Behold, how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn't know us, because it didn't know him.
"What manner of love" is another expression intimating the enthusiasm experienced by this grand old apostle as he contemplates the immeasurable love of God. "What manner" speaks of both the quality and the quantity of a thing. John is carried away with the wonder and the marvelous nature of the love that God displays toward simple creatures of the dust. This is agape love, which we discussed above, a love of preciousness that responds to a value set and seeks the highest good of its object. Despite the fact that John has been an object of the love of God for many years, he continues to feel a sense of astonishment as he beholds such love. This love is not passive in nature; it has been "bestowed on us," literally meaning, "He gave His love to us." The gift of that love is "that we should be called the sons of God" or "the children of God."