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

Today's Scripture Reading (May 24, 2021): 1 John 3

In "The Warden and the Wolf King," Andrew Peterson writes, "Love runs stronger than blood. Deeper than any name you could give me." This kind of love is the core concept behind the story of adoption, and this love is part of the miracle that takes place every time a couple takes a child who is not their own, as their own. It is not a blood connection that allows us to love; it is something different and undefinable. The beauty of adoption is that someone makes a choice to love, and the fact that we can love is what allows adoption to work. Peterson is right; love can run stronger than blood, which is a truth that is played out daily in homes all across the nation.

John is stressing that God has chosen us to be his children. We are born of him, but he also adopts us. He chose us. And just as it is love that binds adopted children to their new parents, it is love that binds us to God and the reason why our Father works hard to ensure that nothing will separate us from him. Love is the blood that flows through our veins, connecting us to God.

That concept that we are the children of God is not an idea that is original to John. It is something that has been testified to by many voices. Paul says that God himself testifies that we are his children. "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty" (2 Corinthians 6:18). The author of Hebrews says that the Son of God affirms that we are the children of God. "Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters" (Hebrews 2:11). Paul again affirms that the Holy Spirit also confirms that we are God's children. "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 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 8:16-17).

We are God's children, and while John might not be espousing an original idea, there is a significant change in our relationship with God in the Christian era. Pastor David Guzik phrases the difference this way.  

In this, we gain something in Jesus Christ greater than Adam ever possessed. We never once read of Adam being called one of the children of God in the sense John means here. He was never adopted as a son of God in the way believers are. We err when we think of redemption as merely a restoration of what was lost with Adam; we are granted more in Jesus than Adam ever had.

We have a privilege that Adam never experienced. We are the children of God in every sense of the word. And that God's love that flows directly from him to us is the seal on that promise.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 John 4