In the Father’s Image

1 John 3:1-3
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, June 10, 2001
Copyright © 2001, P. G. Mathew

How great is the 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. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

1 John 3:1-3

Have you ever heard someone say, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life”? The only problem is that it is not true, as the Bible clearly declares. God does not have a wonderful plan for everyone, but he does have a wonderful plan for every elect. In 1 John 3:1-3 we read about God’s wonderful plan for our lives.

God’s Wonderful Plan

When we hear that God has a wonderful plan for us, we may come up with our own ideas of what that plan is. For example, if you are a young girl, you may think it means you will have a tall, handsome husband with lots of money and a big house, who will be an elder in the church and a member of the city council. Your idea will probably include having two children, a boy and a girl.

These may be our ideas, but they are not what God means when he speaks about his great purpose for our lives. God’s plan is revealed to us in a number of places in the Scriptures. For example, in 2 Timothy 1:9-10 Paul writes:

[God] has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

In Ephesians 1 Paul also writes about God’s great plan. In verses 3 and 4 he says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” Here we learn that God wants his people to be holy and blameless in his sight so that they can be brought into his presence to see him and be with him forever. In other words, God’s plan for us is eternal life.

In Romans 8:28-30 Paul writes about this plan as well. In verse 28 he begins, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Here we see that there are two limits-one subjective and the other objective. The subjective limit is “to those who love him.” The objective limit is to “those who have been called according to his purpose.” God has a good purpose for those who love him which is accomplished in time.

In verse 29 Paul continues, “For those God foreknew he also predestined. . . .” Referring to a specific number of people, the word “foreknew” is used in the Bible to mean “to love.” Paul is not speaking about God’s prevision of some people but about God’s love for them. Yes, God knows and sees all things, but this foreknowledge is a love that differentiates between people. In other words, God loved certain people in eternity, before the creation of the world.

Then Paul reveals God’s purpose in foreknowing and predestinating certain people: that they be “conformed to the likeness of his Son.” There are two aspects to this purpose of God: first, that God will have a certain number of people who will be conformed both morally and bodily to the image of Jesus Christ; and, second, that Jesus Christ will be preeminent, the firstborn among many brothers, the head of the church. We will be eminent, and he will be preeminent.

God’s purpose, then, is to create a people who correspond to Jesus Christ morally and bodily, that they may be with him forever. That is what is meant by being predestined to be conformed to the image of the Son.

Conformed to the Image of the Son

In 1 John 3:2 we read, “Dear friends, now we are children of God.” God has made us his children and is now recreating in us his image and likeness. John continues, “and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him.” The completion of God’s creative work will take place when the Lord Jesus Christ appears. Then we will be like him, which is the precondition for seeing him as he is.

No man can see God as he is because of sin. Even the apostles did not see Jesus Christ as he is, because their perception of him was clouded by the sin in them. But when Christ comes again, they will join us in seeing him as he is. The penalty and power of sin has already been taken away, but when Christ comes again the presence of sin will also be taken away. When that happens, we will be able to see him as he is.

God’s high and holy purpose for his people is that they will be like him, bearing his moral likeness, so that they may have eternal fellowship with him. This is what the Scriptures describe as eternal life.

God’s plan is for us to be like him. The late professor John Murray of Westminster Theological Seminary said, “To aspire to be like God, in one sense, is the essence of virtue, because it is God’s plan. To aspire to be like him, in another sense, is the greatest iniquity.” The devil counseled Eve how to be like God, as we read in Genesis 3:5, “When you eat of [the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” That was trying to be like God in the wrong sense. But God’s plan for us is to be like him in the good sense.

So God’s eternal plan for us is not to give us a wedge of gold in this world. I know some people love things and want only to be surrounded by them. But God has a plan for us that is very high, very holy, very heavenly, very spiritual. He wants to create a people to be like him that they may have eternal fellowship with him.

Review

In studying 1 John 2:28-3:3, we have already noted several points about God’s plan for us. First, we are beloved of God. John writes, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” This is the basis of our entire Christian life. Everything else proceeds from God’s eternal foreloving of us.

Second, as those beloved of the Father, we are born of God. If God has foreloved and predestinated us, he does, in time, call us, justify us, and glorify us. All of these flow out of the great love God the Father has for us.

