“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. 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.” (1John 3:1-2)
John begins this chapter with the word “behold.” In other words, be aware of, know and be sure what sort of love the Father has given us. That kind of love is unknown here on earth. It’s agape love. It’s the love that sent Jesus to rescue us. (John 3:16) It’s the love that loved us first while we were yet His enemies. (1 John 4:19, Romans 5:8) It’s the love that made us alive when we were dead. It’s the love that has the best for us and sees us already seated with Jesus in the heavenlies. (Ephesians 2:4-6) It’s the love that has made us His children and co-inheritors with Jesus. (Romans 8:16,17) The list of His love is too long to write in this short space.
The world didn’t understand Jesus when He came to earth. It didn’t recognize Him and didn’t understand Him. His presence and spirit repelled the evil spirits within them. When John the Baptist came, he announced, the coming of the Savior. His cry was “Prepare ye the way.” In other words, prepare your hearts and repent. Prepare so that you can recognize Him. So that you can believe in Him and receive Him. It was necessary for them to make that decision so that they would be able to recognize Him, so that whatever demons had been influencing them, wouldn’t cause them to lose the opportunity they had of recognizing their Messiah Who had come. (Luke 3:4)
And just like those who didn’t repent didn’t recognize and understand the Lord, the world doesn’t understand us. Our thinking which is in line with the Word of God is the opposite of the world standard. It’s foolishness to them. “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1Corinthians 1:18) Yep, we don’t have a good reputation in this world people. This is not our home. Don’t get comfortable here because it hates us just like it hated and still hates Jesus.
Then John makes a peculiar statement, “...it doth not yet appear what we shall be...” We know what we are here on earth. We’re spirit beings who live in a body and have a soul (mind, will and emotions.) (1Thessalonians 5:23) Our bodies enable us to live here on this earth. When our bodies die, our spirit is free of this body and free of this earth. Then we enter eternity with God or without God. But, John states, we don’t know and it hasn’t been shown to us yet what we will be. Although John wrote his letter about 30 years after Paul wrote to the Corinthians, we must remember that they probably hadn’t spoken to each other in decades, probably since they were all at Jerusalem at the counsel of the early church leaders or Paul’s last visit there when he was arrested and put to death, a couple of decades before John wrote his letter. There was not the fast communication and sharing of knowledge that we enjoy now. In reading John’s account that we don’t know what we will be, Paul a couple of decades before wrote to the Corinthians what had been revealed to him. “But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” (1Corinthians 15:35-44) We will be spirit beings, like Jesus is now. We will be like Him. And we will see Him as He is.
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