Read: 1 John 2:26-3:3
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. (v. 2)
Abide. It is a word I rarely hear, or use. But this is one of John’s favorite terms. He encourages us to abide in Jesus, which means to trust, rest, even dwell in him. The picture that comes to mind is of a tree that sinks its roots deep into the soil, drawing the water and minerals it needs to flourish.
We can abide in Jesus because God has made us his children through him. “That is what we are,” John writes (v. 1 NRSV). It is both a fact and a gift; it has nothing to do with our worthiness, performance, or goodness. But that is not all. John says that we will also become like Jesus in his glorified state once we see him as he truly is.
Christian growth is a paradox. In essence it is becoming what we already are in Christ. We are God’s children; we will someday share in Christ’s resurrection glory and actually be like him in practice.
So John urges us to purify ourselves as God is pure, and thus become the pure people we already are through God’s gracious gift of salvation. How is God inviting you to abide in him, as his child, today?
As you pray, thank God that in Christ you can be called his child and made pure. Ask him to help you to live as a pure child of God now.
Jerry Sittser is a professor emeritus of theology and senior fellow at Whitworth University. He specializes in the history of Christianity, Christian spirituality, and religion in American public life. As an author, he has written nine books.
