Easter · The Fourth Sunday of Easter (Jubilate)
1 John 3:1-3
Children of God
April 26, 2026
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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Commentary
1 John 3:1-3 (Epistle) Working Preacher
Weekly exegesis of this reading by a named seminary scholar.
1 John 3 Commentary Enduring Word
Full chapter commentary on being called children of God.
Commentary on 1 John 3 by Matthew Henry Blue Letter Bible
Classic exposition of the believer's present and future sonship.
Background & Word Study
The Church Fathers
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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