Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1934
“Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” 1 John 3:1
So far we keep to our Authorized Version. Now read the Revised Version, and note the words added— “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God: and such we are.”
DEAR friends, the most of my text will be found in our Old Version, but for once I shall ask you to look elsewhere for a part of it. A genuine fragment of Inspired Scripture has been dropped by our older translators and it is too precious to be lost. Did not our Lord say, “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost”? The half lost portion of our text is restored to us in the Revised Version. Never did a translation of the New Testament fail more completely than this Revised Version has done as a book for general reading, but as an assistant to the student, it deserves honorable mention, despite its faults! It exhibits, here and there, special beauties and has, no doubt, in certain places, brought into notice words of sacred Scripture which had fallen out. We have a notable instance in my present text. Turn to the First Epistle of John, the third chapter, at the first verse—
The word “such” is not in the original. We therefore leave it out and then we get the words—AND WE ARE. There are only two words in the Greek—“and we are.” That the addition is correct I have not the slightest doubt. Those authorities upon which we depend—those manuscripts which are best worthy of notice—have these words and they are to be found in the Vulgate, the Alexandrian and several other versions. They ought never to have dropped out. In the judgment of the most learned and those best to be relied on, these are veritable words of Inspiration. So far as doctrine is concerned, it does not matter, much, whether they are or are not in the original text because we get the same words farther on. “Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that if He shall be manifested, we shall be like He; for we shall see Him even as He is.”
The point that struck me as being most worthy of notice was that when the Apostle had said, “We shall be called children of God,” he then adds—We are not only to be called so, but we are so. The glory of it is that we now have this thing. We have it in possession—“and we are.” This little interjected assertion, “and we are,” brings most forcibly before my own mind the truth of our present sonship towards God—“That we should be called children of God: and we are.”
Let me now introduce to you my text as I mean to preach from it—
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God: and we are.”
Our text begins with the exclamation “Behold.” This word, “Behold,” is a word of wonder. John had lived among wonders. John’s life, from the time of his conversion, was a life of wonders, not only in what he saw with his natural eyes, but in all the sights that the Lord gave him to see with his spiritual eyes when He appeared to him in “the isle which is called Patmos.” His life was crowned with wonders in his memorable escape from martyrdom, when, according to tradition he was cast into a caldron of boiling oil, but came out unharmed—his Master having determined that he was not by martyrdom to glorify His name. If ever there was a Seer among men to whom wonders became common things, it was John! Yet as he wrote this heavenly Epistle, he could not help bursting out in exclamations of amazement such as do not generally come from writers so much as from speakers—“Behold,” he says, “Behold, what manner of love!”
I believe, my Brothers and Sisters, that if we realized the truth of our own adoption into the family of God, we would never leave off marveling at it. That any man of mortal race should become a child of God might astound us, but that we, ourselves, should be such should amaze us beyond degree! We ought to cry, “Behold! Behold!” Let us begin to talk of it now, for we shall never cease to speak of it when we reach the New Jerusalem. Our regeneration and adoption are complex miracles of Grace—a cluster of wonders condensed into one. It would seem too good to be true if the Lord, Himself, had not revealed it! We will call upon angels, principalities and powers and say to them with delighted wonder, “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us.” Admire, O sanctified intelligences, that God should do this for unworthy sons of Adam!—
“Behold what wondrous Grace
The Father has bestowed
On sinners of a mortal race
To call them sons of God!”
But this, “Behold,” is also a note of instruction. It is as if the man of God said, “Stand still and consider the extraordinary love of God.” Do not speak of it, for some of these things slip glibly from the tongue. No, rather sit down and ponder, and weigh, and mark and behold! Behold, what manner of love. Here, take your glass and look at it microscopically. Study it. Wonder at it. Study it with every faculty concentrated upon it, for you shall find new excellences in it every time you look into it. “Behold, what manner of love”—the very manner of it is exceedingly sublime and adorable! Do not merely glance and go your way, but stop and rest and pry into this secret, comparing this love with all other loves, and the manner of it with the manner of men. Come here and dig where there are nuggets of pure gold to reward every moment of your industry! Here sink your shafts and go into the depths to bring up this priceless treasure. Behold— read, mark, learn, inwardly digest and still behold again! Look, and look, and look on—for there will be no end to the discoveries you will make. When you have looked, remember that you have not been gazing upon a mere appearance, but have beheld an actual fact—“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God.” When you have beheld this, then look again and behold with equal admiration that it is no supposition, or fancy, or romance—the Lord calls us children—“and we are’”