“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” 1 John 3:1

“Behold”- Ἴδετε (Idete); to see with the mind; experience; examine; attend to

John begins the next section with intent to prove God’s Love. He encourages the reader to approach the subject with deep attentiveness and experiential consideration. God’s love is a subject that cannot fully be comprehended through study but must be experienced. Understanding the degree of love is a spiritual perception.

John uses the word “agapen” translated as love. This word alludes to a moral preference. It is a purely Biblical and ecclesiastical word describing God’s love toward the church. It is

the deepest affection and benevolence described in Scripture or in ancient writings.

This love refers to a connecting, binding, unifying, love.

17 “…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” EPHESIANS 3:17-19

Wide- Embracing All MenLong- throughout all agesHigh- beyond the reach of any foeDeep- profound in wisdom that no man can understand; exceeds our understanding.

“To Know”- Experience, feel

This is the language of a man (Paul) whose heart was full to overflowing. He had a deep sense of the love of Christ, and he expressed a wish that they should understand it. Suddenly he has such an apprehension of it, that he says it is indeed infinite. No one can attain to a full view of it. It had no limit. It was unlike anything which had ever been evinced before. – Barnes Commentary

Distinct Attributes of God’s Agape:1) It loves before it knows. (Romans 5:8) 2) It is a pardoning love. 3) It overcomes evil with good. (Matthew 5:44-48) 4) It is endlessly patient. (2 Peter 3:9) 5) It creates Community. (Hebrews 13:1) 6) It is Unconditional. (Romans 8:35) 7) It is Completely Unselfish.

John then reiterates a former theme by stating the greatest example of

God’s love toward us is the bestowment of family position as a

“son” of God.

Adoption- Adoption is an act of God whereby he makes us members of his family.

11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. JOHN 1:11-12

34  “Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.” John 8:34, 35

When we choose to live for God (repentance) we voluntarily become slaves of righteousness. Then God extends His love in a greater way by adopting us as sons.

Formal adoption of slaves was permissible under Roman law. –ref. Slaves, Citizens, Sons; Lyall

Adoption resulted:

1) All former family ties were broken

2) Legal procedures such as financial obligations were eradicated and 7 reputable witnesses were required.

3) Final and absolute

4) The newly adopted son became a full citizen and had rights to inheritance

14 “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Romans 8:14-17

Because of God’s love, he purchased us to be sons. The means of our adoption is the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God also is the legal witness of the adoption proceedings.

Spirit: πνεύματι (pneumati) Used in Matthew 3:11, Acts 1:5 means wind, breath, spirit.

Repentance- We voluntarily become slaves.

Baptism- As slaves we choose to be born into His slavery. We desire “all” our sins to be cancelled. We take on the “name” of Christ.

Holy Spirit- The adoption from slaves to sons.

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the Power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God dayandnight, has been hurled down.” Revelation 12:10

The Holy Spirit:

1.Testifies that we are the Son of God.

2.Gives us help in the time of need.

3.Guides and instructs us how we should conduct ourselves as sons.

The Great Accuser:

1.Constantly declares why we shouldn’t be the sons of God.

2.Tries to discourage with weakness and infirmities.

3.Tries to entice us NOT to act like sons.

The Love of God is exhibited in the privileges of Adoption:

a)The ability to speak to God and relate to him as a good and loving Father.

b)The right to a great inheritance in heaven.

c)The allowance of angels to minister to us (read: Hebrews 1:14)

d)The opportunity to be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14)

e) Recognition that God disciplines us as his children. (Hebrews 12:5-6)

f) The expectation that as we have shared in his suffering we should also share in His glory (Romans 8:17).

g) We have an opportunity to relate to one another in an intimate way as God’s children.

h) We share with Christ the adeptness in exercising our authority over evil spirits.

“But when the set time had fully come,

God sent his Son, born of a woman, born

under the law, 5 to redeem those under the

law, that we might receive adoption to

sonship. Because you are his sons, God

sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,

the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7

So you are no longer a slave, but God’s

child; and since you are his child, God

has made you also an heir”

Galatians 4:4-7

“See what great love the Father has lavished on 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.” 1 John 3:1

As sons of God we are required to uphold the standard of living expected of us which is convey God’s attributes.

The failure of the world to know God is one of John’s reoccurring themes:

3 “They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.” John 16:3

18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” John 3:18-19

Conditions of John’s Exile

"Early tradition says that John was banished to Patmos by the Roman authorities. This tradition is credible because banishment was a common punishment used during the Imperial period for a number of offenses. Among such offenses were the practices of magic and astrology. Supernatural wonders was viewed by the Romans as belonging to the same category, whether Pagan, Jewish, or Christian. (Pliny Natural History)

John writes comments Jesus made during his earthly ministry as reminding statements to the current Christians enduring difficult tribulation by the Roman current emperor.

