You can turn back in your Bibles to 1 John 2. Reminder that we're continuing our look at half, only half of verse 1 of chapter 3 of 1 John. Behold what manner of love. We want to read again the context because we will on our last point tonight be focusing on the purpose or the intent behind the call to marvel.
We see that set forth in the context. Let's read then 1 John 2, 24 to 1 John 3, 3. Once again, the word of the living and true God. Therefore, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning.
If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the son and in the father. And this is the promise that he has promised us eternal life. These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you.
But as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him. Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God.
Therefore, the world does not know us because it did not know him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure.
Amen. Well, let's again go to God in prayer for the preaching of the word. Heavenly Father, we rejoice now in this act of worship, again, the preaching of your word. We would ask yet again, Father, that you would help us in this act of worship, that you would be glorified in it, that you would give us supplies of the spirit, that preacher might have that aid that he requires, not resting upon his own strength, but upon yours. to preach your word, and Lord God, that you would be here with the ministry of the Holy Spirit, strengthening, edifying, and lifting up your people gathered here.
And for the end, Lord God, of the salvation of sinners, we pray that anyone outside of Christ here would be by you born again, that you would cause them to come from deadness to life, and to own our Savior, and to rejoice in your name. Yet again, Father, might everything that this church does tonight be done unto the praise of your most glorious name. And it is in Christ's name that we again pray. Amen.
Introduction
Well, a reminder, just a brief reminder of what we were looking at this morning, we're focusing in on verse one of 1st John 3. Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called the children of God. We noted this morning that we want to look at, and we have been looking at, and we will look at, the call to marvel, which is simply seen in the word behold. That is the call, the apostolic entreaty, to behold, to look at, to see, to understand, to arouse ourselves unto an astonishing exhilaration of what he would then write, which is simply the love of God manifested to Christians in making them sons of God, through Christ Jesus the Lord.
So we noted the call to marvel and the weight and the packaged meaning that we have in that word behold. We started to look secondly then at the content of the marveling. So in this beholding, in this marveling, in this arousing ourselves or prayerfully calling upon God by supplies of the Spirit to help us to be aroused unto an astonishing gaze at the love of God in making us children of God through Christ, what is the content of that marveling? We noted first off that it is divine love.
What manner of love? the Father has bestowed on us. Remember what we are saying or what that means. There are many understandings to the word manner, but hopefully you see here that it carries the meaning of sort of or type of. So what sort or what type of love the Father has bestowed on us?
We noted this morning that we can, in our human minds, understand a gradation of love We can say, perhaps sometimes foolishly, that we love certain things. We can legitimately and wholesomely say, though, that we love particular things, and we might even put them on a scale of the degree of love that we have towards these things. But you see, when the apostle is setting before us the love of God, when he is saying, behold what manner of love, he wants us to understand that this love and view, while knowable, is incomprehensible because it is God's love. Because it is the love that flows from the fountain of one who is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his love. whose love is not something that needs to be conjured up as he casts his eyes upon the goings-on of the world, but rather his love is always perfect, is always absolute, it is unchangeable, it is eternal, it is sovereign, it is holy.
All of those things that Pink brings out, the love of God is uninfluenced, eternal, sovereign, infinite, immutable, holy, gracious. And so, what manner, that is, what sort of, what type of love is this that we are to behold? Well, it is the love of God. We know the love of men and women to us, and our love to others.
But we know the love of God. While incomprehensible, we can know it because He has given us the Spirit of God in our hearts by which we cry out, Abba, Father. And we can know it because by His Spirit we have been made to know and to glory in the truths revealed in the Holy Scriptures, many of those truths containing those things of God's divine love towards fallen creatures, towards His people, towards sinners. So divine love is that first content, one of the first constituent elements of the marveling that we are to undertake as Christians and that the Apostle calls upon His recipients to engage in.
So
Divine Grace: Salvation as Gift
what is the second? We just introduced it this morning very briefly before we closed. The second aspect of the content of marveling is divine grace. We noted, remember, we see that in this phrase, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us.
