The Epistle of 1 John – Part Eight

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

This is the eighth part of a series on the epistle of 1 John written by John the apostle. In this series we will cover the basic concerns John had for writing this letter to Christians. Included are the fourteen reasons he wrote these epistles of 1, 2 and 3 John as well as the eleven assurances we have that establish our salvation as a Christian.

 

1 John 3:2

“Dear friends, now we are children 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 we shall see him as he is.”

 

John calls these Christians “dear friends” because it implies the deep Christian love that both he and God have for them. His words also imply that they should have this same love for each other. This is the love spoken of in 1 John 2:7-11. In the Old Testament this love was commanded to be demonstrated towards others, but in the New Testament Jesus shows us that such love flows out of the grace of God that lives within us because we are a true child of God and follower of Christ. The Old Testament command, obligated us to love others. Christ fulfilled this old commandment not out of an obligation, but by His selfless love that was embodied in His very nature. We are able to love as Christians in this same way because we are saved as Believers and are empowered to love by the power of the Holy Spirit and influence of Christ on our lives. Loving in this “agape” manner validates we are truly Christians and John speaks of this often in his epistles.

 

In this verse John also admits his lack of complete knowledge of what our future state of being will be when he says, “what we will be has not yet been made know.” We, like the apostle John, know some details of what our eternal life will be like in Heaven, but we do know all the exact details. The specifics of what it will be like to have glorified bodies or what life will be like for us in Heaven is something we can only look forward to in the future. There is a reason God has hidden some aspects of the afterlife from us. Possibly we can not comprehend what it will be like in our current state of being. While we were created in the image of God, this was marred by the fall into sin by Adam and Eve. This image is being renewed in the new nature we receive in Christ when we accept Christ as Savior and it will be finished when we reach our Heavenly reward. Several scriptures help explain some of what our future state of being will be like.

 

Romans 8:17 states, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” This verse tells us that because we have accepted Christ as Savior and are members of God’s family we are heirs to a glorious inheritance.

 

1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” This verse explains to us that we can understand some parts of what life will be like in Heaven but that our knowledge is limited. We only know parts of the truth of our future in Heaven, but when we are in Heaven all will be made clear. We will know as we are known by God and all the questions we have here on earth will be answered. There will be no doubts or unanswered issues or befuddlements.

 

1 John 3:3

“Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as He (Jesus) is pure.”

 

The hope of God’s grace in us motivates us to purify ourselves through our obedience in thought and deed. But God also purifies us as we live our Christian life. He is constantly active through the work of the Holy Spirit to sanctify and purify us. We don’t purify ourselves without the help of God, but God can’t purify us without our obedience. This process of purification we know as sanctification. It is a gradual transformation of our entire being into a holy and pure individual. Several verses speak of the responsibility we have as Christians to purify ourselves and other verses speak of how God accomplishes this as well.

 

2 Corinthians 7:1

“Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”

 

1 Timothy 5:22

“Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.”

 

James 4:8

“Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

 

1 Peter 1:22

” Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.”

 

God’s Word of Truth is important to the process of sanctification. John 17:17, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

 

Christ lives in us and participates in this process of purification as well. Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”

 

God works in us as well because He is responsible for the work that HE began when we first accepted His Son as Lord and Savior. Philippians 1:6, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

 

The Holy Spirit also participates in this process of purification. 1 Peter 1:1-2, “To God’s elect, strangers in the world,…who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood.”

 

Philippians 2:12-13 shows the teamwork of balance in this process of becoming purified and holy. It is cooperation of us as a child of God and our triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It says, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”

 

1 John 3:4-5

“Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.”

 

This verse verifies the purpose Jesus came to earth and took on the form of man, so that as God in the flesh, He could pay the penalty for all our sins. It also verifies that He was a perfect sin offering because He had no sin in Him. We were all born sinful because of the curse on Adam and Eve and we live out this pattern of sin as we live without Christ as Lord and Savior. Christ came to break the curse upon us and save us from the bondage of living in sin as well as the judgment of God upon us as sinners. Because of this act of Christ, when we accept Him as our Savior and Lord of our lives, a new pattern is set down in our lives. The next portion of 1 John 3 explains this concept.

 

1 John 3:6

“No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.”

 

There are three stipulations that John makes here that clarify who a Christian is and why a true Christian does not habitually continue to sin as a lifestyle practice. A Christian has “seen” Jesus for who He is, God in the flesh, Savior of their sins and Lord of their life. They “live in Him” by obeying His commands and modeling their behavior and thoughts after those of Christ. A Christian “knows” Jesus because they worship Him by their lifestyle, follow His instructions by allowing the Holy Spirit and the Word to guide them, pray in His name as they confess the sins they do commit and serve others in a manner that reflects the love of Christ. “Seeing” Jesus for who He is implies not an academic acknowledgement of His existence but a personal and dedicated acceptance of who He is as Savior of the World. “Living in Him” is a moment by moment practice of living in close relationship with God the Father, Son and Spirit. “Knowing” Jesus is having Him as your Best Friend, Lord and Master, Encourager, Confidant, Helper and Comforter.

 

The words “keeps on sinning” in the original Greek in this verse are in the present tense and imply a habitual current practice. This means that while Christians can sin at times, they are not in a continual, consistent, habitual practice of sinning. If they are, there is doubt about whether they are truly saved or have remained in fellowship with the Lord.

 

Titus 2:11-14 sums up this description of the Christian living obediently and avoiding habitual sin in their lives. It says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

 

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.”