By Dr. Robert C Crowder
Reading:
Psalm 17:15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
1 John 3:2-3 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Reflection:
Hope in Scripture is never a vague wish or uncertain longing. Biblical hope is confident expectation grounded in the promises of God. David expressed this longing that every saint has felt: “I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” He knew that seeing God and being conformed to His likeness was the ultimate satisfaction of the human soul. What David hoped for in the Psalms, John declares as certain promise in his epistle. John writes to believers with the assurance that “we are the sons of God” right now, in this present moment. Our adoption is complete; our position is secure. Yet there is more to come: “It doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” The hope David sang about, believers will experience. We will see Him. We will be like Him. And that hope, John says, purifies us even now.
This is the great tension of the Christian life: the “already” and the “not yet.” We are already children of God, justified, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, seated with Christ in heavenly places.[1] But we are not yet glorified. We still battle indwelling sin. We still groan in bodies subject to decay. We still see through a glass darkly.[2] The fullness of our salvation awaits the revelation of Jesus Christ.
When He appears, and John writes with certainty, not speculation, we shall be like Him. This is not absorption into deity or loss of individual personality. We will remain creatures, but glorified creatures. The image of God, marred by the fall and being progressively restored through sanctification, will be perfectly conformed to the image of Christ. We will have bodies like His resurrection body; physical, recognizable, yet freed from the limitations and corruption of sin. We will be morally and spiritually perfected, incapable of sinning, fully reflecting the holiness and righteousness of the One we have loved and served by faith.
The ground of this transformation is seeing Him “as he is.” Not as He appeared in humility at Bethlehem, not as He hung in weakness on the cross, but as He is in glory; the risen, reigning, radiant Lord of heaven and earth. To see Him in His unveiled glory will be to be changed by that sight. The vision of Christ in His fullness will complete what grace began.
But notice what John says next: “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” Hope is not passive. The confident expectation of Christ’s return and our glorification have immediate ethical implications. If we truly believe we shall see Him and be like Him, we cannot be content to remain in sin. Hope purifies. It draws the heart upward. It loosens the grip of this present world. It creates dissatisfaction with anything less than holiness.
To purify oneself does not mean sinless perfection in this life; John has already addressed that impossibility.[3] It means the active pursuit of holiness, the putting off of sin, the disciplines of grace that conform us progressively to Christ. It means confessing sin quickly, fleeing temptation decisively, and walking in obedience daily. The believer who keeps his eyes fixed on the blessed hope will find that hope transforming his desires, his choices, and his character.
The same Lord who came once in humility, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger, will come again in glory. The Advent season reminds us of both comings. Until that day when faith becomes sight,[4] we live as people whose hope is anchored in heaven, whose hearts are being made ready, and whose lives bear witness to the purifying power of the blessed hope.
Prayer:
- Ask Jesus to keep your heart clean and your eyes fixed on Him as you await His return.
- Pray that the hope of seeing Christ as He is would purify your motives, thoughts, and actions today.
Consider:
Confess one specific sin honestly before God, not in vague generalities, but by name. Receive His forgiveness and walk today in the freedom and purity of a cleansed heart.
[1] Ephesians 2:6
[2] 1 Corinthians 13:12
[3] 1 John 1:8
[4] 2 Corinthians 5:7
Robert C. Crowder Ministries 
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