You see, our sonship and our daughterhood The fact that we can be children of God, that is a divine gift. Hopefully that truth comes to welcome ears, because this is a non-negotiable of Christianity, that the salvific benefits of God come to us as gifts. We do not earn them. We do not merit them.
Not of works, lest anyone should boast. Our sonship and our daughterhood is not a result of what we have done to earn God's favor, but rather a God who is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His love, in His loving kindness and graciousness towards men, towards sinners, towards His elect. According to that and according to His good pleasure, God gifted us with this blessed reality that we can be called the children of God. It's a gift.
He bestowed it upon us. That language, brethren, ought to come to the hearts, ought to come to your souls, and it ought to warm them. It ought to cause them to rise up in mutiny against that cold languor and unthankfulness that can so often arise up in our hearts, to jettison thanklessness into oblivion. And we ought to be stirred up unto high thoughts of such a God who would gift us. with sonship and daughtership in the household of God.
What a blessed truth. This is something that we find all throughout the scriptures, isn't it? And particularly in view is the doctrine of adoption here. Remember what we noted this morning, the doctrine of adoption is connected to the crosswork of Christ.
Isn't every doctrine of salvation connected to the crosswork of Christ? We have that text in Galatians 4.4. When the fullness of the times had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem those who were under the law, that Paul follows that up with. that we might receive the adoption as sons, because we are not by nature the sons of God, are we? We are not by nature the sons and the daughters of God.
We are not by our own nature the children of God. We are, as the Bible sets forth, children of wrath when we're outside of Christ. You are of your father, the devil, Christ says, and the desires of your father you want to do. Ah, but you see, amazing grace comes.
And by God's grace, we're brought into his household and we're made children of God. This verse cries out to us and it says, rejoice in, praise God for his condescending grace. Rejoice in this God. Where else do we see this in the scriptures?
Turn with me because these passages are vital for our understanding of the gift nature of here of sonship, but also elsewhere of faith, repentance in all of these blessings of salvation. Turn with me to Philippians chapter one. Philippians chapter one to understand the gift nature of salvation in view in John in first John three, the doctrine of adoption here in Philippians one faith. That aspect of our Christianity, the faith we have, our believing.
It's a gift from God. Notice Philippians 1 verse 27. Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel. and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me." We noted this in our confession study in the morning at the point of repentance as a gift from God. equating it here with this text, belief or faith as a gift from God.
Notice here the primary point of the Apostle Paul is to stress that to the Philippian Christians God has granted the reality of suffering for Christ Jesus the Lord. And as a parallel, as another gift to sort of emphasize that reality, he says, or he writes, for to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him. So you see, believing, our faith, is not something conjured up in the native and natural oven of our own free will, but rather it is something that God from on high gifts to guilty sinners, His elect, His chosen ones, His people. He gives us, He grants us is the word.
We ought to see in this word grant, and in the word bestowed, we ought to see gracious gifting. In in those two words, God has graciously gifted us with childhood, with sonship and daughtership. What a blessed thing. What a blessed thing, knowing that we were once disobedient, that we were once children of wrath, just as the others, that we were once sons of our father, the devil doing his desires, that now we can be those who are the children of God.
You see, John is absolutely right. Not that the truth would lose any weight, not that the truth would lose any power if he didn't throw behold in there, but he puts behold in there. God superintending John's writing, an insertion of the word behold there, puts it there. So that we might, with that faith-filled gaze, look. with astonishment and exhilaration at such a glorious truth that we can be made the children of God.
It is a gift from on high. It's a gift.
Ephesians 2 and the Gift of Grace
Notice Ephesians 2. If you turn to Ephesians 2, now this is an address of scripture, brothers and sisters, that ought to be very well known to you, if not memorized. There is no doctrine of demanding the congregation memorize texts. But if there was, this would be one of those texts that you need to memorize.
Because what does it encapsulate? It encapsulates the amazing, condescending, and victorious grace of God and the gift nature of our salvation, which includes adoption, being made the children of God. Notice in Ephesians 2 at verse 8, having already talked about the grace of God in salvation, we read, These blessed words for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
It's at the same time a glorious verse that comes to the heart of the Christian and causes him to sing Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound. And it's also a nail in the coffin of any theology that would seek to exalt man in an economy of salvation. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is what?
