Now and Then

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.
I John 3:2

Where are we now? Where are we going? It is worthwhile to take stock of our present, and to lay the groundwork for our future. When running a race, it is good to be situationally aware of where we are in the course and to keep the prospect of the prize before us. Our text today gives us a summary of that very thing, with cause for great rejoicing. We may take stock of our present state and declare with confidence that we are already members of the Royal Family. We are already the heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. This points up the value of justification and adoption, those two forensic acts whereby we receive the imputed righteousness on the one hand and the standing as sons and daughters of God on the other. Having said that, God is not finished with us yet. “It does not yet appear what we shall be.” This touches upon the work of sanctification which God is doing in us continually. While our lives are not easy, as we battle the world, the flesh, and the Devil, we have the most powerful Father in all the universe, the Only Savior, and the Most Effective Engineer to apply the things of Christ to us. He will never give up on us. The capstone of this text is that we know what is coming in the ultimate sense. First, we know that Christ is coming. Second, we know that our sanctification will eventually match our justification. Third, the completion of that will be at the shining moment when we see Christ face to face. Therefore, I may proceed in my use of the means of grace today, knowing that the Grace of God will never fail.

Our Gracious God,
do perform today,
the thing appointed for us.
We hope in You alone.

Where the Bush is Burning
Tomm Tice