Family Features

View daily reading plan: 1 John 2.29-3.1

In highlighting the characteristics of God’s family, John regularly uses the phrase “born of him” or “born of God”. The first reference is in 2.29, “every one that doeth righteousness is born of him”. The verb tense indicates that this is the trend of the person’s life – they are addicted to doing righteousness.

In chapter 3.1, John speaks of the Father’s love for His children; the term “sons of God” in this epistle should always be translated “children of God”. “What manner of love” - the word indicates that the love that has placed us in God’s family is something that is alien to this world. Kenneth S Wuest translates it as “exotic”; it is unique. If that phrase denotes the quality of the love, the word “bestowed” suggests the quantity of the love.

However, being loved by the Father, being privileged to be His children, and exhibiting His family likeness in righteous behaviour places us in bad grace with “the world”. An unrighteous world cannot tolerate  righteous conduct that condemns it, and so God’s children experience the disapproval that greeted their Lord when He was here: “therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not”.

Monday, 6 May, 2024