Third, as children of God, we will behave the way God wants us to behave. Because he is righteous, those born of him will be righteous. If you are not behaving the way God wants you to, you should not easily conclude that you are born of God. You may still be a child of the devil.

Fourth, as children of God, we have a blessed hope: the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Fifth, as children of God, if we walk in his ways we will have boldness and confidence, parrêsia, at his coming, the parousia. Instead of being ashamed in God’s presence because of sin, we will long for his appearance and anticipate greeting him with great confidence.

The sixth and seventh points, which we will discuss in this study, are that we will bear God’s image in its final form and will behold him forever.

God’s plan for us is so high that nothing greater can be conceived for creatures like us. That is why we must not fall in love with this world and miss out on God’s plan. People who are full of worldliness-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boasting of things-do not have the love of God in them. Drunk from the cup of worldliness, they stagger around, confused and blind, not able to see God’s eternal plan for them. What foolishness it is to think that God’s plan is to make us rich, famous, healthy, and handsome! God’s plan is that we bear the Father’s likeness as his dear children, that we become Christlike in every way.

First, then, we want to discuss how God has already begun his work in us; second, that he continues it; and third, that he will complete it.

God Began This Work

The first thing we must realize is that God has already begun this work of recreating us in his image. The Bible tells us that by nature we were children of the devil, without strength and at enmity with God. The wrath of God was revealed against us. In our sinful state we behaved like our father the devil. Every time we sinned, it was as if we were taking grenades in our hands and throwing them at the very face of God, trying to blast him out of existence.

This is a true picture of what we were. But because God loved us in all eternity, he began a work in us. He predestinated us in Jesus Christ and, in time, he began his work. In Philippians 1:6 we read, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” When Paul preached at Philippi, God opened the heart of Lydia and others to receive the gospel and a church was started there. Now Paul was writing to the Philippians of his certainty that God had truly begun this work of restoring the image of God in them, which would result in them being morally fit to be in the presence of God “until the day of Christ Jesus.”

In Ephesians 2 we also read about God beginning his work in his people’s lives. In verses 1-3 we read, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” In other words, we were dead toward God and alive only in the sphere of sin. As slaves to Satan in our minds, wills, and emotions, the only thing we could do was sin. We had no capacity to do anything spiritually acceptable. We were dead and by nature objects of wrath.

But then God acted in our behalf, as we read in verse 5-8: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” What was the reason for God’s action? His great love. It is the source of all that happens to us. Because of his great love, God made us alive. That is the beginning of his work in time of restoring in us the image of Christ.

Paul concludes his thought in verse 10: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We are God’s creation! God, the master artist, has taken the canvas and is beginning to recreate us in his image. He does so by making us alive, raising us up, and seating us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

We find this idea also in Romans 8:29, where we read, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” And in verse 30 we read, “And those he predestined, he also called. . . .” In time, in redemptive history, God effectually calls those he foreknew and predestinated. In other words, those whom he chose in Christ before the creation of the world he begins to save in time.

Effectual calling speaks about regeneration. We are made alive by the powerful operation of the Spirit of the living God. He makes us new in the interior of our lives, as we read in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

Why am I not looking for a wedge of gold and the glories of this world? My eyes have been opened to heavenly realities! God has a high, holy, and heavenly plan for me. I will not trade my birthright for some stew, no matter how tasty it appears. I will say “No!” to ungodliness and “Yes” to Jesus Christ.

God Continues His Work

Having begun his work in us, God continues it on a daily basis while we live in this world. This process is called sanctification. God loved us from eternity and predestinated us to the grand purpose of conforming us to the image of his Son. In time, he effectually called us through the preaching of the gospel. We made the good confession, “Jesus is Lord,” and believed in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, and were saved.

In time, then, God effectually called us, causing us to be born again and to trust savingly in Jesus Christ alone, and so we have been justified forever. On the basis of Christ’s work alone, all our sins have been forgiven and the perfect righteousness of Christ has been credited to our account. Our heavenly King has declared that we are righteous in his sight forever.

But the truth is, sin is still with us, so God’s work must continue so that we may be made experimentally holy by his sanctifying grace. That is what is happening to us now. In 1 John 1:7 we read, “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.” In 1 John 2:6 we read, “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” In 1 John 2:29 we read, “If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him,” and in 1 John 3:3 we read, “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure.” All these things are true of us because God continues to work in our lives. He creates in us a hatred for evil and a love for that which is holy, righteous, and good.

