See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.
John pauses to gasp. Look at the kind of love that makes God call you family.
The episode in a glance.
- 01'See what kind' — John wants you to look, not just hear.
- 02'Children of God' is a status, not a metaphor — you're family.
- 03The world doesn't recognize you because it didn't recognize him (v.1b).
- 04Identity comes before any list of behaviors.
Read along.
1 John 3:1 begins with an interruption. 'See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.'
John can't keep moving. He has to stop and look. The Greek word for 'see' is more like 'behold' — pay attention, this is staggering.
'What kind of love' — what species of love is this, that the Father takes people who were not his children and calls them children?
And then John adds: 'and so we are.' He won't let you treat it as a metaphor. You actually are God's child. The papers are signed.
If you've been performing for God like an applicant trying to get hired, this verse is a reset. You're not an applicant. You're family. The love was given before the performance.