Most of us don't struggle to believe that God loves us.
What we struggle with is believing that His love actually defines us.
We say the words, child of God, easily, sometimes automatically.
But we rarely stop to consider what that means or what kind of love would make it true.
Today's verse doesn't let us rush past that.
It tells us to stop, to look, and maybe even be stunned.
Welcome back to Verses We Missed, your midweek breath of Scripture and grace. I'm Steve Webb,
your OG Godcaster. This is the show where we slow down, take a second look at familiar passages of
Scripture, and ask whether, because they're so familiar, we may have missed something important.
Today's verse is short, it's familiar, and it's easy to rush past.
But if we do, we miss the very foundation of the Christian life.
Our verse today is 1 John 3, verse 1, and I'll be reading from the English Standard Version.
Here it is.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God, and so we are.
The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.
John begins this chapter with a command.
But it's not a command to do something.
It's a command to stop, to look, to notice, to take something in.
The command is, see.
Notice that John doesn't say, remember what kind of love, and he doesn't say, believe
what kind of love.
He doesn't even say, be thankful for what kind of love.
He says, see.
That word implies time.
It implies attention.
It implies stillness.
I'm a grandfather to seven wonderful children.
Of course they're wonderful, right?
I can't tell you how many times I've heard a sentence that sounds something like this.
Pop, look what I'm doing.
Look, Pop.
Now, when they say that, they don't mean for me to just turn my eyes toward them for a brief moment.
I can do that and look at them.
My brain will register that they're doing something, but that isn't really what they want me to do, is it?
They want me to stop whatever it is I'm doing and really pay attention to them, to really see them.
Well, that's what John is saying here.
It's as if John is saying, don't rush past this.
Don't skim over it.
Don't assume you already understand it.
Because, if we're honest, many of us already think we know this verse.
Yes, God loves us.
Yes, we're His children.
Yes, I've heard that before.
But John is not aiming for information here.
He's aiming for wonder.
The phrase, what kind of love, points to something foreign, unexpected, or even otherworldly.
This is not normal love.
It isn't earned love or cautious love.
This is love that interrupts us and demands to be seen.
And notice where John starts.
Not with us, but with the Father.
He wrote, see what kind of love the Father has given to us.
That word given matters.
This love is not discovered through effort.
It isn't unlocked by maturity.
It isn't granted as a reward for good behavior.
It is given.
Which means it flows from God's initiative and not ours.
John doesn't say the Father admired us or fixed us or waited for us to improve.
He loved us.
And that love results in something astonishing.
That we should be called, what?
The children of God.
Not servants.
Not employees.
Not some sort of spiritual freelancers.
We are called children.
Beloved, that's adoption language.
We didn't naturally belong here.
We were brought in.
We were named.
We were given a place at the table.
think of it. And just in case we're tempted to soften that, to treat it as poetic or symbolic,
John immediately removes all doubt. He says that we should be called children of God,
and so we are. And so we are. That short phrase carries enormous meaning. Of course, John,
like every other Bible author, is inspired by the Holy Spirit as he writes. And through the Holy
Spirit, John knows how easily we doubt. He knows how quickly we disqualify ourselves,
how often we treat our identity as conditional. And so he says, this isn't just what you're called,
this is what you are. Not someday, not after you've become a more mature Christian,
and not when you finally feel worthy. Right now. If you are in Christ, this is your present reality,
your present identity. And this matters because many of us try to live the Christian life
backwards. We try to behave our way into belonging. We try to obey our way into acceptance.
We try to earn what God has already given. Well, John flips that upside down. You belong first.
You are loved first.
You are named first.
Obedience flows from identity.
It doesn't create it.
Here's an example.
My wife, the lovely Lady Leanne, loves me and is devoted to me.
And I love her, and I'm devoted to her.
And because of that love, I do everything in my power to care for her and to put a smile on her face every single day.
I do those things because of my love for her, not because I'm trying to earn her love or keep her
love. I do those things simply because of the reality of our relationship. And then John adds
one more clarifying thought. He says, the reason why the world does not know us is that it did not
know him. In other words, if this identity feels misunderstood, if it feels invisible or out of
place, that isn't a mistake. It's resemblance. If you belong to the Father, you will sometimes be
treated the way the Son was treated. This verse actually reframes rejection. It doesn't mean that
you're doing everything right, but it does mean that being misunderstood is not evidence that
something has gone wrong. It may simply mean that you belong to a different family, and so it does.
Now, John will go on to talk about holiness and about obedience and about love in action.
But he doesn't start there. He starts with wonder. See what kind of love. Because when we forget who
we are, we distort how we live. Fear replaces confidence. Striving replaces rest. Performance
when identity is settled, obedience becomes a response, not a desperate attempt to qualify.
Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, we confess that we often rush past things that deserve our
attention. We say words like, child of God, without stopping to really see the love behind them.
Lord, help us to slow down. Help us to see and to receive what you have already given.
Remind us, Lord, that our identity comes from your love, not our performance. And let that
assurance shape how we live, how we love, and how we trust you. We thank you that we are not only
called your children, but that in Christ, so we are. We pray this in Jesus' precious and holy name.
Amen.
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Beloved, before John tells us how to live, he reminds us who we are.
Don't rush past that this week.
Take time to see the love that named you.
And now, until next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
My name is Steve Webb.
Bye.