See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:1-3
Kent Hughes reminds us about the verses above:
EVERY CHRISTIAN should always live in three arenas: 1) what we are, 2) what we shall be, and 3) what we should be. What we are is God’s children (v. 1); what we shall be is conformed to the image of Christ when we get to Heaven (v. 2); what we should be on the basis of these two are people who live pure lives (v. 3).
In 3:1 John writes, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.” When John uses the word “see” or “behold,” he intends for us to direct our attention and reflect on the greatness of the Father’s love for us. The word indicates “to ponder, to study.” It invites us to, as Spurgeon said, “Pry into this secret!” In his letters John frequently refers to Christians as “children” of God. On the other hand, Paul characteristically refers to Christians as “sons” of God. Both are true, of course. What is the difference? “Son” is something of a legal term describing our relationship with God through Christ. Christians have been declared to be “sons” of God; they have been adopted into the family legally. John does not use the term “sons”; rather he uses here the word “children.” This is a term that describes origin, birth, family relationship, family likeness, and family characteristics. We are the children of God.
Join me in reading 1John 3 and be encouraged!
