Daily Devotional for Sunday, May 04, 2025

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Becoming What We Are Not Yet: A Devotional Reflection on 1 John 3:2

The Hope of Transformation and the Promise of Seeing Christ As He Is

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” — 1 John 3:2

The epistle of 1 John is a letter of spiritual reassurance, moral exhortation, and doctrinal clarity, written near the end of the first century, likely around 90–95 C.E. The aged apostle John, an eyewitness of Christ and the last surviving apostle, speaks with pastoral tenderness and apostolic authority to believers faced with spiritual confusion. False teachers, including early Gnostic infiltrators, had begun to deny the humanity of Christ and promote lawlessness cloaked in spirituality. Against this backdrop, John writes to reaffirm the believer’s identity, responsibility, and eternal hope.

1 John 3:2 sits in the heart of a larger section dealing with the believer’s sonship and the practical implications of righteousness. Following the emphatic declaration of 3:1—“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are”—verse 2 continues the thought with one of the most profound and hope-filled affirmations in the New Testament. John reminds his readers that they are already God’s children, yet not fully revealed for what they will become. There is a glorious transformation awaiting them, bound not in vague spiritual evolution, but in the certainty of Christ’s return and the promise of being made like him.

This verse simultaneously grounds believers in the present and lifts their eyes to the future. It is both identity and expectation. It emphasizes certainty—“we are God’s children now”—and anticipation—“what we will be has not yet appeared.” It focuses not on mystical experience or personal speculation, but on the clear promise tied to the second coming of Christ: “when he appears… we shall be like him.”

Let us examine each phrase of this remarkable verse, drawing out its rich doctrinal and devotional content, allowing it to strengthen our hope, purify our walk, and deepen our longing for the day when we shall see Christ as he is.

“Beloved, we are God’s children now…”

John begins with an affectionate address: “Beloved” (Greek: ἀγαπητοί, agapētoi). This is not casual sentiment; it reflects John’s pastoral heart. He uses the term often to address fellow believers as those who are deeply loved—by God and by the apostle himself. Love defines the Christian community, not just in ethical practice, but in identity. And nowhere is that more evident than in this truth: “we are God’s children now.”

This is not a hope, nor a future designation. It is a present reality. The Greek construction is emphatic—νῦν τέκνα θεοῦ ἐσμέν (nun tekna theou esmen): “Now, children of God we are.” This status is not earned by effort or descent but is granted by divine grace. It echoes John 1:12—“But to all who did receive him… he gave the right to become children of God.” This adoption is a definitive act of God’s love (1 John 3:1), and it redefines everything about the believer’s identity.

To be a child of God means to be accepted, protected, disciplined, and destined for inheritance. It is not a general reference to human beings as God’s creatures; it is a spiritual, legal standing given only to those who are in Christ by faith. This present sonship (or daughtership) shapes our moral behavior, our prayers, and our hope.

But John does not stop at what we are. He points to something even greater—what we are not yet.

“…and what we will be has not yet appeared…”

This phrase acknowledges a key tension in Christian theology: the already-not yet nature of salvation. We are already children of God, yet our full transformation is not yet visible. The Greek word for “appeared” (ἐφανερώθη, ephanerōthē) means to be manifested, to become visible, to be disclosed. In other words, what believers are destined to become has not yet been fully revealed.

This statement humbles us. It reminds us that our current appearance—frail bodies, sinful tendencies, incomplete understanding—does not reflect our ultimate destiny. While regeneration has already occurred, glorification remains future. We are becoming what we are not yet.

Paul touches this same truth in Romans 8:18–19—“the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us… the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” The transformation of believers into the likeness of Christ is still hidden, like seeds underground. The world does not see it, and often neither do we. But the change is certain. The unveiling is scheduled. The metamorphosis is guaranteed by the promises of God.

This reality keeps us from despair. When we feel weak, tempted, confused, or insignificant, we remember: what we are becoming has not yet appeared. Our current state is not our final state. Our spiritual journey is forward-looking, tied not to earthly perfection now, but to a future unveiling that will glorify the name of God.

“…but we know that when he appears…”

John now reveals the certainty of Christian hope. “We know” (Greek: οἴδαμεν, oidamen) is not wishful thinking. It is apostolic assurance. It reflects the knowledge of those who have heard from the beginning, who trust the promises of God, and who rest in the testimony of the Spirit-breathed Word. What is known? That Christ will appear.

The phrase “when he appears” (ἐὰν φανερωθῇ, ean phanerōthē) directly connects to Christ’s second coming. The verb φανερόω (phaneroō) is used of visible manifestations. It is the same word John used earlier: what we will be has not yet appeared, but when he appears, everything will change. The focus here is not on the time or manner of Christ’s return, but on the effect it will have on his people.

Christ’s appearing is not theoretical. It is promised (Acts 1:11), expected (Titus 2:13), and will occur “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52). For the faithful, this event is not a day of terror but of triumph. It marks the fulfillment of every hope, the resolution of every struggle, and the transformation of every believer.

“…we shall be like him…”

This is the staggering result of Christ’s return: we shall be like him (Greek: ὅμοιοι αὐτῷ ἐσόμεθα, homoioi autō esometha). The likeness here is not identity in essence—believers do not become divine—but moral and physical conformity to Christ’s glorified humanity. This is the same Christ who was raised immortal, incorruptible, and exalted. His glorified body is the prototype for our own resurrection (Philippians 3:21).

This transformation is total: body, soul, and spirit will be renewed. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:49—“Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.” The same reality is promised in Romans 8:29—“those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” That conformity is not just behavioral imitation. It is ontological re-creation. We will be as Christ is: holy, sinless, immortal, and fit for eternal communion with God.

What is profound here is the contrast between what we see now and what we shall be. Believers now experience temptation, sorrow, confusion, and weakness. But that will not last. In the twinkling of an eye, the transformation will occur (1 Corinthians 15:52), and we will become what we were always meant to be—true sons and daughters in glory.

“…because we shall see him as he is.”

Here is the climactic cause: we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. This is not metaphorical sight. It is the beatific vision—the unveiling of Christ in glory, unmediated, undiminished, and unclouded by sin. The Greek verb ὀψόμεθα (opsometha) is a future middle form of ὁράω (horaō), meaning to perceive, to gaze upon.

This sight is not physical only—it is spiritual. It is the kind of seeing that transforms. Just as Moses’ face shone after seeing God’s glory (Exodus 34:29), so the believer’s entire being will be changed by beholding Christ. John echoes the truth of Psalm 17:15—“As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.”

The connection between sight and transformation is profound. In this life, we are changed as we behold Christ through the Word (2 Corinthians 3:18). But then, we shall see him directly. And that sight will complete the transformation. Sin will vanish. Weakness will dissolve. The mortal will put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53), and we will worship him in undiluted holiness.

This future vision is not a mere reward—it is the ultimate goal of the Christian life. To see Christ is to finally know God as fully as a redeemed creature can. This is the hope that purifies (1 John 3:3). This is the joy that sustains.

Devotional Application: Living as Children Who Will Be Transformed

1 John 3:2 does more than inform—it transforms. It gives us a new identity and a new destiny. We are children of God now, and we shall be like Christ then. This dual reality shapes how we live.

Are you rooted in your identity as a child of God? Your worth is not in what the world sees but in what God declares.
Do you long for the appearing of Christ? That longing shapes your priorities and affections.
Are you living in light of who you will become? Your future transformation is not hypothetical—it is certain.

When temptation comes, remind yourself: “I will be like Christ—I cannot live like the world.” When discouragement strikes, affirm: “What I will be has not yet appeared, but it is coming.” When others misunderstand or mock your faith, remember: “They do not know what I will become, but God does.”

Conclusion: Eyes on Christ, Hearts Set on Glory

1 John 3:2 offers a rare glimpse into the majesty of Christian hope. It affirms what we are, confesses what we are not yet, and reveals what we certainly will become. It ties our transformation not to our effort, but to Christ’s appearing. It roots our identity not in ourselves, but in God’s love. And it directs our gaze forward—toward a day when we shall see him as he is, and in that seeing, be transformed forever.

Let this verse fill your heart with confidence and longing. You are not yet what you will be. But you are already God’s child. And when Christ appears, you will be like him, for you will see him—glorious, radiant, victorious—as he truly is.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

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About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).