What does 1 John 3:1 mean when it says, "Behold what manner of love the Father has lavished onto us"?

Chapter 3. "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." Now let us see what are the privileges and condition of those in such a state. Born of God, think of the love expressed in our being called "sons of God." What a thought it is; not merely I am safe, but I am connected with God's nature. I can delight in God's nature and affections. I have the nature of God to delight in, and enjoy God in the character of a son; and knowledge of the nature Christ came to tell of and to declare in the character of Father. He who knew it as dwelling in His bosom from all eternity - "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him" - told us God's character. He who had enjoyed the outgoings of the Father's love, came to tell us of that love as He knew it to be. If I am to give you the character of my father, it must be as I have known him.

A third point I would notice, in considering this most precious subject, is the kind or manner of love which God has bestowed upon us. In the beginning of the third chapter we read, "Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God." Here we have the relationship which divine love has brought us into. It would have been deep mercy to save us from hell merely, without bringing us into any relationship with God. Or, it would have been rich grace to have taken us to glory and made us servants. But this would not suit the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. His purpose was to have us as children before Him in love. Hence we are children by calling — not merely named children, but "called" into this nearest and most blessed relationship with God. And this, too, to be known and enjoyed now. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God." (1 John 3:1-2.) Thus the way in which God has brought home His unutterable love to us, is to have us in this highest and most endearing relationship with Himself, both by being born of God and called children. Hence, elsewhere we are told, that we "have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." And so truly is this relationship recognized, that Jesus the Lord is "not ashamed to call us brethren." It is not, I repeat, a calling and blessing to be known only in the future, but to be known now. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God;" and the contemplation of this glorious fact so animated the dear apostle's heart, that he at once soars in spirit right on to the glory, and adds, "It doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know, that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." Our destiny therefore is to be like Christ, "conformed to the image of God's Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren." This present relationship with God as His children necessarily links us on with the glory, and makes us strangers here and unknown by the world; for "if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together." How blessed is this relationship! how wondrous the manner of love that has brought us into it! and how precious the thought that by and by the world will know that the Father has loved us as He has loved His Son! "So dear, so very dear to God, More dear I cannot be; The love wherewith He loves His Son, Such is His love to me."

This chapter continues the subject introduced in ch.2:28. Verse 29 has shown that righteousness is an absolute requirement. It is indeed a solid, sound basis for the precious bestowal of the love of the Father, as in verse 1: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.” Where the claims of righteousness are honorably and properly fulfilled, the love of the Father’s heart is free to flow forth in its unutterable fulness, and the heart of the recipient prepared to expand in purest delight in the contemplation of that love. Precious, living reality! But the attention of the child of God must be drawn to this by the Word of God: and the awakening word, “Behold” is intended to kindle the earnest interest of the soul in this marvelous outflow of the Father’s heart, so vital to the welfare of all His children. To know that we are loved perfectly, eternally, and with infinite wisdom, is how wonderful an answer to all the present exercises of trial and conflict on earth.

But not only is this love emphasized here, but “what manner of love.” Philanthropy may call itself love because of giving lavishly, and perhaps lifting one out of circumstances of misery and poverty into those of prosperity and comfort. In a certain manner this may be called love; but it is far short of the Father’s love. Here is a manner of love that not only rescues enemies from a state of sin and utter ruin; clothes, feeds and enriches them; but is satisfied with nothing less than bringing them into His own house permanently as His own children. True, pure love finds its delight in the nearness of the objects of that love. And He owns them publicly as His children, taking delight in calling them this. There can be no doubt that believers in the Old Testament were actually children of God, but they were not called this, because the full manifestation of the Father’s love could not be known until the Lord Jesus had come and atoned for sin on Calvary. Now that the love of the Father is so revealed and known, believers are known as the children of God. May we meditate well upon the noble dignity of this holy established relationship, and learn to walk consistently with it.

Its origin is in God Himself; and this same apostle tells us another thing, not only that believers are born of God, but also that their blessed place and relationship flow from the heart of the Father. "Behold," he exclaims, "what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons" (children — tekna) "of God" (1 John 3:1); so that the very fact of our being children is the expression of the Father's heart, He desired to have His children for His own satisfaction and joy; and if we add another scripture, we shall see that in a past eternity He formed this blessed counsel of grace. "Having," as St. Paul writes, "predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved." (Eph. 1:5-6.) We cannot dwell too much upon this outflow of the heart of God, on the fact, we repeat, that our being children is but a simple consequence of the Father's love. And when in connection with this we consider what we were, the state we were in, our utter alienation from God, the bitter enmity of our hearts towards Him, we shall in some measure enter into the meaning of John's cry, "Behold, what manner of love!" Yea, it is love unspeakable, unbounded and divine, having no motive for its expression except in that blessed heart whence it has flowed. Well indeed might we be humbled before it when we think that we — once poor sinners of the Gentiles — have become its object, and have been brought into its enjoyment, and that for eternity.