In Colossians 3:9 Paul instructs us, “Do not lie to each other. . . .” What did we do before God began to work in us? We lied. In fact, that was the only thing we could do, because we could only sin. There is a Latin phrase to describe this condition: non posse non peccare (not possible not to sin). But now we are characterized by the condition of posse non peccare (possible for us not to sin). This is true Christian freedom! We are not the same old people doing the same old things. God has set us free so that we can now hate sin and do what is right.

Paul continues, “since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed. . .” Paul uses the word anakainoumenon, renewed, which is a present participle. This is God’s continuance of his work of bringing into us his image and likeness, that we may be morally fit. So Paul says we have taken off our old self and put on a new self, which is continually being renewed.

Then Paul says our new self is being renewed, “in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” God wants to own a group of people who will bear the image of their Creator just as children bear the image of their father. What will happen if we do not bear the image of God in this way? In Matthew 7 we read about those who will come to Jesus and say, “Lord, Lord,” but they do not bear his image. What will Jesus say to such people? “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” People who claim to be Christians but do not bear the image of Christ are false professors.

In 2 Corinthians 3:18 we read, “And we, who with unveiled faces, all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” Here we find the present participle metamorphoumetha, indicating that we are “being transformed into his likeness” from one degree of glory to another in an ongoing process.

So God began a work in us and he is continuing it. What is the standard to which we are being conformed? The likeness of Christ. We may want to bring the standard down to accommodate our own sin and weakness, but it will not work. Throughout the Bible God tells his people, “Be holy, for I am holy,” and “Without holiness no one shall see the Lord.” God’s standard is high, and God is faithful. If he began a work in us, he will continue until we are conformed to his high standard.

God Completes His Work

How often do we purpose to do something but never do it? Remember how you said you would get up at 5:30 in the morning, but you never did? Remember how you said you would exercise at least 45 minutes a day but you didn’t? Sinful man changes his mind. But when God purposes something, he fulfills it. God began a work in us, he is continuing it, and he will complete it.

Why do we have to be made like Christ? Because likeness to God is the precondition for the beatific vision of God. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,” Jesus told us. Elsewhere we read, “Without holiness no one shall see the Lord.” God began the work of restoring the image of God in us and he continues it daily, renewing us and transforming us. That is why even now we are able to love God, seek his will, hear his voice, and obey him. But soon he will complete this work in us. Then we shall be completely conformed to the image of Christ.

In 1 John 3:2 John writes, “Dear friends, now we are children of God and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” God has begun the painting and continues it. But the final touches will be made in the future when we shall be made completely like him.

In 1 Corinthians 15:49 Paul says, “And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.” The Bible recognizes two men, Adam and Christ. The first Adam was an earthly man. He is the representative head of the human race, so that when he sinned, we all sinned. That is why we inherit a sin nature through him. But God has given us another man, the man from heaven-Jesus Christ-and we who are Christians are going to bear his image.

So this verse says, “And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man,” referring to the first Adam, “so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.” The word in the Greek is phoresomen, which means we shall bear continually, habitually. In other words, it will be an image that we will not lose. We shall continuously bear the image of the man from heaven, meaning the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the same idea we find in 1 John 3:2.

At what point in the future will the Master Painter put the final touch of his redemption on the painting of our lives? At the second coming of Christ. We find reference to this in Colossians 3:2-4, where we read, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will appear with him in glory.” That means the work will be done.

In Philippians 1:6 Paul said that he was persuaded that he who began a work in us would continue it until the day of Christ Jesus. In Philippians 3:20-21 he speaks of its completion, saying, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” What does bringing everything under Christ’s control mean? It means that Jesus Christ has the authority and power to bring all things, including every rebellion and enemy in God’s universe, under his control.

At the same time, Paul says, the Lord Jesus Christ will transform our lowly bodies. The Greek word is metaschêmatisei. PGM Paul knew his body was lowly just by looking at it, just as Abraham and Sarah looked at their bodies and acknowledged that they were dead. But God’s great purpose is to make us physically as well as morally like his Son, Jesus Christ. He has a glorious body and he is going to give us glorious bodies as well. This is our blessed hope. All this will happen at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Second Coming of Christ

So John writes, “But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” First Thessalonians 4:13-17 gives us some detail of this appearing.