The gift of God. He has bestowed on us. He has graciously gifted us, graciously given us the reality to be called the children of God. Ephesians 2, 8 to 10, brethren, memorize that verse if you can.
John 1 and 3: Given the Right
You see, turn with me to John chapter 3. Actually, first off, John chapter 1. Notice what we find in John 1 with regards to now. honing in on or narrowing our focus to childhood in God's household, being made the children of God. Remember, of course, this is John, the author of 1 John, the passage that we're focusing on this evening.
But notice in John 1, beginning in verse 10, speaking of Christ, he was in the world and the world was made through him and the world did not know him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." You see this blessed reality. First off, God gives us the right to become children of God.
Wrapped up in that, brethren, is the language of a legal bestowal. Those who previously could not and did not avail of the benefits of the householder now do by virtue of a right granted to them. The doctrine of adoption is in view. Those who once were not sons and daughters are now sons and daughters, and they have all rights and all titles to the blessed inheritances of the household owner.
We have been made to become children of God. We have been given the right to become children of God. And notice wherein lies the power, wherein lies the efficacy, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. You see, it's amazing grace, brethren.
It's amazing grace. You're preaching to the choir, preacher. I know, but we need to hear this constantly. It's amazing grace.
By grace are we saved, through faith in that not of ourselves. You see, we are to constantly rehearse these truths so that we might behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we can be called the children of God, a blessed reality. And in John 3, and this connects to our verse, because it has the language of love and it has the language of giving as well. Now, this verse certainly ought to be memorized, shouldn't it?
John 3, 16. John 3, 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. You know, we ought not to just skip past he gave there.
Because what do we have in view there again? We have a gracious gifting, we have a granting, we have a bestowal. God gifted the Son of His love. God gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe might not perish but have everlasting life.
There are some who would come to this passage and See something in verse 16 that touches upon the manner of love that we have in 1 John 3.1. Notice, for God so loved the world. We know that that isn't because the world was so lovable. You know, God looks down upon the children of men and he sees that they are only disobedient continually.
Wickedness is in their hearts. Hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? See, God didn't give His Son because we were so lovable, but after this manner, in this manner, God loved the world.
It's demonstrated in the giving of His Son, some would read this text. In what manner did God so love the world? He gave His Son, so that all the believing ones might not perish, but have everlasting life. We see that same thrust in 1 John 3, 1.
Behold what manner of love, God so loved the world. How? What manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we can be called the children of God? Again, it's connected to this.
It's connected to the giving of the Son. It's connected to His dying, His doing and His dying, and His rising again. By the efficacy, the power and perfection of the saving work of Christ, we can be called the children of God, and it is a blessed, divine, and gracious bestowal. Remember this.
I'm going to remind you of this long verse from Spurgeon. You've heard it before, but it touches upon this because we are to behold not the magnificence of our own doing and making ourselves children of God, but we are to behold the love, the grace of our God in making us children of God. This is Spurgeon. You'll remember this one or hopefully you do Spurgeon preaching on Luke 2, 14.
Remember what's going on there. The angels come and they announce the birth of the Savior. There is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. And they start to sing what Spurgeon calls the first Christmas carol, the first hymn of the incarnation.
Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, goodwill toward men at the birth of the Savior. Singing praises to God for this Redeemer who was born, Spurgeon writing and commenting on this, says, the angels were no Arminians. They sang glory to God in the highest. You see?
They believe in no doctrine which uncrowns Christ and puts the crown upon the heads of mortals. They believe in no system of faith which makes salvation dependent upon the creature, and which really gives the creature the praise. For what is it less than for a man to save himself if the whole dependence of salvation rests upon his own free will? No, my brethren, they may be some preachers that delight to preach a doctrine, that magnifies man, but in their gospel angels have no delight.
The only glad tidings that made the angels sing are those that put God first, God last, God midst, and God without end in the salvation of his creatures, and put the crown, holy and alone, upon the head of him that saves without a helper. Glory to God in the highest was the angels' song. You see how that touches upon our verse this evening? What manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called the children of God.
He's bestowed it upon us. Any religion that can come to that verse and envision some sort of strange reality where the scepter of sovereignty is not in the hand of the Redeemer, but it's in the hand of man. that man wields the scepter of his own destiny, that man wields the scepter of his own salvation, such notions need to be cast into oblivion, replaced with the reality that it is Christ who holds the scepter. It is Christ who has the diadem upon his head, the crown. It is Christ who is king, and in the matter of salvation, it is our God who makes us, our Christ who makes us sons and daughters.
Glorious. It is divine grace.
Divine Fatherhood: God as Father
What is the content of marveling? Divine love first, divine grace second, then thirdly, divine fatherhood. Moving back to 1 John 3, we have the content of marveling seen in divine love, divine grace, and of course, divine fatherhood. Because what do we read there?
We read, What manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God. We have God as our father. God is our father, as Jim has so often said when touching upon the fatherhood of God. You know, some of us may not have good earthly fathers.
That tends to happen. I have a wonderful father, the best man that I know. You see, some don't have a good father. And yet, as a Christian, we have our Heavenly Father.
He never fails us, never leaves us. He's immutable. He's unchangeable. He's infinite, eternal, and unchangeable.
In all those glorious perfections, we have a Father. Brothers and sisters, in Heaven, who has made us His children. those who were heirs of sin and death, those who were heirs of the guilt and the condemnation of sin, and yet He pulled us from out of the hole of the pit, and He thrusted us from out of that stone, made us His children. What a glorious thing. Brethren, you're a Christian here tonight, you were dead in your trespasses and in your sins, wholly abandoned to iniquity. wholly abandoned to sinful lifestyle, wholly abandoned to everything contrary to God.
He had no interest in this glorious one, and yet that glorious one came upon the wings of amazing grace, made you his child. What a glorious thing. Brethren, behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us. We can be called the children of God.
The astonishment comes. The amazement comes, the marveling comes at two points. First, because we are not children by nature. You see, behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God.
That is to astonish and exhilarate us because of the fact that we are not by nature his children.
Fatherhood of God Distinguished
You know, there is a text in, I believe, Acts 17. that can be misunderstood with regards to the fatherhood of God. Bear with me one moment. It's where it speaks of, quoting a heathen actually, it speaks that we are all his offspring, verse 28. For in him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, for we are also his offspring.
Some see in that some sort of idea that every man and woman, boy and girl by nature, are the children of God. Well, this text is to be seen in its context where Paul is trying to exhort them that they have a knowledge of God by virtue of general revelation. Therefore, the one whom you worship without knowing him I proclaim to you. They were worshiping in vain.
Yet there is this idea among them with regards to one, the unknown God, who has mastery, who has ownership of creation, of whom we are all his offspring. But you see, not in that redemptive sense. There is this sense where we can speak of the fatherhood of God, the Bible though rarely does, where he is the father of all his creation. He is the originator of all those who are his image bearers.
In that sense, we are His offspring. But you see, when it comes to the fatherhood of God and the sonship and the daughterhood of His people, it's always and only at the point of that very thing, His people. It is only those who have been saved by amazing grace who are the children of God. Because, and again, we are by nature children of wrath, children of our Father the Devil, yet God in His grace, God in His mercy, and God in His love has condescended to pull us from out of the madness of our sin, out of the madness of our childhood to wrath and the devil, has made us household members, made us members of the household of God.
Members of God's Household
Turn to the book of Ephesians with me, if you will. Again, Raymond has said that Ephesians is Paul's treatise on the doctrine of adoption. And what we have here is a wonderful reality, a wonderful package of verses speaking to the fact that we are members of the household of God. Notice Ephesians 2 verse 19, now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners. but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." What does this follow on the heels of, but that which we had already read?
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. He talks about Jew and Gentile being made one new man in Christ Jesus. And then he says, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but citizens. You see, we're citizens of heaven.
We were once strangers and foreigners, but we've now been brought in by the grace of God. And then he gets to adoption, to fatherhood, and our sonship and daughterhood to our father when he writes that we are members of the household of God. What a glorious reality. And brethren, you see, we need to see a blessed contrast here.
