WHAT WE SHALL BE
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 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. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” —I John 3:1-3
Two weeks ago the focus of our meditation was on justification. Last week, due in part to a memory miscue on my part, we were in this same chapter and focused on sanctification, which is John’s primary concern in this epistle. Our nugget for today is related to a third great doctrinal truth, the matter of our glorification. It seemed appropriate, though it breaks our usual pattern, to keep this article and send it out for that reason.
From our present perspective, if one’s faith is genuine, justification looks back to the past when our profession of faith in Christ, delivered us from sin’s penalty through the phenomenal efficacy of the blood of Christ. Sanctification, in the practical sense, is focused on present. Through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, received at the time of our conversion, we are now able to be delivered from sin’s power and to grow in grace and in likeness to Christ. We are learning to walk as Jesus walked. Positionally we are already sanctified in Christ Jesus, Who is “made unto us…sanctification. Practically, however, it is a work in progress, begun at conversion but which will not be finished until we reach the other shore.
Today’s text looks to the future when our redemption is consummated and “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is,” and be finally delivered from sin’s presence. We are first reminded of our dignity in Christ, “called the sons of God,” in the scriptures by virtue of our union with Christ. Reflect on some of the titles assigned to believers in the New Testament: We are “saints” (i.e, sanctified, set apart ones—God’s peculiar treasure.) We are “children of God” and “joint heirs with Christ, signifying that all that is His is ours. We are “members of His body,” “partakers of His glory,” citizen’s of His commonwealth, “kings and priests,” and there is more that could be discovered if time and patience allowed. What a high calling!!
For now, however, while we remain “in the flesh,” and sanctification remains a process in progress, “it doth not yet appear what we shall be.” To paraphrase a line made popular a few years ago, “God is not finished with [us] yet.” Here and there are evidences of “what we shall be,” but for now the portrait is incomplete. For the earnest believer that is a matter of dismay. And, it is the reason why for now we need an Advocate with the Father. Nevertheless, there is a great day coming! “When He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” That is the day every sincere believer longs for, every struggling Christian anticipates.
It has long been my opinion that Adam was created to be a “mirror,” in which case, facing in the right direction he would have reflected the glory of God. He would have had no glory of his own, and to fulfill his potential he would have been utterly dependent upon God. And, as he fulfilled that created purpose observers would not have admired Adam, but His Creator.
Satan tempted Adam with the notion that that was not enough. He could seek his own glory, shine in his own light and attract attention to himself rather than God. “Ye shall be as Gods.” When Adam fell for that the mirror was shattered in millions of pieces and man became a colossal ruin. In the fragments that remain there are occasional glimpses of glory, but generally speaking “the glory has departed,” and none of us have ever seen a man as God intended man to be, with Christ as the solitary exception. He, and He alone could say, “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.”
The objective of redemption is the restoration of the mirror. “We all, with open face beholding as in a glass [mirror] the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord [II Cor. 3:18].” The grand objective is for man to once again reflect the glory of God. Then we will be as radiant as Christ Himself—not for our glory, but for His. And that will be enough. After all, a mirror is as beautiful as that upon which it is focused. In that glorious day, “We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is!”
“And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.” Let’s practice reflecting His glory now!
A prayer—“Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me”
For His glory,
"Pastor" Frasier
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