We Shall Be Like Him

Scripture: 1 John 3:2 (KJV)

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God...but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

Personal Reflection

Every genuine Christian longs to be free from sin.

We grow weary of pride, selfishness, wandering thoughts, wrong desires, unbelief, and the constant conflict between flesh and Spirit.

We sometimes wonder, “Will I ever finally be completely like Christ?”

John answers with glorious certainty:

“We shall be like him.”

Sanctification begins in this life, but it will not be completed until Christ appears. Then the remaining corruption that has troubled us throughout our pilgrimage will be gone forever.

No more temptation.

No more sinful desires.

No more wandering heart.

No more grieving the Holy Spirit.

No more confessing the same weaknesses.

We shall see Christ as He is, and we shall be like Him.

This promise should produce more than anticipation. John immediately tells us what it should produce now:

“Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”

Future glorification motivates present sanctification.

If we expect one day to be perfectly like Christ, we should desire increasingly to resemble Him today.

The genuine hope of Christ's appearing never encourages carelessness about sin. It produces the opposite.

We pursue purity because we are going to see the Pure One.

We pursue holiness because we will dwell eternally with the Holy One.

We pursue Christlikeness because Christlikeness is our destiny.

One day the struggle will end.

Until then, keep pursuing the One you will soon behold.

Contemplation

Does my hope of seeing Christ create a stronger desire to become like Him now?

Puritan Quote

John Owen wrote:

“Beholding the glory of Christ...is the great privilege and advancement of believers.”

Prayer

Lord Jesus, make me increasingly like You now as I await the day when I shall see You as You are. Purify my heart and deepen my hatred of sin. Amen.

Application

Choose one characteristic of Christ—humility, compassion, patience, purity, forgiveness—and intentionally practice it today.