“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.”
My Notes
What Does 1 John 3:2 Mean?
John makes a staggering present-tense declaration: now are we the sons of God. Not will be someday. Are. Now. The identity is current and real.
But then: it doth not yet appear what we shall be. The full extent of what you will become has not been revealed. You are God's children now — but the final version of you has not yet been seen.
"We know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him" — when Christ appears, the transformation will be complete. You will be like him. The process of becoming that has been underway throughout your life will reach its destination.
"For we shall see him as he is" — the vision produces the transformation. Seeing Christ fully, without veil, without the limitations of mortal sight — that seeing is what completes the change. You become what you behold.
The verse holds two realities together: you are already God's child (identity settled) and you are not yet what you will be (transformation ongoing). Both are true. Now.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does 'now are we the sons of God' mean for your current sense of identity?
- 2.How does 'it doth not yet appear what we shall be' give you patience with your own incompleteness?
- 3.What does 'we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is' reveal about how transformation works?
- 4.How do you hold together being fully a child of God now while not yet being fully transformed?
Devotional
Now are we the sons of God. Now. Not when you get better. Not when you figure it out. Not when you die and arrive in heaven. Now. You are a child of God at this moment.
It doth not yet appear what we shall be. But you are not finished. What you are becoming has not been fully revealed — not even to yourself. The caterpillar is a caterpillar, but the butterfly has not yet appeared.
We shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. The final transformation comes with the final vision. When you see Christ as he truly is — unfiltered, unmediated, face to face — you will be changed into his likeness. The seeing and the becoming happen together.
Two truths held at once: you are God's child right now, and you are not yet what you will be. The identity is settled. The transformation is ongoing. You are not waiting to become a child. You are waiting to see what kind of child you will fully become.
Every struggle, every growth, every painful change — it is all moving toward a moment when you see him and become like him. The not-yet-appearing is not emptiness. It is anticipation.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God,.... By adoption, secretly in God's predestination, and in the covenant of grace;…
Beloved, now are we the sons of God - We now in fact sustain this rank and dignity, and on that we may reflect with…
Now are we the sons of God - He speaks of those who are begotten of God, and who work righteousness. See the preceding…
The apostle, having shown the dignity of Christ's faithful followers, that they are born of him and thereby nearly…
Beloved This form of address only occurs once in the first part of the Epistle (1Jn 2:7), just where the subject of love…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture