Born Ones

(1 John 3:1 NKJV) Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Behold - Not translated in the NIV. It is the Greek word idete which means "behold, look at."

This word means, “behold you.” The writer wants everyone to take notice. Another way to put it is “Behold, all of you.”

How great a love – The kind of love that John is talking about is a strange kind of love, an unusual kind of love, a kind of love to which we are not accustomed to.

We are accustomed to “fair-weather” love – When the storms come the love goes

We are accustomed to selfish love or selfish motive love – As long as they are getting what they are around, but if the well dries up, they’re gone.

The word speaks of something foreign. The first part of verse one could also be translated, “Behold, what foreign kind of love…”

It is an out of this world love. (i.e., other worldly)

It is not of this life or from this place. (i.e., unearthly)

I’ve known the love of a mother, the love of a child and the love of a woman but none compares to the love of Christ.

God’s love is a:

1.) Great love – Ephesians 2:4, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us…”

2.) Giving love – “For God so loved the world that He gave…”

3.) Sacrificial love – “He gave His only begotten Son…”

4.) Pursuing love - Hosea 11:4, “I drew them with gentle cords, With bands of love, And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them.”

5.) On Time love - Romans 5:6-7 – “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.”

6.) Demonstrating love – Romans 5:8 – “…God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

… the Father has bestowed on us

A minister one day sat in the vestry of his church to meet anyone who might have spiritual difficulties. Only one came. "What is your difficulty?" asked the minister. The man answered, "My difficulty is the ninth chapter of Romans, where it says, 'Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated,'"

"Yes," said the minister, "there is great difficulty in that verse; but which part of the verse is difficult for you?" The latter part, of course," said the man. "I cannot understand why God should hate Esau." The minister replied, "That verse has often been difficult, but my difficulty has always been with the first part of the verse. I never could understand how God could love that wily, deceitful, supplanting scoundrel Jacob."

If truth be told, every one of us could say the same thing about ourselves. “How could God love a sinner like me?”

(Job 7:17 NKJV) "What is man, that You should exalt him, That You should set Your heart on him,

God bestowed His love on us

Bestowed – To give something to someone—He gave us His love!

Titus 3:4-5 - “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared…He saved us…”

Rom 5:5 - “ … the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

The word “bestow” is in the perfect tense – indicates the gift becomes a permanent possession of the recipient.

Jeremiah 31:3b - "…I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.”

Romans 8:39 – Nothing “… shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

…that we should be called children of God.

Schofield - A tender word is used for "children," teknia, "born ones." This word is used in the Scripture by both the apostles Paul and John.

Paul is concerned with our public position as sons:

Rom 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Rom 8:17a and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…

John is concerned with our nearness as born-ones of the Father.

1 John 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!

God has called us His “born ones;” His children.

As King, He could have referred to us as merely His subjects.