The benefits that we have is the children of God versus the inheritance that those who are the children of wrath and the children of the devil will gain in that great and final day. What is the lot? What is the lot of those who are not members of the household of God, but rather are the children of wrath? Their lot, their inheritance is to be cast into the lake of fire reserved for the devil and his angels.
There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. There will be nothing but loss and darkness and torment. What a horrible thing to be a child of wrath. Why would you want to pursue after that household that has that inheritance?
By grace, brothers and sisters, we're members of the household of God and the inheritances that we have, the spiritual blessings that we have in Christ Jesus, we only need visit. Ephesians 1, to see what we have. The electing grace of the Father, the redeeming power of the Son, and the sealing and the guaranteeing efficacy of the Holy Spirit, and all of those blessed benefits. Romans 8, 28 to 30.
Those whom he called, these he also justified. Those whom he justified, these he also glorified. All of those blessings of salvation. What an inheritance we have. in Christ Jesus, in being members of the household of God.
A great list of those benefits is given in 1 Peter. In 1 Peter, in something of a text that is very close to the Apostle Paul's doxology, in Ephesians 1, we read in 1 Peter 1.3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope. through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Glorious reality that we have as members of the household of God. What a wonderful thing.
You see, how mad and how false is the notion that we need to be about the inheritances of physical things. You know, we like to heap up to ourselves corruptible things and things which are defiled. Gold and silver are corruptible things. But the precious blood of Jesus Christ takes away the sins of His people.
It's blessed. Notice what we have later in 1 Peter 1. 17, and if you call on the Father who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct, received by tradition from your Father's, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times for you, a blessed thing. You see, if you're here today and you're not a Christian, there is nothing in earthly inheritance.
That doesn't mean to, you know, turn your nose and to shun if your father and your mother rightly and wholesomely leave you some dough, some loot, some property. It doesn't mean, you know, throw it away and give it away and go live on the streets. But you see, if we're all about gaining physical pleasures, if we're all about following after earthly pleasures, if our pursuit of earthly things chokes away, again, the only thing that is worthy of infinite and eternal value, the precious blood of Christ and the inheritance given us by God, given to his people by God. What a colossal folly of a pursuit is seeking after earthly things when we can have those blessed things of eternal value, the inheritance given to us by our Father.
Divine love, divine grace, divine fatherhood. We are brought into the household of God.
The Intent Behind the Call to Marvel
Lastly and finally then, we've noted the call to marvel seen and behold. We've noted the content of the marveling seen in what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God. And lastly, the intent behind the call to marvel, what is it? What is the intent behind this call to marvel?
Well, let's turn back to 1 John 3 to notice what it is. We want to look at two things in the intent behind the call to marvel. The intent behind the call to marvel is for the simple purposes of a general call to marvel. Right?
The apostle calls upon his audience to behold so that they might do what? So that they might behold. Generally and largely, brothers and sisters, the apostles set before us such verses so that we will take our minds off of other things and again be wholly and alone focused, solely and alone focused upon the blessings of God delivered to us graciously through Christ Jesus, our Lord. The intent behind the call to marvel is first so that Christians would marvel.
Brethren, brothers and sisters, so that we would be aroused unto an astonishment, an astonishing, a wondering after the things of God so graciously given to us. You see, the stuff of the Bible, if you're, you know, when you read the newspaper and you're sitting in a chair and, you know, you got your leg crossed there, you got your green tea or your, you know, chamomile tea or whatever you have next to you and you're, you know, You're just kind of, you're chilling there and you're casually sipping your coffee and you're reading some stuff in the news. When you come to a reading of your Bibles, when you come to a consideration of our glorious triune God, our blessed savior, the riches and the excellencies of his saving and redeeming work, these are not the things of newspaper reading. We should never really marvel and be astonished in the same way ever, even remotely, after the things of this lower world.
Current events aren't to arouse in us this Christian astonishment, but rather the revelation of such a God, of such a Christ, and of such a salvation is to cause us to uncross the legs, to put down the teeth, and to fall on our faces as dead men before such a glorious God and such a glorious truth. We are to be astonished. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called the children of God comes as a simple and general call to marvel after your God, to behold your God. Hopefully the preacher helps with that on Sunday in a small and in a fallible and in a cracked pot way.
