Day 24 - Purified by Hope

Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Purified by Hope

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.
I John 3:2,3

The oldest trick in the book is to drive a wedge between what we believe and how we behave. Christian history is littered with groups that have tried to twist Scripture in order to justify sin. Often the argument has gone along these lines: I have been saved by grace; my sins have been forgiven; therefore it doesn’t matter what I do. Even Paul has to counter this argument in Romans 5 and 6. Just because grace abounds it doesn’t follow that sin must also abound. If we follow Christ we must do our best to live according to His will, as revealed in Scripture.

John reminds his readers that, one day, we shall see Christ “as He is.” He doesn’t get involved in idle speculation about the where, when, and how of Christ’s appearing. All John tells us is that, when that day dawns, we will reflect His holiness. That’s why it’s important for us to seek holiness today, to strive for moral purity in all things. We won’t achieve it, because we still have feet of clay; but we can look forward to the day when, with unsullied sight, we shall see our Savior’s face. It is because we have confidence in God’s promises that our hope motivates our quest for purity.

Some of the excuses are going to sound pretty hollow when they are made before God’s judgment seat. How much better to have lived in hope, and to have sought to be pure in heart, so that we might see God (Matthew 5:8).

Prayer for the Day
Merciful God,
without Your forgiveness, who could stand?
Without Your Word, who would know how to live?
Without Your Spirit, who could hope to be pure?
Guide us in Your ways; our hope is in You.
In the name of Christ our Lord.
Amen.