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1 John 3:1

约翰一书 3:1

The Passage

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn't know us, because it didn't know him.

In the other language

你看父赐给我们是何等的慈爱，使我们得称为神的儿女；我们也真是他的儿女。世人所以不认识我们，是因未曾认识他。

Theme

Children of God

Bring a question to this passage

Many readers arrive here from a real question. These are reflections for how this passage speaks to the questions people bring most often — not an answer about what will happen, but an invitation to sit with it slowly.

How do I face this season of pressure at work?

Your job may give you a title, a rating, or a reputation, but this passage names a different belonging: children of God. It does not explain how to handle your particular workload; it asks you to see the greatness of the Father's love. That invitation can make room to consider who you are beyond what others recognize or reward. The verse also acknowledges that this belonging is not always understood by the world. You need not dismiss feedback or avoid responsibility to remember that workplace approval is not your deepest identity. This passage does not explain how to manage your workload. In what way might being called a child of God change how you hold the weight of workplace approval?

Carry thisYour deepest belonging is not a workplace evaluation.

Other passages for this questionGenesis 1:26-28 · Isaiah 41:10 · 1 Corinthians 7:3-4

I want to learn to love better in this relationship.

The invitation to see the Father's love comes before any description of what you should accomplish. This passage does not give relationship advice directly, but it offers an identity to contemplate: those who receive this love are called children of God. When you want to love better, insecurity can make another person's approval feel like the measure of your worth. Here, belonging rests in the Father's gift, not in being understood by everyone. That does not make another person's feelings unimportant. It leaves room to hear them without asking their response to establish who you are. This passage does not give relationship advice directly. In what way might receiving the Father's love help you listen without needing the other person's approval to secure your worth?

Carry thisYour worth is not measured by another person's approval.

Other passages for this questionGenesis 1:26-28 · Isaiah 41:10 · 1 Corinthians 7:3-4

What do I need to let go of in the coming weeks?

Being called a child of God is presented here as a gift of the Father's great love. The passage also acknowledges that the world may not recognize this belonging. As you ask what to let go of, it invites you to notice the burden of needing everyone else to understand or approve of who you are. That is different from refusing feedback or withdrawing from relationships. You can remain open to others without making their recognition the foundation of your worth. The name this passage offers is received through love, not secured through applause. Whose approval have you been treating as necessary for your belonging?

Carry thisBelonging to God is a gift, not public approval.

Other passages for this questionGenesis 1:26-28 · Isaiah 41:10 · 1 Corinthians 7:3-4

How can I find stillness in a busy life?

Stillness can feel far away when your day is crowded with demands. This passage does not tell you how to quiet a busy life, but it offers a place to rest: you are loved as God's child. Before you finish a task or meet another expectation, that love is already given. You do not have to earn your belonging by keeping everything together. For a moment, let your attention settle on the Father's love rather than on what remains undone. Even if your surroundings stay noisy, you can pause without needing to prove your worth. The invitation to rest in this love: what might receiving it look like in one small pause today?

Carry thisBeing called God's child is not a task to complete.

Other passages for this questionGenesis 1:26-28 · Isaiah 41:10 · 1 Corinthians 7:3-4

Have a different question?

Write what you are actually carrying right now, and Lectio will answer it with this passage — 1 John 3:1.

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1 John 3 — in context

1See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him.

2Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet revealed what we will be. But we know that, when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is.

3Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure.

4Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness.

5You know that he was revealed to take away our sins, and in him is no sin.

6Whoever remains in him doesn’t sin. Whoever sins hasn’t seen him, neither knows him.

7Little children, let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

More from 1 John

Related topics

The Love of GodGrace and Salvation

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