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Time after Pentecost · All Saints' Day · Year B

1 John 3:1-3

Children of God

November 1, 2027

Christ Blessing the Children, Lucas Cranach the Elder
Christ Blessing the Children, Lucas Cranach the Elder, after 1537Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen
A Reformation subject Cranach's workshop painted many times over, crowded with mothers and infants and almost no room for anyone else.See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God: the painting is what being called a child of God looks like.Lucas Cranach the ElderCourt painter in Wittenberg (1472-1553), Luther's friend and the printer of his movement's images, which made him the visual voice of the Reformation.Statens Museum for Kunst, CopenhagenDenmark's national gallery, grown from the royal collection begun in the sixteenth century.Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen
LSB Three-Year Lectionary
GospelMatt. 5:1-12Mt 5:1-12
Epistle1 John 3:1-31 Jn 3:1-3
Old TestamentRev. 7:(2-8) 9-17Rev 7:(2-8) 9-17
PsalterPs. 149Ps 149

Overview & Insights

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1)

This section of 1 John is unified by the idea of the children of God: who they are and how one can identify them by their lives. It is a passage dominated by ethics, particularly an ethical concern for righteousness and sin. It compares two “families”: the children of God and the children of the devil. In the background, as always, are the Elder’s opponents, the secessionists, whom he strongly contrasts to his own “dear children.”

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Take it further: 1 John 3:1-3

Commentary

Working Preacher: Commentary on 1 John 3:1-3Working Preacher: Commentary on 1 Jn 3:1-3 Working Preacher

Lutheran All Saints commentary on believers named children of God now and not yet revealed.

Enduring Word: 1 John 3Enduring Word: 1 Jn 3 Enduring Word · David Guzik

David Guzik's verse-by-verse evangelical notes on the whole chapter.

Precept Austin: 1 John 3 ResourcesPrecept Austin: 1 Jn 3 Resources Precept Austin

Study hub gathering many conservative commentators verse by verse on 1 John 3.

BibleHub: Commentaries on 1 John 3:1BibleHub: Commentaries on 1 Jn 3:1 BibleHub

Parallel classic commentaries keyed to being called children of God.

StudyLight: 1 John 3 CommentariesStudyLight: 1 Jn 3 Commentaries StudyLight

Many complete commentaries on 1 John 3 gathered on one passage page.

Background & Word Study

BibleProject: 1-3 John OverviewBibleProject: 1-3 Jn Overview BibleProject

Animated overview of the themes of the Johannine letters.

BibleHub: 1 John 3 InterlinearBibleHub: 1 Jn 3 Interlinear BibleHub

Greek-English interlinear for word-level study of 1 John 3.

The Church Fathers

Catena: 1 John 3Catena: 1 Jn 3 Catena

Patristic comments gathered verse by verse on 1 John 3.

Questions preachers ask

What is our destiny in 1 John 3?

We are already God’s children, and though what we will be is not yet made known, “when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:1–3), the hope All Saints celebrates.

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