“1 See what love the Father has given 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. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when He is revealed, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is”
1 John 3:1-2.
If this First Letter of John had a social media footprint, this week’s status update would read, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God”
1 John 3:1.
These are words of encouragement written to a community that is troubled by schism. Whatever were the details of the split, the disagreement has been serious enough that some folks have packed up and left the church. Have you ever seen that happen in your life? Ha! I have experienced the trauma of a congregational or denominational split, and it was always a devastating development for everyone.
This community was unable to remain in fellowship due to significant differences in their beliefs about Jesus. At the heart of the matter, according to John, is that the people who have left are denying that Jesus is the Christ (1 John 2:22) and that He is the incarnate Son of God (1 John 4:2-3). They still understand themselves to be followers of Jesus, but what they believe and confess about Him differs from those who remain.
One of the primary aims of 1 John is to persuade the remaining community members that they have good reason to hold on to their confession because they have experienced its truth in their very existence as a community. John emphasizes this view in the introductory verse to his letter: “We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life … ” 1 John 1:1.
Faith is not simply a matter of cognitive assertion; it is the testimony of the real-life, embodied experience that has been given to them by God. The glue that holds the church together is God’s love, which has bound them into one family as children of God.
What John wishes to say is this: “Beloved, we are God’s children now!
1 John 3:1-2. I think we can all benefit from an occasional reminder that God has already bestowed upon everyone the thing that is most important for being the people they are called to be. They are children of God. Already. Today. Now.
Let that be your Advent reflection today!
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” John 1:12.
“For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God, through faith” Galatians 3:26.
“Train up everyone in the way we should go; even when you are old you will not depart from it” Proverbs 22:6.
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