1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1 John 3:1–3)
For some reason we expect the world to understand our faith, that surely they’ll give us a pass because we’re “good people.” But we can’t expect them to know us if they don’t know God. Remember, agents of the world crucified Jesus. We need to expect the same treatment.
For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, (2 Corinthians 4:17)
At the same time, we enjoy all the benefits of being “children of God.” The expectation of being like him and with him far exceeds our momentary light affliction, so we could very well “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” apparently unscathed, when others would be falling to pieces.
What fuels us is the expectation of one day being like him and seeing him in person. Having this “one track mind” has a profound and purifying effect on us. The walls around us may be crumbling but we’re fixated on the imminent appearance of Jesus in the midst of our earthly problems, with arms wide open as we enter his gates with thanksgiving.
When you’re growing up you entrust your fears to your father, who from the perspective of a child, seems quite capable of weathering all storms. How much greater should our trust be in our Heavenly Father who has actually shown himself in the pages of scripture. Those of us who believe in him are greatly comforted in knowing that his son appeared alive and well to many after he arose, and, by the way, his ascension is well documented by Luke.
To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3)
What’s more, the writer of this letter saw him in a vision that led to the writing of the Bible’s final book, which says.
1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. 3 And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. (Revelation 4:1–3)
Later in the passage, the 24 elders surrounding the one sitting on the throne said, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)
In addition to the ringing endorsement of the Creator of “all things,” John reports there’s a “door standing open in heaven ostensibly for all to walk through by faith in Him. For now, with John’s help, we have a picture of what it will be like to be in his presence. The real question is, in the here and now, will we walk through that door? The answer is a resounding “yes” if we have our “hope fixed on Him.”
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