We shall be like Him

God has called us to live as His children, separated from the desires of the world and growing each day in purity, obedience, and hope. This calling reminds us that being called children of God is not only a privilege, but also a responsibility before the Lord.

We are called by God so that we may grow toward the stature of the perfect man in Christ. But how can we obtain this perfection? We cannot reach it through our own strength, nor by trusting in human wisdom. This work belongs to God, who transforms us through His Word, through the work of the Holy Spirit, and through a life of surrender before Him.

One of the ways this transformation becomes visible is by leaving behind the world and its sinful desires. The believer has been called to walk in a different direction. Before knowing Christ, our hearts were inclined toward sin, vanity, pride, selfishness, and the pleasures of this present age. But when the grace of God reaches us, our desires begin to change. We no longer live to satisfy the flesh, but to honor the One who saved us.

This does not mean that the Christian will never face temptation. Every believer still struggles, still needs grace, and still depends completely on the mercy of God. However, there is a great difference between struggling against sin and living comfortably in sin. The child of God does not make peace with darkness. He fights, repents, prays, seeks the Lord, and desires to live in a way that pleases the Father.

The love that made us children of God

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

1 John 3:1

The apostle John begins this passage by calling our attention to the greatness of the Father’s love. This love is not small, weak, or temporary. It is a love so great that it takes sinners and gives them a new identity. We were not worthy to be called children of God, yet through Jesus Christ we have been forgiven, received, adopted, and brought near to the Father.

To be called a child of God is one of the greatest blessings a person can receive. It means that our life no longer belongs to the world. It means that our identity is no longer defined by our past, our failures, our fears, or the opinion of others. Our identity is now found in the love of the Father and in the saving work of Christ.

John also explains that the world does not know us because it did not know Him. This is why the life of a true believer often seems strange to those who do not know God. The world does not understand why a Christian chooses holiness over sin, humility over pride, forgiveness over revenge, and eternal hope over temporary pleasure. The believer lives under another kingdom, with another hope, another Lord, and another purpose.

One of the things we know is that everyone who has not known the Father does not truly know the Son either. The person who does not know the love of God cannot understand the life that flows from that love. As Scripture teaches, God is love, and those who have been born of Him begin to reflect His love in their conduct, their words, their service, and their relationship with others.

Everyone who is a child of God carries the evidence of His love. This does not mean that the believer is perfect in himself, but it does mean that God’s grace is working in him. Those who still do not know the Lord do not possess this love in the same way, because the love of God must first enter the heart and transform it. When God’s love enters a life, that person begins to know Him, love Him, and recognize His people.

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we

1 John 3:2

Everyone who has known God expects from Him what He promised, because His manifestation will be soon and when that happens to everyone who has done hHs will and is doing His will, they will receive the promise of the Lord, their bodies will be purified and they will be perfect, just as God has promised each one, and we will see Him as He is.

All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

1 John 3:3

It is good that, just as He has given us His love, we also manifest good works toward others who do not yet know the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, because he longs to be pure as Christ is pure.

A living hope that transforms the believer

When the apostle John speaks about hope, he refers to a living and active hope that transforms our conduct every day. This hope is not passive, nor is it a simple expectation about the future. It is a powerful reality that moves us to walk in holiness. Those who truly wait for Christ align their lives with His teachings, seeking purity, humility, obedience, and devotion. The more we meditate on His promises, the more we long to honor Him with a clean heart.

This kind of hope changes the way we think, the way we speak, and the way we make decisions. A believer who truly expects the coming of the Lord cannot live as if this world were his final home. He understands that his life belongs to Christ, and therefore he must walk with reverence, wisdom, and spiritual seriousness. This is why the hope of the believer is never empty; it produces a visible change in the heart and in daily conduct.

The Christian does not purify himself in order to earn salvation, but because he has already received grace from God. He desires to live in a way that honors the One who saved him. His hope in Christ becomes a holy motivation, reminding him that sin must not rule his life and that the desires of the flesh must be resisted. As believers, we must remember that our hope rests upon the grace of God, not upon our own strength or merit.