First, though, let me ask you: Do you believe that Jesus Christ is coming again? Many of us do in theory, but how many of us really believe he is coming back again? How many of us would be ready to meet him if he comes tonight? If only we considered the immediacy of the second coming of Christ, a wife wouldn’t fight with her husband and a husband wouldn’t argue with his wife. If we really thought that Jesus Christ is coming right now, we would purify ourselves even as he is pure. We wouldn’t dare to be rebellious. We can find out who believes in the second coming of Christ by observing their behavior. The one who believes in the second coming is the one who purifies himself daily.

Are you ready if Jesus comes again, even tonight? We all must examine ourselves. You may say, “Maybe I am not ready. I think certain things need to be set right first-certain relationships need to be made right, certain sins must be hated and disposed of, there are certain activities of love I should take. I must redeem the time better.”

The Return of Christ

First Thessalonians 4 gives us some details of the second coming of Christ. According to Dr. John Stott, there are four points to be noted in this passage: the return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the rapture of the living, and the reunion of the saints.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:16 we read, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven. . . .” This tells us that the return of Jesus Christ will be personal, not by proxy. He is not going to send an archangel or other messenger in his place. The Lord Jesus Christ himself will come down from heaven with great glory and power as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Every eye shall see him, and there will be universal recognition of this great Sovereign, who is given all authority over all the universe and is the head of the church.

Additionally, we are told he will come publicly with a great shout. In verse 16 we read that the Lord will come down from heaven “with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God.” It is the shout of the King of kings and Lord of lords. In ancient times the word was used to describe the command of charioteers to their horses, of commanders to their soldiers, of ship captains to the rowers, and so on. But when Jesus Christ shouts, it is the shout of all authority and power-the shout of the supreme emperor summoning all people, especially his church, to the great synagogue, the great coming together, the great assembly.

In Matthew 24 we are told that when he comes again, Jesus Christ will send his angels to the far corners of the earth to summon all people, living and dead. The dead will be raised and those who are living will be changed. There will be two assemblies: the assembly of the church, the ekklesia, the people of God, who will come together for a joyful assembly, and the assembly of the enemies of God. Everyone, believer and unbeliever, will hear the shout of the voice of the Lord.

We read about the commanding voice of the Lord in several other places in the Scriptures. In John 11 we read about Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus. All of a sudden, Jesus raised his voice and commanded, “Lazarus, come forth!” and the dead man came out. In John 10:3-4, 16 Jesus said his sheep know his voice. Do you know his voice? Whether you hear or not now, you will know it when he comes with a shout.

So we read, “for the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel.” Who is this archangel? Perhaps it is Michael, who is named elsewhere as an archangel. Paul continues, “and with the trumpet call of God,” which elsewhere is called the last trump.

The Resurrection of the Dead

The second point we find in 1 Thessalonians 4 is the resurrection of those who have died in Christ. There are two ways to die-in one’s sin or in Jesus Christ. We must think seriously about this issue. We may die tonight, or he may come tonight. The question is whether or not we have trusted in Jesus Christ.

So Paul writes in verse 16, “the dead in Christ will rise first.” In other words, at the second coming of Christ, the living do not have an advantage over those who died in Christ; rather, those who have died will be raised up first. In this final act, all three Persons of the Trinity are active. The Father raises the dead, the Son raises the dead, and the Holy Spirit raises the dead. All three Persons are involved in this great salvation of restoring us to the image of God.

The Rapture of the Living

The third point is the rapture of the living. Paul writes in verse 17, “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” Look at that word “caught up.” It is from the Latin word, rapere, or the Greek word, rapazo. The English word is used to mean great joy and ecstasy of embrace, but that is not what is meant here.

In Acts 8:39 we find this word rapture used in its literal sense. Remember the story of Philip and the eunuch? Philip baptized the eunuch and “when they came up from the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away.” Verse 40 tells us Philip reappeared in Azotus.

That is the biblical idea of rapture. It is sudden and irresistible. The dead in Christ shall rise first, and then those who are alive will be changed. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul speaks about this, saying that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. In other words, we cannot enter the kingdom of God as we are born naturally. Both the dead in Christ and we who are alive must be transformed. That will be the final touch upon the masterpiece of God’s painting.

