1 John 3: 2, 3 > We shall be like Him
| 1 John 3: 1 - 24 ( King James Version ) |
| |
| 3:2 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. |
| |
| 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. |
| |
| |
| 1 John 3: 2, 3 ( New International Version ) |
| |
| Dear friends, now we are childredn of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for wh shall see him as he is. |
| v. 3 > Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. |
| |
| |
| Text Quoted in Spirit of Prophecy |
| John was a teacher of holiness, and in his letters to the church he laid down unerring rules for the conduct of Christians. "Every man that hath this hope in him," he wrote, "purifieth himself, even as He is pure." 1 John 3: 3 "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." 1 John 2:6. He taught that the Christian must be pure in heart and life. Never should he be satisfied with an empty profession. As God is holy in His sphere, so fallen man, through faith in Christ, is to be holy in his sphere. {AA 559.2} |
| Christian Character -- To have fellowship with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ, is to be ennobled and elevated, and made a partaker of joys unspeakable and full of glory. Food, clothing, station, and wealth may have their value, but to have a connection with God and to be a partaker of his divine nature, is of priceless value. Our life should be hid with Christ in God; and although it "doth not yet appear what we shall be," "when Christ, who is our life, shall appear," "we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." [ 1 JOHN 3:2; Col. 3:4.] The princely dignity of the Christian character will shine forth as the sun, and the beams of light from the face of Christ will be shed upon those who have purified themselves even as he is pure. The privilege of becoming sons of God is cheaply purchased, even at the sacrifice of everything we possess, be it life itself. -- Vol. 4, p. 357. - {GW92 373.2} |
"If any man's work abide, . . . He shall receive a reward." 1 Corinthians 3:14. Glorious will be the reward bestowed when the faithful workers gather about the throne of God and of the Lamb. When John in his mortal state beheld the glory of God, he fell as one dead: he was not able to endure the sight. But when the children of God shall have put on immortality, they will "see Him as He is." 1 John 3: 2. They will stand before the throne, accepted in the Beloved. All their sins have been blotted out, all their transgressions borne away. Now they can look upon the undimmed glory of the throne of God. They have been partakers with Christ in His sufferings, they have been workers together with Him in the plan of redemption, and they are partakers with Him in the joy of seeing souls saved in the kingdom of God, there to praise God through all eternity. {CET 233.1}
Glorious will be the reward bestowed when the faithful workers gather about the throne of God and of the Lamb. When John in his mortal state beheld the glory of God, he fell as one dead; he was not able to endure the sight. But when the children of God shall have put on immortality, they will "see him as he is" (1 John 3:2). They will stand before the throne, accepted in the Beloved. All their sins have been blotted out, all their transgressions borne away. Now they can look upon the undimmed glory of the throne of God. They have been partakers with Christ in His sufferings, they have been workers together with Him in the plan of redemption, and they are partakers with Him in the joy of seeing souls saved in the kingdom of God, there to praise God through all eternity. . . . {AG 355.2} |
| Many of these professed Christians dress, talk, and act like the world, and the only thing by which they may be known is their profession. Though they profess to be looking for Christ, their conversation is not in heaven, but on worldly things. "What manner of persons" ought those to be "in all holy conversation and godliness," who profess to be "looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God." 2 Peter 3:11, 12. "Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." 1 John 3:3. But it is evident that many who bear the name of Adventist study more to decorate their bodies and to appear well in the eyes of the world than they do to learn from the Word of God how they may be approved of Him. {EW 108.2} |
| "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" (1 John 3:2). The heritage of the people of God is discerned through faith in the Word of God. "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3). {FW 115.1} |
| |
| Those who are looking for the revelation of Christ in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, as King of kings and Lord of lords, in life and character will seek to represent Him to the world. "And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure" (1 John 3:3). They will hate sin and iniquity, even as Christ hated sin. They will keep the commandments of God, as Christ kept His Father's commandments. They will realize that it is not enough to acquiesce in the doctrines of truth, but that the truth must be applied to the heart, practiced in the life, in order that the followers of Christ may be one with Him, and that men may be as pure in their sphere as God is in His sphere. {FW 115.3} |
| |
| For any who still do not see the truth of total victory over sin here on earth? Here are other Bible verses about it. Consider the following Psalm 4:4; Psalm 34:14; Psalm 119:1-3,11; Isaiah 1:16-17; Zeph. 3:13; Romans 8:4; I Corinthians 15:34; II Corinthians 7:1; 10:4-5; Ephesians 5:27; I Thess. 5:23; I Peter 2:21-22; 4:1; II Peter 3:10-14; I John 3:2-3,7; Jude 24; Revelation 14:5. |