We shall be like him
"Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2)
September 14, 2024
Dear friends,
Much of our Christian life is about learning biblical truths, and then relearning those truths. We come to believe something that God has told us in his word, and then later we discover that we are learning it again, only deeper, in a new way, from a different angle. We may feel its reality in such a way that we wonder if we ever knew it in the first place! It's like looking at a mountain range, or an ocean vista, or a loved one's face -- again, as for the first time -- and being overwhelmed by its beauty.
Recently, I was struck by the truth that one day I will be like Jesus.
It was a humbling thought. It is simply amazing that God would forgive me through Jesus' death upon the cross. Especially, as now I know far more against myself. Then, also, that he should restore and heal me, and also give me a new purpose in this life. And that he should adopt me as his child! And that he should provide for me and hear my prayers. And to give me eternal life, and a home in his new creation, that I should be with him forever. These are simply beyond imagination and are completely a gift of his grace to us in the Lord Jesus.
But then I think, isn't it enough that I should be with Jesus, is it even imaginable that I should come to be like him?
The verse above tells us that here and now (by faith) we have the identity of being God's children, but one day "we shall be like him." The Apostle Paul wrote, "...those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." (Romans 8:29) The ultimate endpoint of redemption is not only that we will be with Jesus, but that we will be like him, as well.
This includes our resurrection body: "Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven." (1 Corinthians 15:49) The term for this in theology is "glorification." Paul writes that the Lord Jesus "...will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself." (Philippians 3:21)
Glorification, however, is more than receiving a new indestructible body. We shall be like the Lord in soul and spirit, in thought and feeling, in love and joy, in virtue and manner, and in relationship with all others in the new creation. We will be human (not angelic), righteous and holy (no more indwelling sin), having a resurrected body like our Lord's, glorious (beautiful and powerful), including the beauty of character and nature and attributes. It is also being in loving relationships within a community of glory. We will love each other fully and be loved fully in return. Jonathan Edwards called heaven a "holy and blessed society...without any stain of sin, or imperfection, or weakness, or imprudence, or blemish of any kind." (From Edwards' sermon, "A World of Love")
Our growth in holiness in this life is called sanctification. It is a kind of progressive glorification, whereby we are being transformed into Christ's image "from glory to glory" (2 Corinthians 3:18) We have "...put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator." (Colossians 3:10) We may think of the Christian life as merely living up to a list of requirements, but really, it's about being transformed day-by-day into the image of Christ.
To me this is simply overwhelming, that people like you and me would be so wonderfully treated by God in this way, that we should not only be with him forever, but also be like him forever! Why ever would he do this for us?
READING.
-- Read Jonathan Edwards' sermon, "A World of Love" (PDF) here.
-- "Being countercultural in our day means believing that God is the author, source, and standard of reason." From "Let the Bible Fix Your Idiocy."
-- "A regime capable of all that is afraid of a prayer app?" (George Weigel) From "Canceled in China."
-- For what it's worth, I think this was a fair recap of the recent debate.
-- “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning..." The Christian life is not passive.
FINAL QUOTE.
"Grace is the beginning of glory, and glory is grace perfected." (Thomas Manton)
That's it for this week!
Sandy
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.