“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God…” (I John 3:1). Several truths are uncovered are presented for us in this passage.

 
First, who calls us “children of God”? It is God himself! The great Creator, God and Judge of all men, who actually calls us his children! Ephesians 1:5 states, “…he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through JesusChrist, in accordance with his will…” Adoption in our society, especially as an alternative to abortion, is important and needs to grow. But adoption through Christ, being received into the family of God, is an eternal thing. How wonderful.
 
Secondly, that word “lavished” sounds so generous and “over-the-top.” Nothing is held back, no strings are attached, and no requirements are needed on our part.  God has just loved us with more love than we could possibly handle, understand, or appreciate. It will take us an eternity (and even then we will not exhaust its limits or depth) to comprehend the eternal love of God to us in Christ Jesus. Just thinking on this for a few minutes will leave us standing in awe of our loving heavenly Father.
 
What kind of response can we have to this infinite love that God has shown to us, especially when we know our sinfulness and ungratefulness? I John 3:2-3 provides at least two responses for us to consider: “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. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”
 
First, how we view ourselves and the world is a reflection of our eternal hope. This hope is grounded in the knowledge of an eternity in heaven with Christ, that we will be changed and be like our Savior. The unsaved do not have this hope; but God has given believers this hope in Christ alone. Speaking of us as saints Paul says, “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).  Our hope is not wishful fantasy but a sure trust in the promises of our Savior.
 
A second response to being called children of God is a desire to be in that state now, that is, to be like Christ as much as we can be in this life. Paul says, “Everyonewho has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” In every area of our lives, we should seek to purify ourselves. This means that we actively pursue becoming more like Jesus. We assess ourselves, our attitudes, our words, our relationships, our opinions and our ideas, regularly subjecting and submitting them to God’s Word and the leading of his Holy Spirit. When we find something in our lives that is not in keeping with God’s Word, then, by the power of his Spirit, we deal with it. We remember to love him who first loved us, and to seek to be like him. This is purification: To become more like Christ – because we want to put everything on the “auction block” in order to conform to Christ. Christ’s preeminence drives us to confront all of these issues.
 
Believers are children of God. We get into trouble when we begin to act like “grownups” with God. We do not tell God what he should do or how he should accomplish what we think is important. The Plan is his – not ours. The means to accomplish the Plan are his – not ours. The ways to use the means to accomplish the Plan are his – not ours. Our contentedness flows from the infinite love of our heavenly Father, which then drives us to purify ourselves by the power of his Spirit. Stand in awe of our God as he reveals himself more and more to us each day.
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Rev. Thomas Joseph is pastor of Lake Crest Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Ala.