1 John 3 Devotional

Called Children by the Father

“Behold what manner of love the Father has given to 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.”1 John 3:1 (BSB)

John stops to marvel. Look at the kind of love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are (3:1). It is a present fact, not a future hope. What we will become is not yet fully shown, but when Christ appears we will be like him, because we will see him as he is (3:2). Everyone with that hope begins to grow pure now (3:3).

John is blunt about sin. The Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil (3:8), so his children do not settle into sin as a way of life (3:9). And he shows what love looks like: Jesus laid down his life for us (3:16). Real love helps a brother in need with action, not just words (3:17-18). For a reader whose conscience accuses them, John adds mercy. Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows everything (3:20). Children of such a Father can love freely, because their place in the family was his gift.

To think about: Who near you has a real need, and what is one practical way you could love them in action this week?