First John: 1 John 3:1a-The Believer Must Meditate Upon the Father Effectually Calling Them to Be His Children Lesson # 96
First John • Sermon • Submitted • 1:08:46
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See 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. (ESV)
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday October 25, 2017
www.wenstrom.org
Lesson # 96
See 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. (ESV)
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us” is composed of the following: (1) second person plural aorist active imperative form of the verb eidon (εἶδον), “see” (2) accusative feminine singular form of the adjective potapos (ποταπός), “what kind of” (3) accusative feminine singular form of the noun agapē (ἀγάπη), “the love” (4) third person singular perfective active indicative form of the verb didōmi (δίδωμι), “has given” (5) dative first person plural form of the personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ), “to us” (6) articular nominative masculine singular form of the noun pater (πατήρ), “the Father.”
The verb eidon means “to consider carefully” since the word pertains to taking special notice of something with the implication of concerning oneself with something.[1]
The word is expressing the idea of thinking about something in order to arrive at a decision to perform a particular action.
In other words, the word speaks of carefully considering something for the purpose of personal application.
Here it refers to the recipients of this epistle carefully considering and concerning themselves with the fact that they are children of God in order to make personal application, namely to experience their sanctification which is equivalent to experience fellowship with the Trinity.
The second person plural form of this verb eidon means “each one of you” since the word refers to the recipients of this epistle as a corporate unit and is used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions.
The aorist imperative form of the verb eidon is a constative aorist imperative which emphasizes solemnity or urgency of the action.
It is expressing the solemn nature of this command and emphasizing the urgency of each one of the recipients of this epistle obeying this command.
It is emphasizing how extremely important it is for them to consider carefully the fact that they are children of God in order that they would continue to experience sanctification which is a metaphor for experiencing fellowship with the Trinity.
The noun agapē means “love” and is used of God the Father’s love for the recipients of this epistle who were declared justified by the Father through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
This love is an attribute of each member of the Trinity and was exercised by the Trinity towards the recipients of this epistle.
Thus, the latter are the beneficiaries of this love.
Here it refers to this attribute being exercised by each member of the Trinity towards the recipients of this epistle.
This word is modified by the adjective potapos which means “what kind of, what sort of, how great, how wonderful.”
It is emphasizing the magnitude, degree and effectiveness of God’s love toward the recipients of this epistle in making them His children through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
The noun patēr means “Father” referring to the first member of the Trinity which is indicated by the word’s articular construction which in the New Testament is commonly used to signify the first member of the Trinity unless otherwise indicated by the context.
The first person plural form of the personal pronoun ego refers to John and the recipients of this epistle and all those who have been declared justified by the Father through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
It is used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions.
The verb didōmi means “to exercise” since the word pertains to making effective in action.
This indicates that John is commanding the recipients of this epistle to carefully consider what kind of love the Father “exercised” toward him and each one of them, namely that they should be effectually called children of God.
I solemnly charge each one of you to carefully consider what kind of love the Father has exercised toward each of us, namely each one of us have been effectually called to be God’s children. Indeed, every one of us are existing in this state. For this reason, the world never at any time recognizes any of us: because it never recognized Him. (My translation)
The apostle John solemnly issues the recipients of this epistle another command which required that each one of the carefully consider what kind of love the Father has exercised towards himself and the recipients of this epistle.
He then identifies for them what they should carefully consider, namely they should carefully consider that each of them have been effectually called to be God’s children.
John then emphatically affirms this to be the case.
He is in other words, reassuring the recipients of this epistle in emphatic terms that they are in fact children of God.
This reference to being God’s children here in advances upon and elaborates upon what John taught in .
In this verse he taught that if each of the recipients of this epistle possess the conviction that God the Father is righteous, then each of them know experientially that any person who at any time does practice that which is truly righteousness has been fathered by God.
Therefore, the reference to being fathered by God in is being further developed here in .
Now, when John orders the recipients of this epistle to “carefully consider” being effectually called to be children of God, he wants them to do so in order to make personal application.
Specifically, he wants them to carefully consider this effectual calling in order that they would continue to experience their sanctification which is equivalent to experience fellowship with the Trinity.
This interpretation is indicated by .
In verse 2, John reminds the recipients of this epistle that they will be transformed in a resurrection body at the rapture and will manifest the fact that they are children of God to the entire world at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
In verse 3, he teaches them that every person in the Christian community who possesses this conviction about this transformation in the future will purify themselves which speaks of experiencing sanctification.
When John orders the recipients of this epistle to “carefully consider” being effectually called to be children of God, he wants them to meditate upon this fact for the purpose of continuing to experience fellowship with God.
He wants them to practice “biblical meditation.”
Biblical meditation involves repetitive, reflective and reverential reading of the Word of God and making application to one’s own life (cf. ; , , , ; ).
Meditation means “the act of focusing one’s thoughts, thus to ponder, think about.”
It consists of reflective thinking or contemplation, usually on a specific subject to discern its meaning or significance or a plan of action.
Biblical meditation consists of reflective thinking or contemplation on the Word of God in order to discern its meaning for the purpose of making personal application.
Biblical meditation is an expression of rejecting self-sufficiency in favor of the sufficiency of God’s Word.
The goal of Christian Biblical meditation is to adopt the attitude or thinking of Christ, which is expressed in the infallible, inerrant Word of God.
The purpose of Christian Biblical meditation is to develop the character of Christ in the believer.
Biblical meditation consists of reflective thinking or contemplation on the Word of God in order to discern its meaning and make personal application.
What, then, should our objectives in Biblical meditation be?
They are as follows: (1) Fellowship: communicating with God (cf. ). (2) Worship: responding to the Word of God (). (3) Instruction: learning the will of the Father (). (4) Motivation: inspiring the believer to courageous service (). (5) Transformation: having divine viewpoint and perspective ().
Biblical meditation takes the focus off our problems and ourselves and places it on God’s person, provisions, and protection.
When we do this, our problems are put into perspective.
The pressures of life begin to dissipate when we force ourselves to be secluded, silent, and still before the Lord.
When we meditate upon the Lord, we see things from a different perspective.
Meditation brings us to a position in which we observe ourselves in the light of God’s Word (; ).
Meditating upon the Lord in the morning will relax and prepare us for the day ahead, and meditation at night will help us rest easy in a peaceful sleep in spite of difficult circumstances we may be facing.
[1] Louw and Nida 30.45