MEN AND NOT BOYS

MEN AND NOT BOYS ARE THE SONS

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” 1 John 3:1

We can be called “sons of God” because we have been “created in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:10), and are thus “new creatures” in Him (2 Cor. 5:17). Only those specially created by God (e.g., Adam and the angels—(Luke 3:38; Job 38:7) can properly be called “sons of God.” In the last three chapters of this epistle, those who have been thus uniquely “born of God” are said to “not commit sin” (1 John 3:9), “love one another” (1 John 4:7), “believeth that Jesus is the Christ” (1 John 5:1), “overcometh the world” (1 John 5:4), and “keepeth himself” (1 John 5:18).

The matter of importance here is not the English word but the Greek word of which it is a translation. The Greek word in English letters which is translated manner is the word <potapos>, which really means "whatever," but always in the interrogatory form, that is, in the form of a question, so that what John really meant here was this, "Behold, whatever love is this that the Father hath bestowed on us?" It is as though he said, "What possible sort of love is this?" It is an exclamation of wonder and excitement. That is the real value of this word "manner."