To Be Like Jesus Series

To Be Like Jesus

1 John 3:1-6

Exposition of the Text

Verse 1: See what kind of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God, and we are. Wherefore the world does not know us because it did not know Him.

“What kind of love” here has the meaning of “Where on Earth can you find this kind of love.” It is a love that cannot be compared to any other. There have been many great love stories written, but none of them compare to the love God has given to us. The words here remind us of the beginning of John’s gospel in 1:12 where we read: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,” Is this not amazing grace that God would adopt us rebellious sinners into His family. We think of those who want to adopt children. Most of them look or hope for children with good genes whose birth mothers are not on crack or alcohol. And if this child has less than a stellar background or looks, or whatever, there is far less interest. But God shows His love to the “whosoever will” come. Therefore to snub this offer is the most deadly of sins.

John feels it necessary to reaffirm the fact that the believers in Jesus are indeed God’s children by adding “and we are.” It is almost too good to be true, so we have to pinch ourselves in a way to make sure it is real. Why would God so lavish this undeserved love on us? God only knows the answer to that question. What we have to do is believe it by faith that this is indeed the case. Did we deserve this? – Quite the contrary, we deserve Hell.

The last part of this verse tells us that even though we have this splendid assurance of being God’s children, we should not expect the world to affirm it. The world did not know Jesus, and even though He was God’s True Son, they hung Him on a cross. The world will mock and kill us. They will hurl hateful words at you like: “And what makes you think you’re so special?” We cannot expect to be treated any better than the Lord was treated. All this is because they have refused to know Jesus.

Verse 2: Beloved, we are already now the children of God, even though it has not yet been manifested what we shall become. But we know this, that whenever He appears, we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is.

A third time, John reminds the readers that their new status as God’s children is true here and now. It is more than just a reservation that someday we will be God’s children in the Kingdom of Heaven. This verse tells us also that we have not yet come to the full understanding of God’s promise to us yet. There is much, much more to come. The present condition is mixed with the sorrow that we remain in this world which hates and rejects us. And it is this promise that gives us the strength to endure. While Jesus was here on Earth, he had to face untold humiliation by the very people he came to save. But it was the desire to do the will of the Father that sustained Him. And this is the same thing which should sustain us.

We are also sorrowful that when we look deep into our own lives, we find so much which is not like Jesus. Instead of being perfect in love and truth like Jesus, we find so many faults. And our failures make us groan in despair. But it shall not always be so. There will be a time when our profession and our possession shall be in harmony. All hypocrisy and pretending will vanish.

Verse 3: And every one who has this hope in him purifies himself even as He is pure.

From this verse, we see the source of our purity. It isn’t in some kind of ritual or ceremonial washing, but it is the hope we have that when the Lord comes again we shall be found to be free from all sin and will finally be like Jesus. Hope gives us direction in our life. It points to the source of our hope, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Note that is says “purifies himself” (or herself). The Greek verb for purify (ἁãíßæåé, hag-knee-zee) is in the active voice and is completed by the reflexive pronoun ἑáõôüí, heh-ahv-ton (himself). It is important to note that John could have used the Greek middle voice of the verb to have said the same thing without having to add “himself” as the middle voice already includes the pronoun “himself”. However the middle voice in the present tense is spelled the same way in both the middle voice and the passive. If John had not uses the grammar he did, many would see sanctification as being a purely passive event. A passive event is one in which the subject is acted upon. In this context then, Sanctification would be interpreted as something God does in you to which you yourself do nothing. While this is true for salvation where Christ has done all the work for you, this is not true for sanctification. John makes it unmistakably clear that we have to do something, if nothing else to keep on hoping for the day of the Lord’s return. As Wesley notes, salvation is something Christ does for you, but sanctification is something the Holy Spirit does in you and with you. So it seems obvious that we have to do more than just claim the promises of God. We must act on them as well. It is important to start to appropriate the promises of the life to come even now. Yes we shall all be perfect when the Lord returns. But we must start working in that direction as well.