Behold What Manner Of Love

John the apostle often seemed consumed with the love of God. In 1 John 3:1 he wrote “behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” It is interesting that the phrase “what manner of” is an interrogative and originally meant “from what country or race.” It is as if John was saying, “Wow, God’s love is so awesome that it is from some place that I’ve never been before and from a class of beings I’ve never met before! What kind of love is this?”

But then notice what that love is all about. This class of love that is foreign to our natural realm is not focused on getting us to heaven. God the Father has bestowed this uncommon love on us to make us his sons. Yes, heaven is included in the deal but only as a by-product. God has lavished his love on us in order bring us into his family and make us his sons and daughters.

In Ephesians 1:5 we read that God has predestined us to be his sons in whose hearts the spirit of adoption cries, “Abba, Father.” The focus here is not on God choosing some to be saved and some to go to hell, but on his having determined before the foundation of the world to have sons. All those who believe in Jesus Christ are given the power to become the sons of God.

Why is it that the church spends so much of its time focusing on trying to get to heaven some day when God’s plan is to make us his sons here and now. Romans 5:8 says that “God demonstrated his love toward us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” But as we see in 1 John 3:1, he gave us this love in order to make us his sons. He loved us and removed our sin so that we might be members of the royal family. Heaven is only the by-product.

As long as we make heaven the goal of salvation, we will continue to have churches full of people who are self-centered, self-seeking, and self-serving. Wow! That sounds like people who are orphans trying to survive in a hostile world and who want to escape someday to a place where they can finally have everything they want. Yes, that is what it sounds like and that is what we have in our churches. Our churches have become orphanages where pastors try to control the unruly children who are driven by the desires of their flesh.

Salvation is not about heaven or the threat of hell. It is about the Father loving us and giving his Son to make us his sons. Salvation is about these sons honoring their Father in heaven and laying down their lives to advance the kingdom of their Father. Salvation is about sons walking with their Father so closely that his fragrance, his character, and his DNA are formed in them—until they love like he loves—until their voice sounds like his voice—until his glory becomes incarnate in them and creation then sees that glory covering the earth in the sons of God. Then people will ask, “What manner of men are these who have invaded our world?” The answer? These are the sons of God—born from above—born of his love.