I John 3:1-3

Now please turn over to I John 3, verse 1. Christ had a clear goal which helped Him resist temptation. If we share that same goal and hope to be like Him when He appears, we will also stay committed to avoiding sin, and we must strive to be like Him in purity and righteousness. It is the pure in heart who will see God. Here we are going to read verses 1 through 3.

The term "purifies himself" means the same thing as "makes himself holy." Now we who are under the influence of this hope of being like the Savior put forth effort in struggling against sin and in overcoming our human nature, which is necessary to make us pure. To succeed in resisting temptation, we rely on divine aid, but our effort is fundamentally linked to this success. The hope of becoming like Christ and of being permitted to dwell with Him will motivate us to make sincere efforts to become holy.

The apostle John suggests that those who possess this hope pursue the same purity and holiness and will ultimately attain it. John's statement, just as He is pure, has tremendous ramifications for you and I. "Just as" means the same kind of purity, to the same degree. That is, such a hope tends to make us holy now, though we may be imperfect. God has set us apart, and He is sanctifying us.

The ultimate effect is to make us perfectly holy as spirit beings in the Kingdom of God. And in this life, we do not attain the same perfect purity as Christ, who is a spirit being and completely holy.

So through Christ's life, we see how amazing God is and understand what He is truly like. As we learn more, God's Spirit helps us grow. Becoming morally Christ-like is a gradual process, and it is called in Scripture sanctification. The more we follow Him closely, the more we will become like Him.

That is why it is so important that we nip it in the bud at temptation, before it becomes desire. A faithful Christian does not habitually and willfully sin. However, we acknowledge that we sometimes do sin, not as a way of life, but out of fleshly weakness. So we know people cannot attain a state of sinless perfection on earth.

John's statement in verse 3 proves three things. 1) it proves that the tendency or the influence of this hope is to make us pure. 2) it proves that as we value it, we will strive to become as holy as Christ. And 3) it proves that this goal of purity will be accomplished. God will be the One who accomplishes it through us, but we have our part to play.

Jesus has genuine sympathy toward us in our quest for purity. It is not those who fall at the first attack that feel the full weight of temptation, but those who, like Christ, resist it over many years until the very end. And only the victors can help the vanquished. Only they who have endured the terrible assault and still stand firm can stand with Christ and provide help for those who have fallen.

I John 3:1-3

If we had the time, I could show you many verses where God shows the rewards that are going to go to those who glorify His name. Remember that we do that (i.e., break the third commandment) not just with what comes out of our mouth - swear words. That is just one small part of it. God is interested in the whole landscape of our witness for Him - the conduct of our lives in every area, and even our attitudes. Do they live up to (are they holding up the reputation of) the name, which we now bear?

What John is doing here is calling upon these people to remember their privileges in bearing the name of God.

That is what John is doing here in I John. It is a gentle reminder to those of us who bear the name of God - to purify ourselves and uphold that name. There might be what could be considered a paradox here. We think that, in order to know God, we have to see Him. In order to be like Him, we have to see Him. But God says, No. He has not given us opportunity to see Him. And we are not going to see Him until He chooses to reveal Himself to us this way. Instead, God has chosen to operate His purposes by faith. He has revealed what He is (1) through a multitude of circumstances, (2) through His names, and (3) especially by the life of Jesus Christ. And, by faith, He wants us to emulate Him by means of His Spirit. The power is there to do it.

Brethren, I feel confident that if we saw Him in the flesh (that is, our flesh - not His flesh), if we saw Him while we were still flesh and blood, either one of two things would happen. We would be so over-awed by His holiness, by His purity, that we would just give up and quit right there. Or, our curiosity would be satisfied and we would give up even there. God's way is best. He knows what He is doing. He wants us to emulate Him and uphold His name through the revelation that is coming through Jesus Christ.

I John 3:1-3

Do you know why John put that in there? Because that is the way that you take on the image of God that you are shooting for. In this case, it is a matter of purity. I will also insert another word here, it is a matter of holiness. The words “pure” and “holy” can almost be interchanged. The words “holy” and “clean” can be also.

Now, the word “holy” connotes a great deal more than that, but for the purposes of this sermon, it is good enough. This sermon will at least be partly on this subject—purifying ourselves so that we can strain forward toward the goal that lies before us.

I John 3:1-2

In a physical sense, a lover always wishes that the object of their love might share all their privileges, and it is the same with Jesus Christ with His bride, all the privileges and blessings and enjoyments. And so Christ desires that we may share in some of His eternal glory. So when is He satisfied?