Today, Friday July 30
“We Shall Be Like Him” 1 John 3:1-3 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. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
We must remember as we are reading and studying through this Epistle of 1 John, that John wants us to know for sure that we have eternal life (1 John 5:13). And knowing that, we can then live the life that is real. In this section, 1 John 3:1-10, we are given three reasons why we can and should live a life that is pure and holy.
The first one is that God the Father loves us (vs. 1-3). Next, God the Son died for us (vs. 4-8). And last, God the Holy Spirit lives in us (vs. 9-10). The key in all these verses is that the genuine believer (Christian) knows God. A counterfeit Christian may talk about God and get involved in "religious activities," but he does not really know God. The person who has been "born of God" through faith in Christ knows God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And because he knows them, he lives a life of obedience and he does not practice sin.
God's love for us is unique. First John 3:1 may be translated, "Behold, what peculiar, out-of-this-world kind of love the Father has bestowed on us." While we were His enemies God loved us and sent His Son to die for us! The whole wonderful plan of salvation begins with the love of God. Many translators add a phrase to 1 John 3:1: "That we should be called the sons of God, and we are." "Sons of God" is not simply a high-sounding name that we bear; it is a reality! We are God's children! We do not expect the world to understand this thrilling relationship, because it does not even understand God. Only a person who knows God through Christ can fully appreciate what it means to be called a child of God.
First John 3:1 tells us what we are and 1 John 3:2 tells us what we shall be. The reference here, of course, is to the time of Christ's coming for His church. This was mentioned in 1 John 2:28 as an incentive for holy living, and now it is repeated.
God's love for us does not stop with the new birth. It continues throughout our lives and takes us right up to the return of Jesus Christ! When our Lord appears, all true believers will see Him and will become like Him (Phi 3:20-21). This means, of course, that they will have new, glorified bodies, suited to heaven.
But the apostle does not stop here! He has told us what we are and what we shall be. Now, in 1 John 3:3, he tells us what we should be. In view of the return of Jesus Christ, we should keep our lives clean.
May the Lord help us to live pure and holy lives today!
God bless!