Daily Thoughts from 1 John: Purification (3:1-3)

Daily Thoughts from 1 John: Purification

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.  (1 John 3:1-3 ESV)

John has just introduced the concept of being born of God in 2:29 and how those born of God bear His likeness, in this case righteousness as it was displayed in Jesus.  A child will evidence his lineage by sharing the traits of his parents.  John now expands on this idea.

Being made and called God’s children is an example of the overwhelming love God has and feels for us.  Though John does not say it, our connection to God in this way was not where we began but involved a new birth initiated by God that brought us into His family.  It was an act of choosing on His part, for not everyone is thus His child.  In fact, the world does not know us because it does not know Him.  “Know” in this sense means have and feel a family connection on this spiritual level.  Only believers have this.

But children grow and develop, and John is now contemplating what we will become as God’s children.  Our likeness to Jesus is going to take a new turn when he appears or returns to earth to establish the kingdom.  Seeing him in his purity will make us as pure as he is.  The vestiges of rebellion in our hearts, of self-centeredness, of dependence for a sense of well-being on what is beautiful or sates our fleshly desires, will be gone.  We will love even as we have been loved.

It follows from this that the more we behold the glorious purity of our God, the more we indulge ourselves in rich fellowship with Him, the more pure we will become.  And that is a mark of a true believer.  Our hope for future transformation begins to transform us now.  Our looking to Jesus makes us look more like Jesus.

Those with whom you build intimate relationships, those you spend a lot of time looking at, change you.  Spending intimate time with God has an even greater transformative effect.  It is the key to spiritual growth.  We don’t finally change ourselves, He does.  His life rubs off on ours.  His light shines into our lives, exposing darkness and sending it scurrying.  Daily quiet time must be this kind of fellowship, listening to and looking at our great Savior and purifying ourselves in the process.