1 John 3:2–3

John never speaks of "sons of God" in his message. In Paul's writings the Holy Spirit speaks of believers as "sons and heirs." But John unfolds the truth that believers are in the family of God by new birth. So he uses the word "children" to mark the shared nature of those born of God. As children of God we share in the divine nature... The Spirit of God gives the strongest assurance through the pen of John: "we are God's children now." There can be no doubt about it. It is our present and known position. We believed on Him, so we are born again and have eternal life.

He adds something not yet manifested. It is not yet manifested what we shall be. What does he mean? That we shall be like Christ even in our bodies. He does not say or mean that it is not revealed to us, for it is set out in Scripture fully and simply. We would be wrong to think there is the smallest doubt about the result... his faith depends not on things that are seen, but on His assurance about things as yet unseen.

When He is manifested in His glory, we shall not only be with Him but like Him, for we are going to see Him as He is. The world will see Him in that day, dressed in His majesty and His might. They will see Him in His official glories. We shall see Him in His more intimate personal glories. The crowd sees the kings of this world in official dress on state occasions. Their own families see them in private, as they are.

So great is the gracious power of the Second man to make us like Himself, that for us to see Him is to be like Him. When we saw Him here on earth by faith, we were made spiritually like Him. When we see Him bodily one day, we shall be like Him even in our bodies.

The thought here is not that the sight of Him will transform us then. There is a precious transforming power even now in looking into His face (2 Corinthians 3:18). But we are promised that we shall behold His face in righteousness. It follows that we must be like Him. Only after being made like Him will it be possible to take in the beauty and glory of His Person, "as He is."

His glory is not yet manifested, but we shall be like Him, for "we shall see him as he is." That means not as He will be, but as He is now in heavenly glory at the right hand of God. The flesh could not see this and survive. Daniel fell as one dead, and John too, when it appeared. But we shall be like Him, and therefore able to see Him as He is.

When are we to be like Christ in the glory? When He comes. It is not when a person dies and the spirit goes to be with Christ. Then he is like Christ when Christ was in the grave. And I do not want to be like Christ when Christ was in the grave... I want to be like Him in the glory. When will that be? When He comes, He will change our lowly bodies and fashion them like His glorious body.

"And everyone who thus hopes in him" means founded on Him. The "him" does not speak of the man but of Christ. Where the hope is based on Christ, he purifies himself even as Christ is pure. If I am about to be so perfectly like Him then, I will take pains not to be inconsistent with Him now. And he says this to guard us against allowing sin, making excuses for self-will, or treating the moral glory of the Lord Jesus lightly in any way. That glory is now entrusted to the believer, to guard and to show in a practical way.

It is said of the believer, "he purifies himself": this shows that he is not pure, as Christ is. He needed not to purify Himself. So it is not said that he is pure as Christ is pure. If that were so, there would be no sin in us. Rather, he purifies himself according to the purity of Christ as He is in heaven, because he has the same life as the life of Christ Himself.

A steady, ongoing work of PURIFICATION goes on in everyone who holds this hope in Christ. Can you measure the holiness of Christ? Can you tell me the standard of purity that marks our Lord? Why, absolute purity in every detail. By His very nature He is the holy, spotless, undefiled One. Yes, that is the standard. If that is the standard, you can be sure there will be room for purification every hour of our lives in this world. We shall never be able to say, "Now I am fully up to the standard; I am as pure as He is pure." That day comes only when we are clothed in a body of glory, shine out in His likeness, and see Him as He is.

The present effects of such hope in Him must be great and powerful! And indeed they are. The practical results are healthy and far reaching. But that does not mean we should set about trying to be purer than we are. Such self-centred efforts are useless. This sweet purifying goes on as the hope shines in — the hope which God's children have in the Son.

We do not purify ourselves to see Him and be like Him. We purify ourselves because we have the sure and certain hope of seeing Him and being like Him, by the sacrifice of Himself and through His own most precious blood. We purify ourselves, not by blood, but by the water of the Word.

Scripture never uses the coming of Christ to weaken present responsibility to the Lord in holiness. We often hear people say today, "Oh, you cannot expect a perfect church; when Christ comes, He will set all to rights." Such words, such thoughts, never came from the Spirit of God. Do you believe that Christ may come at any time? Can you hold that hope before you and still go on with what you know to be wrong? Do you believe that Christ, when He comes, will not only correct what is wrong, but approve your allowance of it? Easy-going unbelief shrinks from the cross and from every present duty, saying that Christ will set everything right when He comes. But that is to abuse the truth, not to believe it.