Apostle John’s Three Letters . . . 1 John 2:28–3:3

   Father God’s Love for Us

How would you feel if Jesus appeared today? John doesn’t raise that question to frighten believers, but to encourage confidence. Those who remain in Christ can look forward to his appearing, because the Father has already made them his children — and one day they’ll see Christ as he is and be made like him.

In 1 John 2:28–3:3, John makes a meaningful transition. He moves from warning his readers about deception and calling them to remain in Christ to reflecting on the believer’s identity and future hope as a child of God. Present faithfulness, confidence at Christ’s appearing, God’s fatherly love, and the call to purity all belong together.

This five-verse passage bridges the end of chapter 2 and the beginning of chapter 3. In 2:28–29, John urges believers to remain in Christ so that they may have confidence rather than shame when he appears. He then turns to the astonishing truth that those who practice righteousness have been born of God.

Chapter 3:1–3 presents a wondrous pause at Father God’s love for his children: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” Believers are God’s children now, even though the world doesn’t understand or recognize them. Yet their identity carries a future promise: When Christ appears, they’ll see him as he is and will be like him.

This hope isn’t merely information about the future. John says that everyone who has this hope in Christ “purifies themselves, just as he is pure.” The prospect of seeing Christ and becoming like him motivates believers to pursue purity in the present.

In the verses ahead, John will continue to explain how being born of God is displayed in righteous living and love for fellow believers. But this passage first gives this foundation: Believers are deeply loved children of God, secure in their hope, and called to remain in Christ until the day they see him face to face.

Hope Brings Confidence and Holiness (1 John 2:28–29)

Christ will appear again. For those who belong to him, that future isn’t meant to produce panic, speculation, or fear. John presents Christ’s Second Coming as a powerful motivation to remain in him now, so that believers may meet him with confidence rather than shame. Luke, too, presents a sneak preview of the Lord Jesus’ return to earth (Luke 21:25–28).

John has examined several marks of genuine fellowship with God: walking in the light, obeying God’s commands, loving fellow believers, and remaining faithful to the truth about Jesus. These themes now lead naturally into John’s next emphasis — what it means to be born of God and to live as his children — which is highlighted in our next passage’s commentary.

John’s address, “dear children,” expresses pastoral affection. He’s not writing merely to win an argument; he wants believers to remain secure in Christ and prepared for his return. His command, “continue in him,” or “abide in him,” calls them to remain in the Son and in the apostolic truth they’d heard from the beginning.

The purpose of abiding is clear: “so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.” John includes himself in this hope by saying “we.” Confidence at Christ’s appearing isn’t based on sinless performance or self-confidence; it grows from remaining in Jesus, trusting his saving work, and living openly before him.

To be “unashamed” before Christ doesn’t mean believers will never grieve over sin or missed opportunities for obedience. Rather, John contrasts the confidence of those who remain in Christ with the shame that belongs to those who reject him and refuse his truth. The call isn’t to hide from Christ but to abide in him.

Verse 29 begins John’s fuller treatment of being born of God. Since Christ is righteous, those who’ve been born of God will increasingly reflect his righteous character in their conduct. John isn’t saying that people earn new birth by doing what is right. He’s saying that righteous living is evidence of having been born of God.

This is both searching and encouraging. Our conduct matters because it reveals the direction of our lives. But Christian righteousness isn’t self-manufactured. Those born of God are being shaped by the character of the righteous One. The call, then, is to remain in Christ and let his life be increasingly seen in ours.

Remember that John wrote these epistles at a very old age; he’s the last surviving apostle of his generation, maybe the last man alive who’d walked and talked with Jesus. (This “St. John in Exile” video presents John’s last few days most realistically.) Despite his old age, he expressed a tenderness to his children in the faith, gently telling them to stop sinning. His opening address suggests the loving affection that a pastor would have had for those church-body members of his who might have yielded to false teachings.

Father God’s Love for His Children (1 John 3:1–3)

John pauses in wonder at a truth that should never become ordinary to believers: The Father has loved us so greatly that he calls us his children. This isn’t merely a title or religious metaphor. Through faith in Christ, believers truly belong to God’s family.

The Father calls his believers his children, Jesus isn’t ashamed to call his people brothers and sisters, and the Holy Spirit testifies that believers are God’s children The whole work of God brings believers into his family.

