1 John 3:1-3 tells of the Sonship of Believers.
"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. Vs. 1 "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. Vs. 2 "And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is  pure." Vs. 3

We have looked into different areas relating to our being children of God, now let's see how Scripture opens up each of these verses to us.  Today we'll look at three parts of verse 1. (Though brief,  I hope it will encourage a deeper study for all of us.)  We are told to 'Behold': view attentively, contemplate, it's a careful and deliberate vision. It is more than just to see.

Vs. 1
*'what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us':
"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." John 3:16

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you he been saved). Ephesians 2:4-5

*'that we should be called children of God':
"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." John 1:12-13

"For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba Father.'"
Romans 8:15

2 Corinthians 6:18 says,
"I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." (Read Vs. 14-18 it is Paul's appeal to the Corinthians to separate from unbelievers.)

Galatians 4:4-6 tells us,
"But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!"

*'Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.':
Speaking of the world's ignorance of both God the Father and God the Son we
see:
Jesus speaking in John 16:3,
"And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me."

"He (Christ Jesus) was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him." John 1:10 (My parenthesis)

To the woman at the well,
"Jesus answered and said to her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.'" John 4:10

"Then they said to Him, 'Where is our Father?' Jesus answered, 'You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also." John 8:19

Oh, the grace of God, that He has called us unto Himself in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. "But God" two of my favorite words are put together in Ephesians 2:4-5 above with 'by grace you have been saved'! Hallelujah! How awesome that God, the Creator of everything is our Abba, Father.

We adore and worship You most Holy God. With humble and grateful hearts we say, "Thank You!" Amen