Lesson 10: Behold What Manner of Love

1 John 3:1-3 · The Wonder of Being Called Children of God

John has spent two chapters laying down the tests of genuine faith — the moral test, the love test, the doctrinal test — and calling believers to abide in Christ. Now he turns from the tests to the identity of those who abide. And he begins with an exclamation: "Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us!" The tests were never meant to produce anxiety; they were meant to confirm the breathtaking reality that we are God's children.

Read the Text

¹See 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. ²Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. ³And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
— 1 John 3:1-3 (ESV)

Behold the Love

John begins with a word that demands attention: "Behold" (idete). It is an imperative — a command to stop, look, and marvel. The phrase "what manner of love" (potapēn agapēn) carries the sense of "what country does this love come from?" It is a love from another world, utterly foreign to anything natural to humanity.

This love is something the Father has given (dedōken) — it is a gift, not something we earned or deserved. And the content of the gift is staggering: "that we should be called children of God."

John immediately adds a quiet but crucial affirmation: "and so we are." Not "we hope to be" or "we will become" — we are God's children right now. This is not a future aspiration but a present reality. The false teachers may have claimed special knowledge or status, but John's readers are something far greater in reality: children of the living God.

The world does not recognize this identity, John says, because it did not recognize Christ. If the world rejected the Son, it will reject those who bear His likeness. The world's ignorance is actually a mark of authenticity — we are in good company.

ReflectionAdrian Rogers once asked: "What country does this love come from?" It comes from the heart of God. Think about it: you were not born into this family — you were loved into it. The Father did not adopt you because you were valuable; He made you valuable by loving you.

Now and Not Yet

Verse 2 captures the tension every believer lives in: "Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared."

John holds two truths together:

Present reality: We are children of God now. Our identity is secure, our standing is settled, our Father is real.
Future hope: What we will ultimately be is still hidden. The full glory of our sonship has not yet been revealed — not even to us.

But we do know this much: "When He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is." The word phaneroō (appears) is the same word John used in 1:2 of the incarnation. Christ's first appearing brought life; His second appearing will bring transformation.

The promise is breathtaking: we will be like Him. Not that we will become divine, but that we will be fully conformed to His likeness — morally pure, glorified in body, complete in every way. And the agent of this transformation is vision itself: "We shall see Him as He is." There is something about the direct, unveiled sight of Christ that will instantly complete what grace began.

Seeing and BecomingThe connection between seeing and becoming is a thread throughout Scripture. Moses' face shone after being in God's presence (Exodus 34:29-35). Paul writes that "beholding the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed into the same image" (2 Corinthians 3:18). What happens partially now by faith will happen fully then by sight.

The Purifying Hope

Verse 3 draws the practical conclusion: "And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself, as He is pure."

This is not a vague, passive hope — it is an active, purifying hope. The word hagnizō (purifies) means to cleanse, to make pure, to set apart for holy use. It is a present tense verb — ongoing, continuous purification. The person who truly expects to see Christ and be like Him does not live carelessly; he lives in active preparation.

The standard is striking: "As He is pure." Christ Himself is the measure of purity we are aiming for — not the Pharisees, not the best Christian we know, not our own past performance. Christ. This is the moral test deepened and internalized: not just walking in the light, but being transformed by the hope of seeing Him face to face.

John's logic is unbreakable:

We are children of God now.
We will be like Christ then.
Everyone who truly hopes for that day purifies himself now.

The hope of future glory is not an escape from present responsibility — it is the engine of present holiness.

A Hope That Does Not PurifyMany people say they hope to go to heaven someday, but that hope produces no change in how they live. John says that is not the hope of a child of God. The hope that looks for Christ's appearing always produces Christlike purity in the present. If there is no purification, there is no genuine hope.

Key Terms to Remember

Children of God (tekna theou) — John's term for believers, emphasizing that we are born of God, not merely adopted or followers. A present reality, not a future hope.
Appear / Manifest (phaneroō) — To make visible, to reveal. Used in 1 John of both Christ's first coming (1:2) and His second coming (3:2).
Purify (hagnizō) — To cleanse, to make pure, to set apart for holy use. The active, ongoing work of a believer who hopes in Christ's appearing.
See Him as He is — The direct, unveiled sight of Christ at His appearing, which will instantly conform us to His likeness.

Check Your Understanding

1. What does John mean by "what manner of love" (potapēn agapēn)?

a) Love that is conditional on our behavior

b) Love that comes from another country, foreign to human nature

c) Love that will be given to us in the future

d) Love that only the apostles experienced

b) Love that comes from another country, foreign to human nature — The phrase potapēn literally asks "of what country?" or "of what kind?" This is a love that does not originate in the human heart. It comes from the Father and is utterly foreign to anything natural. The wonder is not just that God loves us, but what kind of love it is — a love that makes sinners into sons.

2. What two truths does John hold together in verse 2 about our identity?

We are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared. The "now" and the "not yet" — present reality and future hope held together. Our sonship is already fully real but not yet fully revealed. We belong to the family now, but the full glory of what that means is still to come. This keeps us from two errors: despising our present identity (we are already children) and becoming complacent (there is more to come).

3. How does the hope of Christ's appearing produce purity in the present?

Everyone who hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure. The logic: (1) Christ is pure; (2) when He appears, we will be like Him; (3) everyone who genuinely expects to see Him and be like Him begins preparing now. It would be absurd to claim to look forward to Christ's return while living in the very things He came to destroy. The hope is not passive — it actively shapes how we live today. We purify ourselves because He is pure and we will see Him.

4. Why does John say "the world does not know us" (verse 1)? What comfort should this bring?

Because it did not know Him. The world rejected and misunderstood Christ, so it will also reject and misunderstand those who belong to Him. The comfort is that the world's rejection is actually a mark of authenticity — it puts us in the company of Christ Himself. When the world does not recognize us as its own, it may be because we look more like our Father than like the world.

Primary Resource

Read: Adrian Rogers, "Behold What Manner of Love" — the sermon covering 1 John 3:1-3. Rogers calls this passage "the believer's Magna Carta" — the declaration of our identity and destiny as children of God.

Read: 1 John 3:1-3 in at least two translations (e.g., ESV and NIV or KJV). Notice how "what manner" / "what kind" is rendered, and how the "see - know - become" progression unfolds.

Before Next Lesson

Read 1 John 3:4-9. Ask: If I am a child of God, what should my relationship with sin look like — and why does John say such strong things about those who keep sinning?

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