Thursday, January 24, 2013

1 John 3:1-3

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not ye appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

We have hope. Toward the closing of 1 Corinthians, Paul tells the Corinthian believers that the day will come when sin and death will no longer be dominating forces. The pain and suffering that sin and death now bring will one day be undone. The tragedies of this life will become the glories of the next. Separation now only means the guarantee of reunion later. Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we know that the dead are not done. The last chapter for those who have passed has not been written, rather, the unending story of all those who put their faith in the accomplishment of Jesus has simply begun. We have hope. And as we get into today’s text, we find John tells of another of the great truths that awaits us in the future with Jesus – one day, “we shall be like him.” The massive transformation work of Jesus has simply begun, and He who has begun a work in us will on that day see it to completion. The soul purifying, and sin extracting work of the Holy Spirit of Jesus has been proceeding and we have been conforming to His image, but the day will come when that work will be accomplished. It is only then that this corruptible will put on incorruption, and this mortal will put on immortality. Sin and death will shriek away. The scars of the centuries will be healed. From the most heinous to the most overlooked, all sins will be gone. Knowing that sin has begun its last chapter, John encourages us to “purify ourselves” even now. Sin offers nothing. It has no future. It has already been defeated and is now subject to the victorious power of the Spirit. One day it will be completely annihilated, and until that day it will accomplish nothing but destruction in the hearts and lives of those who harbor it. There is no reason to enjoin ourselves to the losing side. The game has been called, and sin and death are hopeless. Now let’s strive to prune the branches of sin that have grown themselves into our lives. With John, having the hope of ultimate victory, purify yourself.

Food For Thought: Knowing that sin and death are defeated, and that one day we will be transformed into holy and pure beings, what does the Apostle John tell us to do now?

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