Facilitates your Christian marveling after such a God and such a Christ. But pick up your Bible as well right throughout the week. Page after page, chapter after chapter, sets forth the Christ crucified upon Calvary's tree for the salvation of his people. Open up your Bibles and marvel after.
Behold your God. Behold his Christ and behold his salvation. Rejoice. Turn that frown into a crescenting smile.
Rejoice in your God. Sing the praises of amazing and victorious grace.
Arousing Steadfastness in the Christian Walk
Second, however. The intent behind the call to marvel is to arouse steadfastness in our Christian walk. It is to arouse a steadfastness and earnest marching in our Christian walk. Notice what proceeds.
Behold, what manner of love? We already read it in 1 John 2, 24. Therefore, let that abide in you, which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the son and in the father.
And this is the promise that he has promised us eternal life. These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from him abides in you. And you do not need that anyone teach you.
But as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true. and is not a lie. And just as it has taught you, you will abide in him. Now notice it comes to more of a focal point with regards to the intent behind this call to marvel. And now little children abide in him that when he appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of him. Now, this verse is actually quite helpful to dispel any notions and bad interpretations of another verse in 1 John.
1 John 5:1 and the New Birth
Notice in verse 1 of 1 John 5, whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Now, there are opponents of Calvinism, opponents of Reformed theology, opponents of the doctrines of grace who will say, Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. You see, one must believe the gospel before God can bring them forth from above, before God can birth them from above. One must believe to be made by God, a child of God.
Well, we come and we have the same language in 1 John 2.29. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of him. So if you want to say that our believing merits you God's gracious bestowal of childhood, of sonship, then you have to say that good works merit salvation because it says right here. Everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.
What's the idea then? Because that's nonsense. What's the idea then? Everyone who is born of God believes that Jesus is the Christ.
So when we read whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, that's simply to say those who are born of God demonstrate that reality in that they believe that Jesus is the Christ, that He really did come in the flesh. If there are those who are Antichrist, who deny that Jesus has come in the flesh, then they're not born of Him. And so we get back to 1 John 2.29, and we read, if you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him. What does this mean then?
It means, brethren, as children of God, we are to practice righteousness. Isn't it? The born again of God don't continue in sin. The born again of God do not abide in iniquity.
The born again of God, though they will have remaining corruption that we need to put to death, living unto righteousness. But nevertheless, those who are born of God will practice righteousness. We will no longer abide in the committing of sin and in iniquity. We will stumble, we will fall, we will sin.
But it is not our common course now because we have been made anew. by the power and the grace of God to walk after newness of life, to endeavor after obedience. We are to endeavor after obedience, brethren.
Justification and the Necessity of Good Works
The doctrine of justification by faith alone, the doctrine that we are not saved by works, but solely and alone by the grace and the faith of God does not militate against the doing of good works. Notice what we have after. Verse 1 of 1 John 3, 1. Of 1 John 3.
Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in himself purifies him, or excuse me, and everyone who has this hope, not in himself, and everyone who has this hope in him, Purifies himself just as he is pure. So you see this call to marvel comes as an exhortation unto practical godliness The children of God are to act as members of the household of God We have this brought forth again in Ephesians that book that is If we believe Raymond and it's okay to do so at this point a treatise on the doctrine of adoption We have this language in in Ephesians 5 therefore be imitators of God as Dear children and walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given himself For us and offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma We're to be imitators of God.
We can't be God we can never be and we never will be infinite eternal and unchangeable and all of his perfections and But we are to be imitators of him after his righteousness, after his holiness, and after his justice. We are to be doers of good. We are to be, as Paul writes to Titus, zealous for good works, brethren. Zealous for good works.
You see, the Protestant Christian is not what Rome says we are, the deniers of the necessity of good works. Heaven forbid. We maintain most certainly against those Romish errors of justification, that justification is solely and alone by the grace of God, wherein He makes us, wherein He imputes us, imputes the righteousness of Christ to us. We receive it by faith alone.
