Different Fathers

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. – 1 John 3:1

There are so many beautiful implications here. I just want to focus on a few. Contextually, John has written in chapter 2 that we must not love the world. The sin in the world (the desires of the flesh, of the eyes, the pride in possessions) is not from the Father, but from the world. And the world is passing away. It is temporary, transient. He ends chapter 2 with an exhortation to abide in Christ. Jesus is God’s Christ, His Anointed One, and we must not depart from Him. To deny Him is to deny the Father. We must not be deceived by this spirit of antichrist.

In the beginning of chapter 3, John gives us the blessed statement above: we are the children of God (Those who abide in Christ, not in love with the world). It is not just that we “should” be called the children of God, in theory. We “are” the children of God, in fact. The kind of love with which God loves us is parental. He loves us as a father loves his children. The kind of love with which He loves us is far more than theoretical or forced. Think about it. It could be that God’s love for us is based solely on an economical obligation to His Son. Therefore, His love could be largely impersonal. “I recognize that you have died for them, Son, and have paid for their sins, satisfying my wrath. Therefore, I will love them.” Now, this is 100% true; don’t misunderstand me here. But, it is deeper than that. God’s love is more, not less. For God willfully chooses to love us with affection. Doesn’t John emphasize this intentionally? “What ‘kind’ of love….” He is far more than a satisfied Judge. He is a loving Father. We “are” His children. Bank on it. Know it. Rejoice.

And as such, we, like Christ, are not of this world. Our father is not the devil. Our father is ultimately no longer the 1st Adam. No. We are the sons and daughters of the Living God, in Christ. And this is why we are strangers here. Our identity. Our family. The reason why the world does not know us, care for us, love us, or want us here is precisely because they did not know, care for, love or want Jesus. And we are not above our Master. This in itself has massive implications.

In particular, I want to look at it here in the implications it has on us as the Church.

Let’s say that I want you to like me. A lot. The problem is I’m nothing like you. I mean, there are some class-oriented things that make us similar. You’re human. I’m human, etc. Other than what is basic and obvious, however, we have absolutely nothing in common. We don’t like the same things. We wear completely different clothes. We live on opposite sides of town; we’re from opposite sides of the tracks. Our worldviews are diametrically opposed to one another. We don’t want the same things. We don’t reach conclusions the same way. We don’t share convictions. We do not mix. Now. Let me ask you a question. How are we going to be friends?

We’re not. Unless one of us changes. And that is huge. Because there’s one more monkey wrench. I am right and you are utterly wrong. The things I like? They are the right things to like. The things I wear? They are the right things to wear. The side of town I live on is the right side. My side of the tracks is the right side. My worldview is correct. What I want is good and right. My conclusions are correct. My convictions are pure. You’re the problem. Not me.

Now, let’s imagine I tell you that. Do you suppose we’ll be friends now? What if I say it to you in your language or simultaneously tell you how great I really, truly think you are and how wrong and doomed I think you are?

Illustrations are not perfect. I don’t think they’re meant to be. However, I hope this was somewhat helpful. We do not try to be disliked. This is not the goal of the Church, nor should it be how she goes about her mission. However, the world’s distaste for us is incontrovertible. They aren’t going to like us. That’s just the way it is. The world does not know us. And, unless we change our message, it is wildly, insanely, and horribly offensive to the world. As our Lord said through Paul, the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing; it is offensive; they are blind to the Gospel (1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

The world does not know us because we have different fathers. The world does not know God the Father because they have rejected His Son. And the reason we exist is to bring Him glory by bringing His Son to the world in the Gospel. We have been entrusted with an impossible mission. And it will not do to change the terms in order to reach the world.

This is old hat. It’s desperately unoriginal and has been explored ad nauseum (rightfully so) in tons of books and sermons. I just wanted to weigh in here because my boy, Darby, and I have been discussing church-planting. Neither one of us will claim to have cornered the market on church-planting. We don’t think we know it all. We don’t look down our noses at the rest of evangelicalism for not seeing what we believe we see or whatever. We just talk. A lot. And for him, it’s immediately applicable because he’s been planting a church for almost 10 years. There is a smudge on the horizon of the American church. Can a 34 year old, failed church planter, weak pastor-in-waiting make such an observation (me, not Darby)?

Oh sure.

The Gospel is offensive. And the Gospel is the only way to reach or love our world. There’s not another way. There isn’t another box. It’s not paper or plastic. We have different fathers. They won’t like us. All Jesus ever did was love sinners, touch lepers, befriend the outcasts, serve towns and cities, bomb on self-righteous people, heal, and raise the dead. And they crucified Him in open shame. Stop fooling yourselves, please brothers. You are not above your Master. We are talking diametrical differences here. Not previously before un-noticed similarities. All our serving and loving is critical. We must do it. Always. But we must do it through the Gospel. And in no other way. The Gospel is a message. It has words, not just hands. And so much of what we see today is word-less. Wordless. This won’t work, brothers.

Every cold cup of water given to the thirsty must carry with it the truth of the fact that HE is Living Water. Every other fountain is a lie. Every other fountain is going to be incinerated, including you if you will not repent. And if you drink of Him, you will never thirst again. We are sword and bandage. Light and shade. Heat and balm. We are both and, not either or. We need a focus tempered by a heavenly union of contrasts.

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it…IT, IT, IT, IT, IT is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. – Romans 1:16