“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.”
the Father has bestowed on us,
The Father bestowed His love on us in the past with the result that it continues with us (perfect tense). We experienced God’s love at salvation as a permanent possession.
The word “bestowed” means to give. God gives His love to us as a possession. We are forever the permanent objects of His love. He takes the initiative in love and freely gives it to us in grace.
PRINCIPLE:
God’s love comes to us by unadulterated grace.
APPLICATION:
God does not have to prove His love for us except through Jesus Christ. He gave His best when He gave Jesus. Anything beyond that is trivial. He gave us the most when He gave His Son.
2 Co 9:15, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
God’s love is a donation to us. We do not earn it nor deserve it. It is of unadulterated grace.
Ro 8:32, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
