1 John 3:1

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Author Pink, in his book on the Attributes of God, says, “It is not simply that God “loves,” but that He is Love itself. Love is not merely one of His attributes, but His very nature.” God is love (1 John 4:8). And because of His love, God acts in love. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world,^[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Oh, the love that caused the Father to give such a great gift: His one and only Son, Jesus who is called the Christ. To receive this precious gift is to believe in Him; and thus, receive eternal life. This is the precious love the Father has so richly given us, His Son. The NIV describes this act of giving by translating the Greek word ‘to give’ as ‘to lavish upon.’ First John 3:1 in the NIV translation says, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” Maybe the NIV translators used the word ‘lavished’ because of the nuance of the English meaning, which is, ‘ to bestow something in generous or extravagant quantities on.’ The KJV uses the word, ‘bestow’ to suggest the giving was an honor, like from one of authority to one of lesser status. These two translations of Holy Writ do convey a beautiful message of truth. The love of the Father is a free gift of eternal life when we believe in His precious beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

For God’s glory and because of His great and awesome attributes as described in Scripture, God reveals to us His detailed plan that he sovereignly devised even before the creation of the world. Ephesians 1:3-14 describes this plan as the spiritual blessings we have in Christ Jesus. It is only in Christ do we receive these spiritual blessings, and this is all for the glory of God alone.

However, Scripture tells us that due to the fall of man and because of our sinful nature which is in rebellion against our majestic creator God, who is just and holy, we are incapable on our own to receive this gift of love from the Father God. To explain, the Bible clearly and repeatedly tells us of our hopelessness. We are dead in our trespasses and sin (Ephesians 2:1). We are actually enemies with God (James 4:4). We cannot come to him on our own accord (John 14:6). There is nothing, absolutely nothing we can do to earn or even obtain this great amazing life with God on our own accord. So, yes we need a savior for sure. We need a Savior who will actually reconcile us back to God and appease His wrath because of our sin against Him. We need a Savior who will give us a new heart that loves and has an inclination for God and for His holiness. We need a Savior who loves us, chooses us, and makes us His children. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who lived a perfect sinless life, became that sacrifice for us. He took our sinfulness upon Himself to pay our debt. Christ placed upon us His righteousness, so when the Father looks at us, He sees the righteousness of His Son. When the Father looks at His Son, He sees our sin debt has been paid in full. We are sin set free, all because of God: the Father who in love predestines and elects us for His own, the Son who in love died for our sins and purchased us with the price of His own precious blood, and the Holy Spirit who in love regenerates our hearts and brings us to God through the Son. Now, because of Jesus, in Christ, I am a child of God. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Believing is to trust what Scripture says. However, the Scripture in Jeremiah 17:9 also says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Fortunately, God has given us a test in the second part of 1 John 3:1 so we may test ourselves to see if we truly believe in the Son. The beloved Apostle John also wrote in this same epistle in 1 John 5:13, the purpose for his writing, which says, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” So let us look at the second part of today’s Scripture passage above, which says, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” So, here is the test, does the world know us? We could also say, do we know and do we love the world? We know that he who loves the world does not have the love of the Father in them; and they who love the world, are enemies with God (1 John 2:15,James 4:4). Jesus gives us a good Biblical example in Luke 17:32-22 when he said, “Remember Lot’s wife. ³³ Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.” Lot, his wife, and his daughters were told to flee and not turn back to the mountains to avoid the wrath of God upon the evildoers in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. But Lot’s wife did turn back and she was immediately turned into a pillar of salt. The exhortation is to not love the world because the world does not love or even know who God is. Yes, we are to tell them about God’s love and the free gift of eternal life by believing in His Son, when they repent of their sins. This gospel we are commanded to proclaim. So the test in my life is simply as stated in Scripture. Does the world know me? Or, does the world hate and reject my testimony of Jesus Christ, who is my Lord God and Savior. A simple and important test for us all.