PONDERINGS FROM 1 JOHN 3 -- Part 2: Hope

1 John 3:2-3, 5 "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. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as he is pure...and you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin."

Living with the hope of knowing that someday I shall be like Him, gives me the drive to "purify myself". My hope can be in nothing, but Jesus. He is the One Who saves me. He is the One who is "manifested to take away our sins". 

When contemplating this thought, I read some things by David Guzik that really put some light on these verses.  In thinking about sin... all my hope of being saved from sin is in Christ. None of it lies with me.  Jesus saves me from the penalty of sin (justification), the power of sin (sanctification), and the presence of sin (glorification) in my life.  It is a work we must respond to, but it is HIS work.  I do not need to clean myself up before coming to Christ, but I come to Him, and let Him do the cleaning.  This is why I can say, my only hope is in Christ.  My ONLY HOPE is in CHRIST. When He is my only hope, my response will be to purify myself.

The question isn't, 'Do you sin?' but rather how do you respond to sin in your life? 

ARE YOU DOING BATTLE AGAINST SIN IN YOUR LIFE?

Battling sin and hating it in our lives is the process of "purifying ourselves" and is great evidence of genuine salvation.

"The grace that does not change my life will not save my soul." ~Spurgeon