Lavish Love, Life & Lasting
Have you ever confused self-discovery with soul identity? What if freedom without truth is not freedom at all? What if truth, not feelings, is the real path to freedom? And what if the love you’ve been running toward has already found you? And how would your life change if you truly believed you are already fully loved?
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
-1 John 3:1–7 (NIV)
A Spiritual Redefinition
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us.” John begins this passage not with a command but with an astonished declaration. The word “lavished” paints a picture of abundance, love poured out without restraint or reservation. In the first-century Roman world, worth was determined by family name, social class, or achievement. To be called a child of God was revolutionary. It was a spiritual redefinition that broke social boundaries and announced that belonging was not achieved but received.
That truth still challenges the culture around us. We live in a world that measures value through appearance, influence, and success. Yet John’s message interrupts that mindset. You do not have to earn what has already been given. The love of God is not an award for performance but an inheritance for His children. You are already known, already chosen, already called a child of God.
Mystery and Promise
John continues, “Now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.” This is both mystery and promise. The early believers were often persecuted and misunderstood, and John reminded them that their present situation did not define their eternal identity. Transformation was still unfolding. Today, we live in a time that demands instant results. We want fast success, quick healing, and overnight change. But God’s work in us happens through process and patience. The Spirit shapes us quietly, steadily, and purposefully. You may not see all that God is doing, but He is not finished with you yet.
John writes, “All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” In his time, purity meant being set apart, not being flawless. The Greco-Roman world celebrated indulgence and moral compromise, but John called believers to live differently. This call is still relevant today. Our culture encourages people to do what feels right, but Scripture calls us to what is true. Purity is not about legalism but alignment with the heart of God. When we know that we are fully loved, sin loses its power because it cannot offer what Christ already provides.
John warns, “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.” This is not a harsh condemnation but a serious reminder. In his time, false teachers claimed to follow Jesus while living however they wanted. John calls that deception. The same temptation exists today, where freedom is often defined as doing whatever feels good. But real freedom is not the right to do anything we want. It is the power to live as we were created to live.
He concludes, “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.” Righteousness is resistance to spiritual drift. To live rightly in a wrong world is to quietly rebel against everything that dulls the soul.
This passage is not about perfection but about proximity. “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.” The closer we walk with Jesus, the less our old life fits. It is not about living sinlessly but living surrendered. You are not who you were, and you are not yet who you will be, but you are fully His.
DID YOU KNOW?
When John wrote this letter, the early church was under serious pressure. Believers were being pulled in different directions by false teachers who claimed that sin did not matter and that spiritual knowledge alone was enough for salvation. Some of these teachers followed a philosophy later called Gnosticism, which taught that what you believed in your mind was more important than how you lived.
In that setting, John’s message was bold and countercultural. He reminded the church that love, purity, and righteousness were not optional. They were visible evidence of truly knowing God. In a world that prized power, performance, and social rank, John declared that real identity was found in being children of God.
That truth was radical. In a society where your name, wealth, and family background determined your worth, John told ordinary people that they were part of God’s royal family. This message tore down social walls and offered belonging to anyone who believed in Jesus.
The same struggle exists today. Our culture still pushes us to define ourselves by success, image, and popularity. John’s words speak just as clearly now as they did centuries ago. You are already loved, already chosen, and already called a child of God. The world may not understand that identity, but heaven does.
So just remember, in a society that prizes self-expression but starves for real transformation, John’s words are both for then and now. You are loved, you are becoming, and you are being made like Him. You do not have to chase love that is already pursuing you. The Father’s affection is not a favor to earn but a foundation to live from. That is not just theology. That is freedom.
