Expectation

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER OF JOHN

EXPECTATION

1 John 3:1-3

3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 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. 3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

NIV

Well, it is now time to consider what we will be which has not yet been made known. Although we think that John did have a glimpse as he was on that mountain when Jesus was transfigured. He saw Jesus in all his divinity, glowing, shining in all his purity, well at least as much as he could and still be fully man, but it was a glimpse into the eternal and what we will be changed into when he appears. Paul tells us, in his letter to the Corinthians, about this change that will happen. It will be in a flash, in a twinkling of an eye. That is faster than a speeding bullet or more powerful than a locomotive. It is more than to leap over a building in a single bound, but it will be, look in the sky, it’s a bird, no it’s Jesus and all those who have changed. We are going to be raised from what is corruptible to being incorruptible. We are going to be changed from what is perishable to that which is imperishable. We are going to be changed from what is mortal to that which is immortal. What we also suspect is that we will also have a glow about us, as to how John saw Jesus along with Moses and Elijah. When Jesus appears and we are changed is our hope, but yet is also a fact. That is what is a bit strange that John says it is our hope. First, he says that we know, so that is then a fact if we know it because Jesus said so. Then John says it is our hope, which could indicate we are not sure, but we are hoping it is. However, we do not think that is exactly what John means. Looking into the Greek word translated as hope, it actually has the meaning of expectation. So then, everyone who has this expectation in him purifies himself, just as Christ is pure. In other words, we know it is true and so we live expecting it to happen. That is much different than hoping it will happen, for that implies we are not sure it will, but we hope it will. Because we know it will happen and we live in expectation of the day it will happen, we purify ourselves, just as he is pure. Again, the Greek gives us a clearer picture of what this means. Both purify and pure are a form of the same word, except as Jesus is pure, the Greek word means just that pure, perfect, a present state of what is. However, the form of that word as it applies to us, is in the active state, that is we are making ourselves pure. But, we are not actually making ourselves pure as that is not possible to be the pure as Jesus is, perfect, at least in the state we are currently in. However, when we are changed we will be pure, as Jesus is. So then, it is our expectation which is the reason we are purified or sanctified, made holy. It is not that we do it ourselves, but because we have the hope in Jesus, we are in that process of becoming like him. Anyone who does not hope in Jesus or does not expect him to appear has no clue about the process of being purified and makes no effort to live with expectation. But we know he is coming for us and we know he has been already changing us from what we once were into who we are now and that process is continually evolving until the day he appears. What a joy to live with this expectation.