Speaking of "corrupted"...
2 Corinthians 11:3 KJV
3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
This is the very thing I speaking of, the simplicity that is in Christ. Much love!
For I have been crucified together with Christ, and yet I live, and yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life I live, I live by the faith of Christ, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.
Who will separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus?
Now we are children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but
we know that when we see Him, we will be like Him.
Some may question why I raise this issue, and why I continue to pursue it.
We know that when we see Him, we will be like Him.
Do we, CAN we in fact
know?
If we say, no, we cannot be certain, how does that change what John says next?
He who has this hope purifies himself, even as He is pure.
This hope, this is a particular "hope". And hope, Biblical hope, does not disappoint. Biblical hope is what we believe will happen being in Christ.
Jesus promised to raise us from the dead. So to the extent that we believe Jesus, that will be the extent of our expectation of resurrection. We believe what He said was true, so we have the hope of resurrection.
Here, it's knowing that we will be like Him when we see Him. That's the hope John is referring to. That when we have this hope, we purify ourselves, even as Jesus is pure.
Isn't that what we want? Isn't the fear that we will become impure, and be lost?
By God's promise, I trust in His salvation, and I know He will fully transform me into the image of Christ. Some will happen during my time here in this world, and, as I understand this, will result in whatever amount of glory I will have after this world. And the rest will happen as God resurrects me to my redeemed flesh, incorruptible, and immortal.
By distrusting God's promise, saying "Maybe", introducing doubt, works directly against us in our desire to be pure, as we start to look at what things we have to do to be right with God, our eyes falling away from Jesus, and His saving grace.
By trusting His promise, we open ourselves in faith to receive from Him the power of His Spirit.
Much love!