“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 [διὰ] why the world does not know us is that it did not know him” (3:1).

St. Mamas Monastery, Guzelyurt (Morphou), Cyprus.

In 1 John 3:1-6, the apostle opens the section by marveling over the love of God calling upon his readers to consider their adoption into God’s family, and then goes on to explain that the world does not recognize them as children of God, because the world did not recognize Jesus when he was still in the world. Current scholarship overwhelmingly understands 1 John as a polemical text written to address a particular historical situation involving a schism among his audience.[1] Scholarship that contributes to our understanding of the epistle largely depicts a distinct style and structure due to its polemical disposition with the pastoral intention to correct false beliefs that were having a detrimental influence on the Johannine community.[2] John uses the preposition διὰ in verse 1 to introduce the reason for the contention between the community and the world and the promises that accompany their adoption into the family of God. 

 “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 [διὰ] why the world does not know us is that it did not know him” (3:1, ESV).[3] διὰ has come to express the idea of intervention[4], which articulates John’s intention in verse 1 in that though love perhaps could have saved the faithful without making them children of God, yet God’s marvelous love intervened and did just that. Moreover, Thayer’s defines διὰ as a primary preposition denoting a channel of an act; through or on account of, which echoes Harris’ insights as well as introduces the reason why the world does not know them. Consequently, διὰ performs an exegetically significant function within the passage by establishing both the reason for their adoption into the family of God as well as the reason for the animosity present between them and the world. Similar use of διὰ occurs in 2 Peter 1:4 denoting intervention, through or on account of, the faithful have “become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” This idea of transformation διὰ denotes, used by both apostles, lays the fundamental groundwork for the language of assurance John unpacks in the verses immediately following.[5]

Despite any theological questions whether the promises introduced by διὰ in the 1 John passage, as well as 2 Peter, possess the intrinsic power in of themselves to enable present participation in the divine nature; that the anticipation of one day seeing Christ as indicated in 1 John 3:2-3 can prompt present holiness among the faithful.[6] Therefore, the genitive usage of διὰ in 1 John reiterates the conveyance of through, on account of, because of, etc. to his audience for the promises given them and subsequently, their contention with the world.[7]

[1] Matthew D. Jensen, “’Jesus is the Christ’: A New Paradigm for Understanding 1 John,” The Reformed Theological Review 75, no 1 (April 2016): 2.

[2] Stephen Rockwell, “Assurance as the Interpretive Key to Understanding the Message of 1 John,” The Reformed Theological Review 69, no 1 (April 2010): 20-21.

[3] Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the English Standard Version.

[4] Murray J. Harris, Prepositions and Theology in the Greek New Testament: An Essential Reference Resource for Exegesis, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), 69.

[5] Rockwell, 28.

[6] Harris, 72.

[7] Ibid., 72.

To view all posts, click/press the link here to visit the Amazing Tangled Grace main page. 

Please sign up to follow my blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. God bless!