Its origin is in God Himself; and this same apostle tells us another thing, not only that believers are born of God, but also that their blessed place and relationship flow from the heart of the Father. "Behold," he exclaims, "what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons (children — tekna) of God" (1 John 3:1); so that the very fact of our being children is the expression of the Father's heart. He desired to have His children for His own satisfaction and joy; and if we add another scripture, we shall see that in a past eternity He formed this blessed counsel of grace. "Having," as St. Paul writes, "predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved." (Eph. 1:5-6.) We cannot dwell too much upon this outflow of the heart of God, on the fact, we repeat, that our being children is but a simple consequence of the Father's love. And when in connection with this we consider what we were, the state we were in, our utter alienation from God, the bitter enmity of our hearts towards Him, we shall in some measure enter into the meaning of John's cry, "Behold, what manner of love!" Yea, it is love unspeakable, unbounded, and divine, having no motive for its expression except in that blessed heart whence it has flowed. Well indeed might we be humbled before it when we think that we — once poor sinners of the Gentiles — have become its object, and have been brought into its enjoyment, and that for eternity.

Our calling is that of children. Other scriptures delineate other aspects of our calling, but the charming food of our souls here is to behold the special and peculiar manner in which the Father’s love is shown to us: “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called”—saints? Nay! Christians? Nay, something sweeter and more precious than those terms convey—we are called children of God! Here is love indeed!

These are wonderful and precious words which demand our earnest consideration, the first word, "Behold," or "See." indicating this. We are exhorted to be engaged with the character of the Father's love, which brings us into His family as children. (The Authorised Version reads "sons," which rather speaks of the position of dignity and relationship into which we have been adopted in the grace of God; the word "children" is more correct here, where the family of God, into which we have been born, is before the writer.) As children we can consciously enjoy the knowledge of the relationship into which the Father has brought us, and in the family circle, as children we can respond to the outflowing of the Father's love towards us. This is the kind of love we are to be occupied with.

A mother's love will suffer much in devotion to her child, but it is because of the relationship in which the child stands to her; but the love of God has set itself upon those who, in themselves, are unlovable, and His sovereign love has acted towards us in Christ, so as to bring us before Himself as children and into the sense of all that this term of endearment means. The world does not, and cannot, comprehend this relationship; it is outside its sphere altogether, for the world has not the nature and the life which belong to those who are born of God. When the Son of God was here, the world never understood Him; they did not know Him, for the divine life that was manifested constantly in Him was not in them. In the same way, the world does not know those in whom the same divine life is seen today, even in the children of God. But how blessed it is that the youngest child in the family of God has the conscious knowledge of the Father, and can enjoy His love.

The Apostle John calls upon us to consider the wonderful love of the Father, made known to us in giving us the relationship of children to Him. He says, “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God” (1 John 3:1). What more could the Father’s love do for us than what it has done? He has brought us into the nearest possible relationship with Himself, where His love rests upon us, and where we have the privilege of manifesting His nature in this world. It is little wonder that the world does not recognise us as God’s children, for the divine nature that we have from the Father was perfectly made known in Jesus in this world, and they did not know Him as Son of God.

Our being able to take our place in God’s family as His children could only come through the knowledge of the Father, and is the expression of His love towards us, even as the Apostle John wrote, “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God” (1 John 3:1). We have not to wait until we get to heaven, or to the day when we shall be like Christ, to learn that we are God’s children; we have this relationship now, with the knowledge of it, and the knowledge of the Father and His love, the love that has given us the privilege of being called His children.

First of all, John speaks here of the present: "See what love the Father has given us that we should be called children of God!" (verse 1). He shows us the greatness and especially the manner, the nature of his love. It has already become effective on us. Already today we are called, and are, children of God. But the world still knows nothing about it. It sees nothing special in us. This is because it has no relationship with Christ and sees nothing special in Him. The family of God is a mystery to them.