At the second coming of Christ, all will be changed and then, together with those who were made alive, those who are living will be snatched up. We are not told who does it. We know the Spirit of the Lord-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit-will snatch us up, and we will suddenly rise from the earth to the heavenlies. That is rapture. The same word is used by Paul in 2 Corinthians 12 where he says he knew a man who, whether in the body or out of the body, was also snatched up to the third heaven. This word is used several other times in the Scriptures.

Reunion with Saints and Christ

The fourth point is that after the rapture there will be a great reunion. We will be reunited with friends and relatives who have died in Christ. The dead in Christ will rise first; then, if we happen to be alive at the time, we will be changed and caught up together with them. Oh, what a day that will be! What embracing! What recognition! What joy! What satisfaction!

But then there will be another reunion, which will be even greater. Remember how the apostles were left looking up into the heavens when Jesus ascended? Two angels came down and asked them, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” On the last day there will be a great reunion of the church with the Head of the church, Jesus Christ. That will be the greatest thrill of our life-the bride will meet her heavenly Bridegroom. What joy!

The Glorious Transformation

So there will be return, resurrection, rapture and reunion at the second coming of Christ. But there will also be a change. In 1 Corinthians 15:50 Paul writes, “I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does perishable inherit the imperishable.” We cannot enter the kingdom as we are by nature. There has to be change because, by nature, we are not fit for immortality. It is as if our foreheads are stamped with one word: “Perishable.”

Paul continues, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep but we will all be changed.” He is speaking about both the dead in Christ as well as those who live. “We will all be changed.”.

When will this change come to pass? Paul says, “in a flash.” The phrase is en atomô, from which we have the word “atom.” An atom is that which cannot be divided. In other words, it is the smallest unit of matter, or, in this case, time. It is something that cannot be divided further. In modern language, when referring to time, en atomô means “in a split second.’ Paul gives us another phrase to describe how long it will take to make this transformation: en ripê ophthalmou, which means “in the twinkling of an eye.” In other words, this change will take place almost instantaneously.

When will this change occur? At the last trumpet. As we said before, the last trumpet is the final act of God in redemptive history. So Paul writes, “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable.” Yes, we have “Perishable” written all over us, but we must tell ourselves that this is not our final end. One of these days the perishable will be clothed with imperishable, dishonor will be clothed with glory, weakness will be clothed with power, the natural will be clothed with the spiritual, and mortality will be clothed with immortality.

“For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.” This is divine order. The first Adam made this mess, but the second Adam will clean it up. So we will become imperishable, glorious, spiritual, and powerful, conformed to the image of Christ.

God’s Wonderful Plan for Our Lives

John tells us when we are made like Christ, then we shall behold him as he is. Perhaps John was remembering the high priestly prayer of Christ in which he said, ” Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world” (John 17:24). We do not know fully what is going to happen when we see God, but how grand, how glorious, how wonderful and how satisfying it will be! So Paul quotes the Old Testament, saying, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9, quoting Isaiah 64:4).

What is the destiny of Christians? We are destined to glory, to shine as stars in the heavens as we enjoy eternal life in God’s presence. In Daniel 12:2 we read, “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.” Then Daniel speaks about the people of God, those in whose lives the image of God has been restored: “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.”

Did I say God has a wonderful plan for your life? It is absolutely true. But it is incomprehensible. We cannot fully understand God’s wonderful plan. That is why John says we do not know what we shall be, but then we will know, and the world will recognize both him and us. We who are now like dull chrysalises in the eyes of the world will fly like beautiful butterflies in the realms of glory at the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

What Are You Destined For?

What is your destiny? I hope you are not hoping for that cup of soup, that wedge of gold, that worldly recognition and power. I hope you will not be fooled by that which is temporal. If you are a child of God, you are destined for eternal glory in the presence of God.

Has God begun his good work in you? Have you repented of your sins and trusted in Jesus Christ, the crucified one, the risen King? Are you on your way to the everlasting bliss of being like him and being with him forever? In 1 Thessalonians 4 Paul says, “So shall we be with him forever,” meaning there will be no more separation. Parting is painful. But Paul says there will be no separation. “So shall we be with the Lord forever,” Paul says. Then he adds, “Therefore, encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:17-18).

May God have mercy upon us all and help us to live in the light of the truth that Jesus Christ is coming again. May he help us to purify ourselves in the light of this great truth. By God’s mercy we are still alive, and God is still speaking peace to us. May God forgive our sins, cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and give us his peace. Amen.