This passage helps answer the question – What is it to be a child of God?
As our country of birth or residence will shape our identity in terms of how we behave or our likely experiences in life, so too there are common experiences and behaviour that children of God will share and that must necessarily shape our identity.
4 things are in clear view from the passage: that Children of God are born of the Spirit, they are lavishly loved, they abide in Christ and finally they do not shrink back.
Following on from the earlier 3 test in 1 John, we continue to test ourselves against Gods word to see if we are truly Christ’s