“The world”- the mass of unbelievers who are indifferent and hostile toward God’s people.

To enjoy God’s love, and position, is more important than the world’s hatred.

2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2

Though we are God’s children the unveiling of our full identity and nature lies in the future as we 1) we become like him and 2) we partake in His glory.

3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”

Ephesians 1:3-6

God, through his foreknowledge, declared:

1)Those who would live in Him would be ordained as children of God.

2)One day all men with this position (son) would receive privileges.

3)God would sanctify a people. Those that would be counted as sons would have responsibility to be holy.

This verse is NOT a description of Calvinism or the doctrine of God’s Elect.

Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God. John Calvin interpreted biblical predestination to mean that God willed eternal damnation for some people and salvation for others. This doctrine implies that God has actually determined (rather than simply seen) in advance the destiny of creatures.

What is Paul writing to the church of Ephesus?

“The Jews considered themselves an elect or chosen people, and wished to monopolize the whole of the Divine love and beneficence. The apostle here shows that God had the Gentiles as much in the contemplation of his mercy and goodness as he had the Jews; and the blessings of the Gospel, now so freely dispensed to them, were the proof that God had thus chosen them, and that his end in giving them the Gospel was the same which he had in view by giving the law to the Jews, viz. that they might be holy and without blame before him.”

“Here the word is used to point out God‘s fixed purpose or predetermination to bestow on the Gentiles the blessing of the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ, which adoption had been before granted to the Jewish people; and without circumcision, or any other Mosaic rite, to admit the Gentiles to all the privileges of his Church and people”- Adam Clarke; Clarke Commentary

The Greatest Privilege as a “son” of God is future promise that we shall share in His glory, power, and Honor.

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Romans 8:17 (NIV)

“When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:4

God is Light

Read Genesis 1:3 (Notice light was apparent prior to creation of the sun)“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[a] sin.”

1John1:7(futuristic implication)

Jesus after His Resurrection

a) Jesus vanishes out of the sight of the men on the road to Emmaus. (Luke 24:31); the

Arabic version renders it, "he was hidden from them“ (Gill Exposition of the Bible)

b) Jesus emerges at the meeting of the disciples through shut doors. (John 20:19)

c) Jesus is carried up away from the midst of the disciples (Luke 24:51)

In a glorified state Christ has the ability to:

1)Disappear/ Vanish in an Instant

2)Reappear in a Moment

3)Accelerate through Physical Matter

4)Be caught away in the air

Scientific Evidence

Speed of Light •186, 282 miles per second•1.3 seconds ray of light from the earth to the moon. •100, 000 years for a ray of light to cross the Milky Way.

52 “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:52

In a “Moment”- (atomo) part of time that cannot be defined, divided, or measured.

Yoctosecond- 10−24 (yocto- + second), is one septillionth (short scale) of a second.

(Orders of Magnitude)

Planck Time

Theoretically, this is the smallest time measurement that will ever be possible. It is the time required for light to travel, in a vacuum, a distance of 1 Planck length.

“Twinkling” of an eye- ῥιπῇ (rhipe) a twinkling of lights

53 “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” 1 Corinthians 15:53, 54

Translation of Physical Form

Corruptible →→→ Incorruption

phthartós– perishable, what easily perishes disintegrates (corrupts) – like the break-down of the physical body during our natural lifetime

“It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” 1 Corinthians 15:44

Mortal →→→ Immortality

According to the mass-energy (Einstein’s theory of

relativity)equivalence formula E = mc2, an object travelling at c would have infinite mass and would therefore require an “infinite” amount of energy to reach c.

Theory of Relativity From the perspective of an outside observer, as an object travels faster, its size begins to shrink in the direction of its motion (to a very minute degree at first, which is why it is never really noticeable). As the speed of light approaches and the object's perception of time decreases accordingly, so also will its perceived size from an outside observer. Once the speed of light is reached, however, the object's size will become zero. It will disappear.

Quantum Tunneling Quantum tunnelling refers to the quantum mechanical phenomenon where a particle tunnels through a barrier that it classically could not surmount. It is possible for spin zero particles to travel faster than the speed of light when tunnelling. This apparently violates the principle of causality (physics), since there will be a frame of reference in which it arrives before it has left.

18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” Romans 8:18, 19

2 “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” 1 John 3:2, 3

Paul and John refer to the promise as “hope” and “comfort”.

Everyone with this hope has a responsibility to stay pure, putting away defilement, and seeking righteousness. The greek word refers to a constant moral cleansing.