“Behold what manner of love the Father has
bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the
world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now
we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be,
but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we
shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies
himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:1-3 NKJV)
Is there any better hope than that John describes
here for us? By the bestowment of the love of God, we are surrounded and filled
with His garment of grace and mercy eternally. That is who we really are. We are
the children of God! That is only the beginning! We also know that when he
appears we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Eugene Peterson
renders like this.
“What marvelous love the Father has extended to us!
Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But
that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it
has no idea who he is or what he’s up to. But friends, that’s exactly who we
are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end
up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him—and in
seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay
ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own.” (1
John 3:1-3 MSG)
That marvelous love the Father bestowed upon us,
just look at it! That is all the strength and dynamics we have now and
forevermore. The love of God has reached out to us who are drawn by the Father
and transforms and changes like the world upside down. The long bondage and
slavery to the dark authority and government has ended by the spell of God’s
unconditional love manifested in public on the cross of Jesus Christ, the Son
of God some two thousand years back in history.
A hymn writer, Charles Wesley, wrote like this. “Tis
mystery all! The Immortal dies!” We have that kind of God. The Immortal God died
in our place. Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down
one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13 NKJV) Just like He said, He laid down
His own life for us. He was arrested like a criminal and tried before the most
religious group of people. He was spitted on the face and struck without any
cause. He was scourged ruthlessly by the Gentiles and crowned with the thorns.
He was mocked by the all kinds of people and insulted even by the bystanders.
In the end, he was crucified and shed His blood to
death. He was pierced and nailed to the hands and feet. He was even forsaken by
the Heavenly Father and cried out loudly. “‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that
is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ (Matthew 27:46 NKJV) He was deserted by His own disciples and left
totally alone. He was thirsty. That is how God demonstrated His love for us. Who
can look up Jesus Christ the Son of God on the cross without tears and sorrows
and heartbrokenness?
But there are many a people out there who are numb even
to that marvelous love. Why? It is because they do not know the Father, says John.
Since they do not know the Father, they do not know us the children of God
either. They have no idea who we are. As a matter of fact, the Christians are the
obscure and ordinary people. There is nothing particular in them. They are
almost invisible by the worldly people’s eyes.
But we are the salt of the earth and the light of
the world, says Jesus Christ the Lord. Although the world doesn’t recognize us,
we don’t lose heart, because our Lord Jesus Christ was treated like a criminal in
our place and submitted Himself to the Father unto death. Jesus taught His
disciples the truth regarding the hatred of the world toward them.
““If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me
before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world
would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you
out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that
I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they
persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they
will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My
name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come
and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse
for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not
done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin;
but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this
happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their
law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’” (John 15:18-25 NKJV)
Nevertheless, we don’t lose heart because the love
of God continually sheds abroad in our hearts by the Spirit in our midst whatever
the circumstances they may be (Romans 5:5) and because it is just the beginning
and the end yet to come. Knowing that we shall like be Him when he appears, for we
shall see Him as He is, we continually purify ourselves as He is pure.
How can we purify ourselves? Of course, it is not
possible without the blood of Christ Jesus the Lord. No one can stand before
the Holy God without being cleansed and washed by the blood of the Son Jesus
Christ and His word. Just as John said earlier, when we confess our sins, He is
just and faithful to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). That’s the way to stand in confidence
before Him at His appearing. Keep on being purified by Jesus Christ forever!
That’s what our Lord Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3 NKJV)
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