Not everything is worth pulling over to see on a road trip. But some things are, as they are unique, beautiful, inspiring, and even life changing.

That is what John is after when he writes (1 John 3:1), “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” John, in a sense, commands us to slam on the breaks and pull over because there is something too important to miss. He directs the attention of believers to take in a reality that they must know; one that they cannot live without. Getting out of the car is not really an option for us. We all must get out and we all must see this.

There are many kinds of love displayed in this world. There is the kind of love you give to your car; the kind of love that you give to your clothes; the kind of love that you give to your chores, school work, hobbies, and even the kind of love that you give to other people’s children. But these don’t compare to the kind of love that John commands our sights to gaze upon. He orders our attention to a whole other level of love—the kind that a father gives to his child. And what kind of love is that? It is the kind that gives all of the self to the child. The kind that thinks about the child every day; that takes care of the child at every waking moment; the kind that builds a whole life just to give it all to the child when he passes away. That is the kind of love that John rushes us out of the car to see.

It’s a small word, but an important one in John’s words. He speaks about the kind of love given to “us”. Who is us? “Us” refers to sinners now in Christ. God gave a father’s love to sinners, to underserving criminals. Now, that is a kind of love that is worthy to whip out binoculars and take a closer look. God gave fatherly love to wretched sinners and instead of executing justice upon them personally, He legally adopts them into His family. He went the painful distance to forgive sinners and legally make them his sons and daughters. He took people who had nothing but the devil’s fateful inheritance and gave them His inheritance. He brought them into His number and gave them the full rights and privileges of children.¹

Life is busy! There are many things to do and see. But before you do them, pull over and gaze upon the kind of love that the Father has given you in Christ. Take some time to contemplate how the love of God has taken you from one end of the spectrum—condemned sinner—to the complete other side—child of God. How deep is the Father’s love for us! How great is the new relationship that He has given us! How comforting is the legal status that is ours forever! Praise God that He ends with the words of assurance in 1 John 3:1, “and so we are.” John Murray sums it up well when he says that adoption is “‘the apex and epitome of grace.’”²