It’s worth noting here that all three Triune members call us to be his children: Our Father in heaven says, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:18); Jesus calls us his brothers and sisters in “Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters” (Hebrews 2:11); and the Holy Spirit declares, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Rom. 8:16).

When John says, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us,” he calls us to stop and consider the astonishing character of God’s love. We didn’t earn adoption into God’s family through good works, religious effort, or moral achievement. God has graciously made those who trust in Christ his children.

John adds, “And that is what we are!” Believers don’t merely hope someday to become God’s children; they are his children now! This present identity is secure even though the world doesn’t recognize it. The world didn’t truly know God, and therefore it doesn’t understand those who belong to him.

Yet being God’s children includes a future hope. John admits that “what we will be has not yet been made known,” but he also gives a certain promise: When Christ appears, believers “shall be like him.” We don’t know every detail of that future transformation, but we know its center — we’ll see Christ as he is and be made like him.

This hope isn’t passive. John says that everyone who has this hope in Christ “purifies themselves, just as he is pure.” The promise of future transformation motivates present holiness. We don’t purify ourselves in order to become God’s children; we pursue purity because we already belong to the Father and look forward to seeing his Son.

The question, then, isn’t merely, “Would I feel embarrassed if Jesus returned today?” It’s also, “Am I living openly before him, trusting him, and allowing the hope of seeing him to shape my choices today?” Christ’s return is a source of confidence for those who abide in him, not a reason to hide from him.

John’s declaration is more than a comforting religious phrase: Through faith in Christ, believers truly are God’s beloved children. This identity doesn’t rise or fall with the world’s approval, our changing emotions, or our past failures. Henri Nouwen expressed this assurance memorably:

Closing Considerations (from Dr. Charles Stanley)

One of the saddest struggles a Christian can experience is difficulty receiving and resting in the Father’s love. First John 3:1 calls us to stop and consider the greatness of that love: Through Christ, God has made believers his children.

Our human relationships can distort our view of God. Because we’re imperfect people who’ve experienced imperfect love, we may expect God’s love to be conditional, unstable, or easily withdrawn. But the Father’s love isn’t like the changing affection of sinful human beings. His love is faithful, holy, and gracious.

Guilt can keep us from drawing near to God. When we sin, the shame that likely comes upon us may tempt every one of us to hide from the Father rather than directly confess to him our sin so we can effectively receive his forgiveness. Yet, believers don’t approach Father God on the basis of our worthiness. Instead, we come to him through Jesus Christ, whose saving work provides forgiveness and restoration.

Legalism can obscure grace. The Bible isn’t merely a list of rules by which we earn or preserve God’s acceptance. His commands instruct us, reveal his character, expose sin, and guide his children into life. Obedience doesn’t purchase the Father’s love; it’s a fitting response to the love he’s already shown in Christ.

God’s discipline is an expression of fatherly love. Hebrews teaches that the Lord disciplines those he loves — not to make them pay again for sins Christ has already borne, but to train them in righteousness and restore them to faithful living (Heb. 12:5–6).

Is guilt, fear, legalism, or a painful experience of human love making it difficult for you to rest in the Father’s love? Bring that burden honestly to God. Remember what John declares: Through faith in Christ, believers are truly God’s children, now and forever.

If you’ve never trusted Christ, come to him in faith right now. God receives all who trust in his Son, forgives their sins, and makes them his children. If you already belong to Christ, remain in him with confidence: Confess your sin, receive his grace, and let the hope of seeing him lead you into a purer and more faithful life.

† Summary and Key Points of 1 John 2:28–3:3

John calls believers to remain in Christ so they may meet him with confidence when he appears. Those who have been born of God are already his dearly loved children, though the world does not recognize them. Their certain hope is that they will see Christ as he is and be made like him; that future hope leads them to pursue purity now.

•  Remain in Christ (2:28). Abiding in him prepares believers to meet Christ with confidence rather than shame at his appearing.

•  Righteous living evidences new birth (2:29). Those who’ve been born of God increasingly reflect the righteous character of Christ in how they live.

•  God has lavishly loved believers as his children (3:1). Being called God’s children isn’t merely a future hope; it’s a present reality for those who belong to Christ.

•  The world does not recognize God’s children (3:1). The decisive issue is the confession that Jesus is the Christ; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

•  Christ’s appearing promises complete transformation (3:2–3). Believers will see Christ as he is and be made like him; this sure hope motivates a growing pursuit of purity today.

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