Experiencing God’s Incredible Love
READ 1 John 3
Notice 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. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet 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. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure."
This morning we want to focus upon experiencing God's incredible love. The Apostle John develops more thoughts concerning the sonship of the believer.
vs. 1 - Indeed, the fact that we have been allowed to become sons of God is predicated upon God's great love for us. John links such sonship to being born of God (2:29). In any event, because we now are sons of God, therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. The world does not know God’s people. The thought is that the world does not recognize, perceive, or want any fellowship with true Christians. The world willingly does not know the Father. Therefore, it follows that they will want nothing to do with God’s people.
vs. 2 - Here, John develops the idea of sonship more fully. He refers to his readers as beloved. We now are in fact the sons of God. The phrase, “and it doth not yet appear what we shall be,” has the thought, ‘and it is not yet apparent what we shall be.’ The several words translated as "appear" have the sense of ‘being made manifest.’ Our Lord’s return is thus described as Him being manifested. John refers to not only the return of Christ, but also the resurrection of God’s people in one view.
We do not altogether understand the glory which lies ahead for us who are His. However, when Christ returns, “we shall be like Him.” It is implied that our glorified bodies will be like unto His glorified body. John, by inference, assumes his readers to understand the principles of the glorified body developed by Paul in I Corinthians 15. His point is that when Christ returns and we are resurrected, our bodies will be like His glorious body. (See Philippians 3:21)
Also, “we shall see Him as He is.” In that day, we will see Him in His glorified body as He actually is and always will be. The greater truth is that our bodies in that day will be transformed into eternal, sinless, glorified bodies in the likeness of our Lord’s body since His resurrection. For those who are alive and remain to the coming of the Lord in the Rapture, their bodies will be glorified then, in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye.
vs. 3 - Of interest are the words translated as "purifieth" and "pure". Though generally having the sense of ‘pure,’ both derive from the more basic Greek word 'hagios’ which refers to holiness. Our Lord is pure in His holiness. John is developing that every man who has the hope of Christ’s imminent return and a glorified body will purify his life in the meantime. Or to put it in other words, if we really believe that Jesus is about to return at any time soon, we will live a holy life in anticipation thereof. If we really believed that the Lord would return today, we would live differently.
May we rejoice in God’s incredible love for us!
Your Friend and HIS,
Pastor Abbott
MEDITATIONS
1. Can you think of any greater privilege than being a child of God?
2. The world does not understand believers. Why should this be counted a privilege? Why do so many believers try to fit in with the world?
3. How can God's promise for the future ("we shall be like Him") make a difference in your life now? Is it making a difference to you?
4. Why is your purity such an important issue to God?
5. What practical difference does your purity make when you witness to others?