Many people's lives are a composite study in "short views." "When I get my driver's license ..." "When I get my degree ..." "When I start my career ..." "When I get married ..." "When I have children ..." "When I get the house I want ..." "When I have the car I want ..." "When I am the most important person in my business ..." Extend in any way or direction you wish.
God promised the Christ to Abraham (Genesis 12:3; Galatians 3:16, 29). From Abraham to Jesus' death was approximately 2000 years--by our time standards, a very long view. From Jesus' death until today is approximately 2000 years--again by our time standards a very long view. From today to judgment--who knows? Perhaps another long view.
Christianity is a "long view" religion based on generations rather than decades. To most of us what happened in the last ten years, or what is likely to happen in the next ten years, or what will happen in a lifetime is "a very long time." In Christianity, what happened in the centuries before Jesus Christ and what happened in the centuries after Jesus' death is not an excessively long time. Timeless eternity is the ultimate "long view."
One of the many things a Christian must learn through reeducation is the concept of a long view.
Consider our text and its encouragement. Though we are a people who constantly stand in need of divine forgiveness through divine mercy and human repentance (1:5-10), God is willing to consider those who accept Jesus Christ as His children. God is willing to accept the forgiven as family. Astounding! It would be amazing if He were willing to accept the forgiven as slaves with no rights. Yet, God is willing to accept us imperfect people who can approach Him only because of what He does for us in Christ as though we are His children.
However, there is a price we pay to be a part of God's family. It is a price we can pay, but we will pay it only if we seriously understand the privilege of being God's children. The price: belonging to God (which is not typical of people in this physical existence) means we do not belong to physical preoccupation or motivations (which do characterize the majority in this physical existence).
John's statement reminds us of Jesus' statement about the apostles made in a prayer the night before Jesus died. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world (John 17:14-16). The obvious point: those who dare to be Jesus' disciples and God's children actively serve God and His values, and are not a part of the forces that oppose God or His values. That choice is not an easy decision that is made once and never again challenged.
Consider: one of our problems in being God's children does not rest in God's view of us but our view of ourselves. As we spiritually mature, we increase in awareness of how much we struggle with temptation, with spiritual failure, with exposure to evil. Spiritual maturity requires honesty with self. Honesty with self constantly reminds us that we in no way deserve to be in God's family. That honesty stresses our faith. We are forced to realize we are in God's family because God places us in His family. It is not because we are wonderful and have done wonderful things. It is because God is wonderful and did wonderful things in Jesus' death and resurrection. We would prefer to be in God's family because we are so desirable to God. We would prefer that God desire us because we produce irresistibly wonderful things. Yet, our own lives demand that we confess it is not our desirability, but God's mercy (consider Romans 7:24-8:1). As Christians, we confess that we are God's children because of Jesus' death, not because we are wonderful. It is God's doing, not ours! God did and does; we respond to His doing!
John then stressed the long view. What God did for us in Jesus' death hardly compares to what Christians shall become when Jesus returns. What is to come is so marvelous that we cannot even imagine it. We shall be like the resurrected Savior, and that is just the beginning!
How do we declare our confidence in "the best is yet to come"? If that is the focus of our hope in life (recognizing the core of this hope is expectation, not mere wishes), we commit ourselves to purity based on the values and standards of Jesus' purity. To commit to such purity is easy to say but demanding to do. It is fairly easy to commit to such purity with words. It is demanding to commit to such purity in lifestyle.
Why? (1) We must use God's values, priorities, and purposes to redefine purity. That means we first identify God's concept of purity and then reeducate ourselves in His concept. (2) Once we learn what it means to be pure, we transform our behavior and our motives to live in agreement with this new concept. If you are not impressed that God's concept of purity is demanding, consider just a few things. Purity means we are devoted to forgiveness and mercy instead of justice. It means we are devoted to service rather than vengeance. It means we learn when to be silent and when to speak up. It means we learn when to do and when to be inactive. Most people find all of those demanding.
For Thought and Discussion
Link to Teacher's Guide
Lesson 8