Smoodock's Blog

In 1John 3:3 John mentions this hope, but what hope is that? Well, it pertains to what he had just written in verses 1 & 2, or bearing about the image of God, which, as his children, we embody as spirit-filled men and women. Paul spoke of this hope in Colossians 1:27 where he said: it is Christ in you, the hope of glory. In Romans 5:3-5 Paul spoke of glorying in persecution, because persecution or trouble works patience, and patience works experience. That is, it works proof, or something previously unknown, which is then made manifest to us by the Spirit of God, and that experience works hope. In other words, once we are able to see or understand what it is that we need to make manifest in our own lives that would reflect the character of Jesus, we do that in hope of folks seeing Jesus. As John put it, we purify ourselves even as he (Jesus) is pure in an effort to image him (1John 3:3).

Remember, according to John, it had never before been made manifest what the children of God would be like (1John 3:2). Therefore, since “eye has not seen nor ear heard” what God has prepared of us who love him (cp. Ephesians 2:10), he needed a way to help man to understand the things of God. Therefore,  God, just as he revealed his will to Jesus (John 5:19-20), he also reveals what he wants us to do through his Spirit, which he has placed within us. So, his Spirit searches and investigates the things of God in depth and reveals them to us, just as the spirit of man is able to search and investigate human affairs. Nevertheless, because we have come to understand spiritual things that are not manifest to the world, the world (without the Spirit of God) has no way to understand them, because they are understood spiritually or through the mind of Christ, which we have. Therefore, the world considers what we say and do to be foolish (1Corinthians 2:11-16), but we live the life of Christ in hope that they would come to understand through our behavior and make the things of God part of their knowledge, which would then be reflected in human affairs.

Notice, that our effort to purify ourselves even as he is pure (1John 3:3), through the good works, which God preordained that we would do (Ephesians 2:10), is in stark contrast to the one who works sin, for sin works lawlessness, because sin is lawlessness. John isn’t preaching perfection here. That is, he isn’t speaking of committing sin or missing the mark (sin) once in awhile, and this makes one lawless. No! John is speaking of working sin. He is speaking of mankind’s rebellion against God, walking away from him permanently in order to live independent from him (cp. Romans 1:28).

It was for this very reason that Jesus became manifest (John 1:14), namely to take away our sins or evil works, the works that manifest mankind’s rebellion against God. And, there is no such sin or rebellion in Christ (1John 3:5). Therefore, we purify ourselves even as he is pure (1John 3:3). Put another way, it is as Jesus said, he is the Vine and we are the branches (John 15:5). We are enabled to bear the fruit of the Vine (Jesus), only if we abide (G3306 – live or dwell) in him and allow his words to abide (G3306 – live or dwell) in us (John 15:4).

In other words, if the words of Jesus abide in us, they are active, and we are obedient to him. We do not work sin or rebellion, for such would be out of character for Jesus (1John 3:5), in whom we dwell. On the other hand, he who doesn’t abide in Christ couldn’t possibly know him, because that one is unable to perceive him as he is (1John 3:2), because knowing and understanding who Jesus is must be spiritually discerned (1Corinthians 2:14).