The daily process of purification

The process of purification is constant. It involves daily decisions, continual surrender, and a willingness to allow the Holy Spirit to shape us according to the character of Christ. We cannot purify ourselves by our own strength, but we can surrender to God so that He performs that cleansing work within us. This is why Scripture emphasizes that those who have this hope purify themselves, because hope produces transformation.

Purification is not limited to external behavior. It begins in the heart. God deals with our thoughts, intentions, desires, attitudes, and hidden motivations. Many people can appear religious on the outside while still holding bitterness, pride, envy, or secret sin within. But the work of the Lord goes deeper than appearances. He cleanses the inner life so that obedience may flow from a sincere and renewed heart.

Every day the believer must choose between feeding the flesh or walking in the Spirit. This is why prayer, Scripture, repentance, worship, and obedience are so necessary. They are not empty religious habits; they are means through which our hearts are strengthened in the Lord. The more we draw near to God, the more we begin to hate what dishonors Him and love what reflects His holiness.

This purification also teaches us humility. No Christian can boast as if he had made himself holy. If there is any purity in us, it is because God has worked by His grace. If we have overcome certain sins, it is because the Lord has sustained us. If we continue standing, it is because His mercy has not failed. Therefore, the purified heart does not become proud; it becomes grateful.

Living responsibly while we wait for Christ

Furthermore, knowing that Christ will return should motivate us to live responsibly. The early church lived with the expectation of His return, and that expectation empowered believers to walk in righteousness despite trials, persecution, and temptation. Today, we too must cultivate that same expectation, understanding that His appearing will be glorious and that we will be made like Him.

The return of Christ is not a doctrine that should remain only in sermons or theological discussions. It should shape the way we live. If Christ is coming, then our time must be used wisely. If Christ is coming, then sin must be rejected seriously. If Christ is coming, then we must forgive, serve, pray, evangelize, and persevere. The believer waits not with laziness, but with faithfulness and spiritual vigilance.

This is why Scripture constantly calls us to remain awake. A sleeping heart becomes careless, distracted, and cold. But a watchful heart remembers that the Lord may come at any time. The expectation of His appearing keeps the believer alert and focused. As another reflection reminds us, we must stand fast and ready for the coming of Jesus, because His promise is certain and His return will be glorious.

The hope of Christ’s return also gives strength in suffering. Many believers face affliction, rejection, injustice, sickness, or loneliness, but the promise of His coming reminds us that none of these things will have the final word. One day the Lord will appear, every tear will be wiped away, every injustice will be judged, and every faithful servant will rejoice before Him. Until then, we continue walking in holiness, patience, and hope.

This hope should not make us careless, but more faithful. When a believer remembers that Christ will return, he learns to examine his heart, his words, his decisions, and his priorities. The return of the Lord reminds us that this world is temporary and that our true inheritance is eternal. For that reason, we must not live as people without direction, but as men and women who know that one day we will stand before our Savior.

Another important truth is that purity is reflected not only in our personal conduct but also in how we treat others. Love, patience, mercy, forgiveness, and kindness are fruits that manifest in those who are being transformed by Christ. When we walk in purity, those around us can see the difference, because purity is not only internal; it also becomes visible in our actions.

A pure heart does not only avoid sin in private; it also seeks to honor God in public. It speaks with grace, serves with humility, forgives with sincerity, and loves without hypocrisy. This kind of life is not produced by human pride, but by the work of God within us. The more Christ transforms our hearts, the more our actions begin to reflect His character before others.

Let us remember that we are called children of God, and as His children, we are invited to live lives that honor our Father. Even though the world may not understand us, and even though many cannot recognize the love of God, we must continue to reflect Christ in everything we do. Our calling is not to imitate the world, but to shine as witnesses of the grace we have received.

The day will come when our transformation will be complete, when our bodies will be glorified, and when we will see Him just as He is. Until that moment arrives, let us remain firm, purifying our hearts and walking in the hope that sustains us.