We're justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Our righteousness is not our own, it is Christ's given to us, imputed to us, received by faith. But what do we do? We endeavor after, in newness of life, obedience and good works so that we might adorn the gospel, so that we might decorate the gospel ornamented so that we might not have heathens, pagans, unbelievers blaspheme the word of God and speak ill of the gospel when we do all manner of sin in this lower world.
Christians, we are to love the gospel and love the law of God. That's the report in the book of Revelation. John repeats, who are Christians or how are Christians identified? Those who love the gospel of Christ and who do the commandments of God.
We do not do the commandments of God in order to merit salvation. We've already noted that for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. But brethren, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel is what Paul says in first in Philippians 127.
We are to. be cheerfully obedient unto the law of God in the doing of our good works. The law of God comes to us, and it no longer comes to us with the thunderings of Sinai, but it comes to us with the grace and the mercy and the love of Calvary. It comes to us with this blessed reality that we do it in a cheerful compliance, because we love our God, we love His Christ, and we have beheld what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God. We are too.
This call to marvel is to arouse steadfastness in our Christian walk.
Calvin on Adoption and Purity
Calvin on this. For it was not common honor, he says, that the heavenly Father bestowed on us when he adopted us as his children. This being so great a favor, the desire for purity ought to be kindled in us. so as to be conformed to his image. Nor indeed can it be otherwise, but that he who acknowledges himself to be one of God's children should purify himself.
And to make this exhortation more forcible, he amplifies the favor of God for when he says that love has been bestowed, he means that it is from mere bounty and benevolence that God makes us his children. So you see, this behold comes, brethren, and it's to arouse us unto the doing of good works for the honor of God, for the glory of the gospel, and to adorn that saving work of Christ, which such things as are acceptable in the sight of God. So brethren, when we pray in our time of prayer, God, give us your spirit that we might conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel, we mean that. You are to be nodding and affirming when we pray that.
You don't have to do it physically, but hopefully you're with us when we pray that. Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. Paul says, whether I am with you or am absent, that I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving for the faith of the gospel. When we have this given to us, this behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, when it is seen as in its intent to arouse steadfastness in the Christian walk, we might even say that that is twofold.
Not we might even say, we need to say that that is twofold. That we are to have proper doctrine and that we are to have proper practice. Because in view are these who are anti-Christ, who are denying that Christ had come in the flesh. We are to abide in Him after the doctrine of Christ, that He truly has come and taken to Himself man's nature, with all the essential properties and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin.
He is not a specter, He is not a phantom, for if He was, so is His salvation. No, He came in the flesh. He truly did come. We are to have proper doctrine.
We are to know our God, we are to know his Christ, we are to know what the Bible says with regards to those blessed, hand-gripping doctrines that we must not let go, but we must hold with apologetic vigor, joyful in Christian strength. You see, we are to as well walk in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. We are to know and we are to do. Neither of these in order to be saved, but because we have been saved.
We are to endeavor after a full and unabridged knowledge of our God and of his Christ. And we are to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. We are to follow after his commandments in cheerful compliance, knowing again, brethren, that that brings honor and glory to God and it adorns the gospel.
Final Exhortations and the Means of Grace
Well, finally, brethren, we already noted these things this morning. It's the first time I've gone through a glass of water. I don't need another one, that's okay. We're almost finished.
Noted this morning, a Christian, behold your God. Won't need to spend as much time saying that again, but hopefully that's clear. Behold, marvel after your God, brothers and sisters, because what a God we have. What a God we have.
We don't have the God of the pagans who have to be lifted up and nailed down with nails so that they won't topple over. We have a God who is spirit. infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in all of his excellencies and perfections, who is uninfluenced, eternal, sovereign, infinite, immutable, holy, and gracious in his love. We have a God who sent such a Christ into this lower world, sinners to save. We have such a gospel.
Behold your God, brethren. Marvel, be astonished, be exhilarated. So one man has said with regards to the doctrine of God, We're not to embrace or endeavor after a theology proper in some cold and detached way. Doctrine of God is to exhilarate us.
