What does it mean that we are children of God (1 John 3:1)?

But the very next verse shows that we need grace of the fullest kind. The more the conscience is meant to act freely and truly, the more we need the rest given by perfect grace. Here it is brought in with apparent abruptness, but in order to set out our new relationship in the Father's love. It is not merely to lay the requisite basis of our relationship for conduct; this relationship is also for enjoying His love beyond all thought of man, even to its most glorious results. Hence, though it may seem an abrupt transition as we sometimes find in the writings of our apostle, it is divinely wise and just what we ourselves need every day. "See what manner of love the Father hath given to us." It is not only the measure but the manner of it which are so wonderful. For it shows itself in this, that the Father has given to us this illimitable love "that we should be called children of God." "Children" is the correct term, not "sons." John regularly uses the word "son" only about Christ. Not only is it because he is jealous for the glory of the Son, but his God-given care for the truth revealed led him to say that we are God's children rather than to speak of our sonship. After all to be a child of the family is more intimate than the position of an adopted son. We are sons by adoption, but we are children by the nearest family tie to the Father, though both are through the Son. This wondrous manner of love then has been given to us that we should be called children of God.

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.

But from the world we can expect not the slightest understanding of this, no more than their understanding of the Lord Jesus. That exotic nature of divine love and holiness in Him, while it drew in some cases a wondering admiration, and in others a jealous hatred, was in reality strange and unknown to the world: the same nature in the child of God makes him in a real sense a foreigner in the world.

In verses 1 and 2 the word "sons of God" must be changed to "children of God. "John never speaks of "sons of God" in his message. It is in the writings of Paul the Holy Spirit speaks of believers as "sons and heirs." But John unfolds the truth that believers are in the family of God by the new birth, hence the use of the word "children" to denote the community of nature as born of God. As children of God we are partakers of the divine nature. It is the love of the Father which has bestowed this upon all who believe. And most emphatically the Spirit of God assures us through the pen of John, "Now we are the children of God." There can be no doubt about it, it is our present and known position, because having believed on Him we are born again and are in possession of eternal life.

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.

The passage that speaks of seeing Him as He is tells us we are now the children of God (as 1 John 3:2 should read). We can never be more this than we are at the present moment. In one sense we are sons, but yet we await sonship, the redemption of the body (Rom. 8:23); for the full thought of sonship is likeness to Christ in glory, conformity to the Son of God. But children we now are—first, by the right given us by Christ on the ground of redemption (John 1:12); second, by the Father’s call (1 John 3:1); third, by the witness of the Spirit (Rom. 8:16). And as such we are already manifested. As sons of God we are not yet manifested. For creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God when all its travail will cease and its groans be hushed (Rom. 8:19). But as children we are already manifested, and that by the fact that we do righteousness, and love the brethren; whereas the children of the devil are manifested in practising sin, and in hatred to the brethren (1 John 3). The children of God exhibit the moral features of the One by whom they have been begotten, as do also the children of the devil.

But we are still looking for likeness to Christ and glory with Him. This that lies ahead of our present place as children of God has not yet come, but we know that when it is manifested, it will be that we shall be like Him; and one great proof of this is, that “we shall see Him as He is.” We shall see Him, and be with Him, and be like Him, before He appears, and therefore when He does appear and is seen by the world His saints will be seen with Him.

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.

Here is an absolute, unqualified statement, full of deep meaning. Matchless depths are in these precious words; we are now the children of God!—“born” into that relationship, and it is one which abides. A clear apprehension of this gracious truth, this divinely assured fact, is deeply important: it is the birthright of every true Christian, and the assured knowledge of it is for our present enjoyment. The more truly we enter into our relationship, take our place as children of God, the more effective will be our testimony in the world; whilst that which gives us the inner consciousness of it, the ring of certainty and assurance, is the indwelling Spirit of God.

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God." (1 John 3:1) It may be mentioned here that "sons of God" is never the expression of the writings of John. We have "sons of God" as well as "children" in Paul's epistles. But "children of God" the Holy Ghost employs exclusively both in the gospel and in this epistle of John. Is it asked what is the difference? It lies in this, that son (υἱὸς) is more the public title, whereas child (τέκνον) conveys rather the closeness of connection by birth. It expresses community of nature as born of God. For it will be understood that a person who was not a child might be adopted as a son; but the Christian is not only a son adopted by our God — he is really a child as being a partaker of the divine nature. This only it is John puts forward and prominently speaks of; and it is seen at once how it connects itself with his doctrine everywhere. We are born of God, born of water and of the Spirit, made partakers of the divine nature (in the sense, of course, of having the life that was in Christ). "Therefore the world knew us not, because it knew him not."

So absolutely is the life of Christ found in us, that we have the same fare, so to speak, as Christ in this world. The world did not know Him; therefore it does not know us. It is simply because of Christ, unknown then personally, unknown now in us who live of His life. When He was here, it was no other life than that which we now have in Him. The world never knew, never appreciated, the life that was in Christ; neither does it recognise that which is in the children of God. But this can in no way hinder the blessedness of the result for the children of God.

Accordingly here we have this wondrous privilege, "The Father hath given us" the title of "children of God." There we have its character; and to make it more plain that it is a really given nature and not merely a title, he adds, "Beloved, now are we children of God." In a general way it was said before that the righteous one, as He is righteous, is "born of God."

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.