Who Are The Children of God?

1 John 3:1 KJV Bible:  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.

The names we give our children have always been important.  What is so pleasingly striking about this simple text of the Bible is that God calls us His children!

Names are important because they infer an expectation of hope or doom on a child; names are important because they carry with them a sense of permanence; names are important because they separate us from the “pack” and emphasize our uniqueness in creation.  Yes, indeed, to be called one or two of seven or eight just does not speak of any importance, of any specialty, of any giftedness in our children.  If there is any label that is deemed good, then a goodly name is certainly good.

My wife tells me she once heard of a parent calling her little girl “Sy Philis ;“ I ask you what kind of future does such a child have? And, this is all because of a name!  Names are important.

The story is told of a man who is called “Bill Stinks!”  Mr. Stinks could not stand his name; he did not want to continue living with a handle like “Bill Stinks!”  Mr. Stinks decides to go to the judge to change his birth name.  The judge replies, “I understand!  Now, to what name would you like it to be changed?”  Mr. Stinks, without the slightest hesitation, blurts out, “William Stinks!”

Names are important!  Here God says that we should be called the sons of God.  We are to be called the children of God!  Imagine what that means.  We are the children of God; it is not that we deserve such a title; it is bestowed upon us.

My wife and I spent much time on the name of our fist born.  We called her Angela Christina.  We named her this because that is what she was to us, and that is what we wanted her to become. 

Well, the plain truth is that we do not deserve to be called children of God, but this is what we are to God, and this is what God wants us to become!

The question to me in this text is, “What does this title infer?”

To this John says that we dwell on the wonderful manner of this love. It is from everlasting! Before the stars were created in the morning of time; before they sung nature’s first hymn of praise to our Creator; Love was lighting the darkness with the chorus that God was going to have a people; He would call us, His children. Also, after we’ve been there ten thousands of years, bright shining as the sun; after the expanding cosmos has scattered to the corners of time, this bestowed love will still be there, ever holding us children of God in His outstretched arms. We will have no less days to sing His praise than when we first begun!

To this same title, the children of God, John declares that we dwell on such a “manner” of eternal love; a manner where we worthless worms are renamed sons and daughter of God; a manner where “sinners” are renamed into “saints”, even as “Jacob” was renamed into “Israel” ; and even as Naomi’s “Mara” (bitter Ruth 1:20) was renamed into “Blessed” (Ruth 4:14).

We cannot overstate the intensity of the quality of being gladly called by grace the “children of God”

Indeed John insists we dwell on the manner of this love that we “should” be called the children of God. The implication of this subjunctive, “should,” is that there are many who do not rise to their namesake! The hard reality is that many are not ready for this High Place in Heaven’s Hierarchy! There are so many pleasures at His right hand, but so many folks trade these joys for the pleasures of sin for a season. I dwell on this love, the manner of which links me to eternity with our Beloved. However, this word “should” forces me to also meditate on rejected love. What a heartbreak for a lover with sincere love to face rejection; How much more is it for our LORD who bestows perfect love to have such an embrace broken, spat upon, turned aside by wayward would be children!

A farmer’s son once had a pet hen. He loved this hen as much any could love a pet. It broke his heart when a fire came and in a field he found his favored darling dead. However, when he lifted her, he found her live chicks under her wing alive. All were alive but three. These three rejected her wings of love. What love this hen bestowed upon her children. She died that they might live. Why do some reject this love?

Some thoughts from Pastor_Walt