If God is your Father, then your identity is secure before your behavior catches up. Knowing you are His child changes your motives for obedience, your response to failure, your view of others, and your hope for the future. You do not obey to become accepted; you obey because you already are.
Not a summary of these passages: the passages themselves. Read them, then come back to the study below.
The study
What the Scripture says
1
Your identity comes before your performance
John opens with the staggering statement: 'See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!' Notice the sequence: we are His children, and that is the foundation. Our obedience flows from our identity, not the other way around.
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.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.
And by this we know that we are of the truth, and persuade our hearts before him,And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
Paul writes that the Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. He gives us the instinct to cry 'Abba, Father,' the intimate address of a child who trusts their parent. This is not wishful thinking; it is the Spirit's own witness in your heart.
For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God;For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
And because you are children, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
A slave obeys out of fear; a child obeys out of love. Jesus said, 'If you love me, keep my commandments.' The Christian life is not a rigid checklist to earn God's approval; it is the natural response of someone who knows they are loved and wants to live like it.
If you love me, keep my commandments.If ye love me, keep my commandments.
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous.For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
When a child stumbles, the father does not disown them. John writes, 'If anyone sins, we have a Counselor with the Father.' Paul asks, 'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?' Nothing can. Your failures are real, but they are not the final word about you.
My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a Counselor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Even as it is written, “For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Like a father has compassion on his children, so Yahweh has compassion on those who fear him.Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
If God is your Father, then every other believer is your brother or sister. John says, 'Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another.' The family identity produces family behavior: humility, forgiveness, and a willingness to serve.
Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another.Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him, how does the love of God remain in him? My little children, let’s not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
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.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.
For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God;For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
And because you are children, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” So you are no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.