through Christ can fully appreciate what it means to be called a child of God.

First John 3:1 tells us what we are and 1 John 3:2 tells us what we shall be. The reference here, of course, is to the time of Christ’s coming for His church. This was mentioned in 1 John 2:28 as an incentive for holy living, and now it is repeated.

God’s love for us does not stop with the new birth. It continues throughout our lives and takes us right up to the return of Jesus Christ! When our Lord appears, all true believers will see Him and will become like Him (Phil. 3:20–21). This means, of course, that they will have new, glorified bodies, suited to heaven.

But the apostle does not stop here! He has told us what we are and what we shall be. Now, in 1 John 3:3, he tells us what we should be. In view of the return of Jesus Christ, we should keep our lives clean.

All this is to remind us of the Father’s love. Because the Father loved us and sent His Son to die for us, we are children of God. Because God loves us, He wants us to live with Him one day. Salvation, from start to finish, is an expression of the love of God. We are saved by the grace of God (Eph. 2:8–9; Titus 2:11–15), but the provision for our salvation was originated in the love of God. And since we have experienced the love of the Father, we have no desire to live in sin.

An unbeliever who sins is a creature sinning against his Creator. A Christian who sins is a child sinning against his Father. The unbeliever sins against law; the believer sins against love.

This reminds us of the meaning of the phrase so often repeated in the Bible: “the fear of the Lord.” This phrase does not suggest that God’s children live in an atmosphere of terror, “for God hath not given us the spirit of fear” (2 Tim. 1:7). Rather, it indicates that God’s children hold their Father in reverence and will not deliberately disobey Him or try His patience.

A group of teenagers were enjoying a party, and someone suggested that they go to a certain restaurant for a good time.

“I’d rather you took me home,” Jan said to her date. “My parents don’t approve of that place.”

“Afraid your father will hurt you?” one of the girls asked sarcastically.

“No,” Jan replied, “I’m not afraid my father will hurt me, but I am afraid I might hurt him.”

She understood the principle that a true child of God, who has experienced the love of God, has no desire to sin against that love.⁴

3:1 Behold what manner of love: John stands in amazement of God’s love. But the greater amazement and appreciation is for the fact that God’s love is expressed to human beings, that Christians are included in His family. God loves all believers, the weak as well as the strong. John describes Jesus on the night of His betrayal as “having loved His own who were in the world,” and writes that “He loved them to the end” (John 13:1). God’s love is in stark contrast to the love of the world. The world loves those who love them, while God loves even those who disobey Him.

3:2 now we are children of God. Everyone who exercises genuine saving faith becomes a child of God at the moment of belief (Jn 1:12; Ro 8:16; 2Pe 1:4), though the truly heavenly, divine life in that person (cf. Eph 4:24; Col 3:10) will not be revealed until Jesus appears (see note on Ro 8:19). In the meantime, the Holy Spirit is working into us the image of Christ (see note on 2Co 3:18). we will be like Him. This phrase introduces the fourth feature of the believer’s hope in 2:28–3:3. When Christ returns He shall conform every believer to His image, i.e., His nature. A tension exists between the first part of the verse (“now we are children”) and the latter part (“we will be like Him”). Such tension finds resolution in the solid hope that at Christ’s return the believer will experience ultimate conformity to His likeness (see notes on Ro 8:29; 1Co 15:42–49; Php 3:21). The glorious nature of that conformity defies description, but as much as glorified humanity can be like incarnate deity, believers will be, without becoming deity.⁵

1 Kruse, C. G. (2000). The letters of John (pp. 114–116). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.

2 Palmer, E. F., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). 1, 2 & 3 John / Revelation (Vol. 35, pp. 50–51). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

3 McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Epistles (1 John) (electronic ed., Vol. 56, pp. 82–86). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

4 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 504–505). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

5 MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (1 Jn 3:2). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.