THE HOPE OF THE SONS OF GOD & NOT OF THE HYPOCRITES

"It is the hope of hypocrites and not of the sons of God, that makes an allowance for the gratification of impure desires and lusts." - Matthew Henry

"...the hope of being like Christ, and being permitted to dwell with Him, will lead a man to earnest efforts to become holy, and will be actually followed by such a result." - Barnes' Notes

Every Christian should be striving to be holy. In fact, every Born Again believer can be holy and is expected to be holy.

There are three basic points behind this argument.

1. They Are A Child Of God

1 John 3:1 says - "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God..."

What wonder and amazement there is in realizing that we are called the children of God. He has adopted us into His family, and we are permitted to address Him as "Father." In the past, we were "children of darkness" and "children of the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:5), but now we are "sons" and "daughters of God." What greater glory is there than this! There was no worth or loveliness in us that moved Him to adopt us. It was all because of His wondrous love!

Since He is holy - now that we are in His family - we, too, are required to be holy. As His children, we are to reflect His image and likeness. 1 John 2:29 verifies this fact - "If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him."

The Apostle John calls all believers to "behold" this great love of God bestowed upon them in adoption. By taking notice of it... looking upon it with wonder and amazement...and contemplating it - they are obligated to purity and holiness of life. Their new nature inclines them to it. The practicing of sin is understood to be inconsistent with so righteous a parentage.

2. They Are Constantly Beholding Him

1 John 3:2 says - "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is."

It is a known fact that continual beholding generates likeness. If our eyes are continuously on the world and its ways and fashions, we will become just like the world. On the other hand, if our focus is continually on the Son of God and His purity and holiness - as reflected in the Word of God - we will become fashioned into His image and likeness.

The Apostle Paul verified this fact for us in 2 Corinthians 3:18 which says - "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

There is an influence that is at work every time that we open our Bibles to read and study its contents or when we get into God's Holy Presence through prayer or worship. We cannot help but be transformed into His likeness. We become like Him in honor, power, and glory and become filled with that which He is - Life and Light.

3. Their Hope Of Being Like Christ Leads Them To Purify Themselves

1 John 3:3 says - "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure."

It is absolutely amazing how powerful hope can be in an individual's life. In this particular case, the "hope" of one day seeing Jesus as He is and becoming just like Him as a result - causes the saint to - purify himself...abstain from all evil...keep himself in the love of God... persevere in the state of purity...and implore God for His sanctifying Spirit.

The hope of becoming just like Jesus in the world to come makes him holy in this world.

You may wonder - how is this possible?

The believer's hope lies in his vision of Jesus and in his likeness to Him. The more he beholds the Savior, the more he becomes like Him. By the grace of God and the Blood of Christ, he strives to - imitate His Master in holiness of life and conversation...make Him his pattern and example...and walk as He walked - in humility, love, and patience.

Hope animates...springs people to action...and forms the motive power which - in turn - is changed into active exertion.

The foundation of the Christian's hope is the adopting love of God. The great hope to be like Christ - accomplished through communion with Him and self-sacrifice - causes the believer to turn away from self-seeking, secret sins, foul imaginations, base desires, enslaved affections, and an evil conscience.

He is in an ongoing process of purity and holiness as implied through the following Scriptures -

Acts 15:9 says - "...purifying their hearts by faith."
2 Corinthians 7:1 says - "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
Hebrews 12:14 says - "Follow peace with all men, and holiness..."
2 Peter 1:4 says - "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
2 Peter 3:14 says - "Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless."

We have a pattern and a high ideal for which we are all striving, and it is simply this - "as He is pure."

Each day, while being stirred to action by God's great adopting love and the "hope" that when Jesus comes back we shall be like Him, we keep ourselves holy and undefiled.

We have been adopted into God's family - therefore we keep ourselves pure!

Beholding Jesus causes us to be made like unto Him - therefore we have no excuse for why we are not pure!

Having this "hope" of being totally transformed as the "sons and daughters of God" - along with beholding Jesus in all of His great majesty, splendor, and glory when He returns - animates and exerts us to be pure - "as He is pure" - therefore we better be pure if we desire to be counted as His own!

Many in our day and time contest the possibility of being pure in heart - that is, of living in victory over sin in thought, word, and deed. But the Bible proves otherwise.

"...the hope of being like Christ, and being permitted to dwell with Him, will lead a man to earnest efforts to become holy, and will be actually followed by such a result."

"It is the hope of hypocrites and not of the sons of God, that makes an allowance for the gratification of impure desires and lusts."

What kind of "hope" do you have?

That of the sons of God or the hypocrites?

Is it leading you to become holy or is it making allowance for sin and its pleasures?

May God Bless His Word,
Connie

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