Open up our Bibles and we learn of this God and we're to be exhilarated. What a God and what a Christ and what a gospel. And brethren, we are to be such who seek after steadfastness in the Christian walk. prayerfully, how do we do this? How do we do this?
How do we be steadfast in the Christian walk? We do what God has ordained for our own good, for our growth as Christians. There's a couple of good places in our confession that summarize the biblical data. Chapter 14, paragraph one, for example, the doctrine of worship, the doctrine of the sacraments.
There are those means that God has ordained for our good, and our growth as Christians so that we might facilitate by supplies of the spirit a steadfastness in our Christian walk, the worship of God in his gathered church. We come to church so that we might behold our God and so that we might grow after the manner of endeavoring in obedience in our Christian walk. We are to pray. We are to read the scriptures.
We are to be baptized. We are to take the Lord's Supper. And other means ordained by God for our growth in faith. You know, it's not, as we've noted before, it really isn't brain science.
Well, how do I do this whole Christian thing? How do I, how do I grow? It's been said before, if someone was to come to their personal trainer, you know, a trainer has been, you know, training someone to lose weight, exercise, gain strength, be healthy, that sort of thing. The person that he's been training comes to them and says, you know what, man, I'm just, it's just not working.
I just, you know, I'm not seeing any changes. I'm not seeing any, I'm still unhealthy. And the trainer said, well, you know, have you been eating good? No, not really.
Have you been, have you been exercising? Have you been picking up those weights and doing what I taught? No. Yeah, I'm really struggling.
Have you been doing it? No. Have you been doing this? No.
Brethren, Come to church, read your Bibles, pray. If you've been baptized, take the Lord's Supper. If you haven't been baptized and you're a believer, come talk to us and get baptized. Brethren, avail of those means that God has ordained to grow in your Christian walk and prayerfully seek to conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel.
Kids, what does it look like to be a Christian? Brothers and sisters, what does it look like to be a Christian? You believe in Christ and you have the doctrine of Christ. You seek with newness of life to endeavor after obedience, growing in the grace and in the knowledge of Christ Jesus, the Lord.
You conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of that gospel that you have and do believe, that you have believed and that you do believe. If you don't know Christ tonight, you're an unbeliever. If you haven't come to know our blessed Savior, Remember, you might not have been here this morning, but remember those words, behold, today is the acceptable time. Behold, today is the day of salvation.
Don't tarry, don't wait, don't dangle, don't put off. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. We said earlier, the inheritance, the lot of those who do not believe in the Savior is an eternity of torment. It's not unconscious.
It's a conscious eternity of torment. The lake of fire reserved for the devil and his angels. And that is just. And that is holy.
Because our God is just. Eternally so. And holy. Eternally so.
You see, you need to come to grips by the grace of God with the reality of what sin deserves. And that by that same grace you would flee to the cross and to our Christ and find in him salvation. and an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. We rejoice in this simple half of a verse that we focused on this morning and this evening, 1 John 3.1. We pray that you would help us to behold you. We pray that you would help us to marvel in our Christ.
We pray that you would help us to be astonished after the Spirit applying the benefits of Christ's cross work, that we would rejoice in the gospel, Lord God, and that you would help us to avail of those means that you have ordained for our good and for your glory, that you would instill in us and maintain in us a church-attending ethic. We would seek to come in here with joyful hearts to worship with our fellow brothers and sisters. bring you honor, bring you praise, that we would come to you in prayer, that we would read your word and avail of it, that we would avail of those other means, baptism in the Lord's Supper, and all those other means ordained by you that we might grow in our faith. Help us in this, and we do pray that you would help us to walk in obedience in this lower world. We know that we are not saved by our obedience, but having been saved by grace through faith in Christ, we do pray that you would help us by your spirit to walk in newness of life, that we would walk after obedience, that we would be in cheerful compliance after your law.
We would seek to do those things that are holy in your sight. Go with us now, Lord. Help us help all those who are unable to join us. Be with them.
Be with those traveling. We pray that you would watch over your saints, not only from our church, but around the world, strengthening them daily, and that you would add new saints, by amazing grace, to your earthly fold. And we pray in Christ's precious name. Amen.