”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. And every one who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 Jn. 3:1-3)
The Christian lives with a profound anticipation called hope. He looks forward with eagerness to what God has planned for him. This type of expectancy inspires us and keeps us growing into the image of Jesus. Hope in our hearts says, “We know that when He appears, we will be like Him.”
This hope—purifies us. John said, “And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself” (1 Jn. 3:3). Hope drives us to the blood of Jesus where cleansing is found. In this sense, hope brings about our salvation. Paul said, “For in hope we have been saved” (Rom. 8:24a). Hope challenges us through Jesus to root out the seeds of wickedness that might be growing within us. When it is fixed on Him in our hearts, it has stability to it, because a “fixed” hope settles in for the duration of life. We are purged by the blood of Jesus; but hope grows as a partner to faith and love. Thus, we can say hope is our helmet of salvation (1 Thess. 5:8).
This hope—compels us. Divine hope goes down inside us and motivates us to live a life of holiness as perhaps nothing else can. In the form of a promise, John said, it blesses everyone who receives it. It will serve at all times, in all places, and in all trials. It is constant and does not fade away. It will stay in place and continue to compel us and transform us in all the vicissitudes of life. It has an all-ness to it that makes it seep into all parts of our personalities. No part of our life is without its ennobling power. The plowman plows in hope, and the Christian will always be found expectantly looking for Christ’s return. A Christian without hope is like a sail without wind.
This hope—matures us. One is not mature in Jesus until he has hope in place. Paul had heard of the brethren at Colossae and how their hope had brought them faith in Christ Jesus and the love which they had for all the saints (Col. 1:4). Hope stirs us to love all the family as we prepare for the great reunion that God has planned for us. Paul said that Christ in us is the hope of glory (Col. 1:27c). That is, Jesus is the epitome of our hope. Consequently, this hope should be a part of every proclamation we make, for without it, we cannot properly inspire other Christians. This is how Paul said it, “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ” (Col. 1:28). Our hope tells us daily that heaven is waiting for us. It has been laid up for us through the gospel and the cross of Jesus. What a privilege to live in the one hope of our calling (Eph. 4:4b)!
-Eddie Cloer
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