1 John 3:1. New American Standard Bible3 See how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called children of God; and in fact we are. For this reason the world does not know us: because it did not know Him.
The Greek word for bestow here is didomi and it means to give. The love the Father has given to us is not a result of our works, performance, or behavior. The love we encounter from God is sacrificial and is based on His character and His nature.
His love for us is unchanging. Since it is not based on performance or behavior, it cannot not be impacted by the course of our lives. It doesn’t mean that as children of God we can simply live as we desire and choose to live in sin. If we have truly encountered the love of God, we actually we have a desire to live to glorify and honor Him. Our lives will truly become a living sacrifice before God.
In Christ we are called children of God. We have been adopted into God’s family. Because we are children of God, those who live under the world system and those who have rejected Jesus Christ will not understand our relationship with God. Until a person truly comes to salvation and their eyes are open, they will not understand who God is, they will not understand the truth of the bible, and they will not understand the truth found in Jesus Christ.
This is why Jesus said that we would be hated, and we would be persecuted. It is only when we come to a saving knowledge of who Jesus Christ is that our eyes are open to the truth. Those who are in Christ are saved by the grace of God. We are chosen by God. The relationship between the freewill of man and the sovereignty of God is not something that we will fully understand on this earth. But none the less when we understand we are saved by His grace and we experience the tangible love of God, we will no longer desire this world or the things of sin. We will simply desire to live for Him every moment of every day. We will truly surrender our heart and life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Comments