1 John 3:2-3
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
The question is often asked, why would God created humans knowing they had the capacity to break His heart? If everything He made was good, how did humanity get so bad? And what about the tree of good and evil? Why place temptation right in the center of the garden in the first place? What’s the logic in allowing sin, lust, violence, hatred, jealousy or greed to even exist? If God is ultimately supreme, couldn’t He have just made us perfect?
Well, maybe He has…or better yet is. When we look at the creative process of God in Genesis and it’s eternal timeline, isn’t it plausible that an all knowing God made prevision for our maturation and is currently working to bring us all to the image and likeness of His beloved Son. Perhaps the perfection that we seek is still future. In other words, God is not finished with us yet!
Let’s take a close look at John; with special emphasis on his first few words, “Beloved, now we are children of God”. And for me, the major thought in this segment is the single word, “Now”. The word “Now” connotes that there was a before, right? So, if we are “Now” children of God, what we’re we before? And how did we make this important transition?
We gotta talk about this. Let’s start at the beginning. Ever notice how the final scene depicted in Revelation is very similar to the beginning scene in Genesis? (Except there will be countless worshippers joining in celebration instead of just Adam and Eve). Study the scriptures and you will discover an evolution since Genesis, a rebirthing and a progression in the creative processes of God that is causing the earth, animals, trees, oceans and seas to all respond to the coming of the Lord. What God started in the beginning will be completed. God will have His perfect garden, with perfect people in it.
God’s plan of perfection and purity from the very beginning of time has been fulfilled in Christ Jesus. To meet that standard, there is a metamorphosis we must encounter as we go from mortal to immortality. We are being made complete in Him daily. But John reveals a mystery in his declaration, saying ‘we really don’t know what we shall be, except that we will be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is’.
But watch the arrogance and self indulgence of flesh. Our inquiry of God presumes we are a complete and finished product. We think we are all that we need to be; it’s God that needs to change. So, our flesh resist and rejects transformation. But the Apostle Paul in a letter to the Romans concludes, “the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His”. Romans 8:7-9
I hope you see what’s happening here. Our perception and perspective of the complexities of the process of creation seeks to accuse God of not ‘getting it right’. In our minds, we would have done things differently. But God, knowing all, controlling all, and existing eternally, designed a process that not only brought humanity into existence, but fashioned us as His children. Through the Spirit we now have become like His Son. The very pinnacle of created beings. Think of the life of a butterfly. When it was created it was a caterpillar. It is unattractive and has limited motion, range or usefulness. But through the process of metamorphosis the caterpillar becomes a beautiful creature. The fulfillment of our destiny is in an ongoing process of becoming more and more like Jesus. As we transform from our initial birth to the new birth, we reach that point where John declares is purity. The place of perfection. A finished product in Christ Jesus.
God Bless
