See what love the Father bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! St. John states as a fact, an indicative in grammar, that we already are the children of God. Too often in the church we put the imperative ahead of the indicative — we tell people what they have to do to become children of God instead of recognizing that they already are children of God. What we do flows from who we are, not vice versa. Think of the analogy of family — because you belong to the family you do your chores. Taking out the trash does not make you a family member, it is a reflection of your belonging in the family.
