Calvary Baptist Church

Calvary Baptist Church, Grenada, MS, USA

Holding to the truths embraced by Baptist for centuries.

How often do you stop to think what great things God has done for you and to give thanks to him in prayer, worship, Bible study, meditation and praise? In I John 3:1-4 the apostle John speaks of four things we can be thankful for as God’s children. First, he says we can be thankful for a settled past. He tells us to marvel at the love that God has already bestowed upon us in Christ Jesus. It is an undeserved love; we were sinners and deserved God’s wrath and judgment. It is an unreserved love; it resulted in a full forgiveness of our sins and provided the basis on which we could be called the children of God. God sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins, the just for the unjust, that He might clothe the believing sinner in Christ’s righteousness and make us one of His children with all the rights as adult children who are joint heirs with Christ. He loves us just like He loves His Son. Moreover, because Christ paid the penalty for our sins, no one can ever bring a charge against us that will stand. Our position is safe and secure in Christ. We have a settled past the moment we trust Christ for our salvation.

Second, we have a satisfied present. John says “Now are we the children of God” (3:2). We don’t have to wait until we get to heaven’s gate to find out if we are saved, we can enjoy the certainty of salvation now. We can know that nothing will ever separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:35-39). We can know that we are kept by the power of God until that day (Phil. 1:6; I Peter 1:5). Right now our desire can be to know Him more intimately, to walk with Him more closely, to serve Him more fervently, and to worship and praise Him more knowledgably. We can enjoy Him now because we have a satisfied present.

Third, we have a secure future. John again writes “It doeth 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” (3:2). There is coming a day when we are going to be confirmed in righteousness, our sanctification will be complete and perfect, and there will be no more sin, sickness, sorrow, separation or death in our lives. There is coming a day when we will have new bodies fitted for eternity and not subject to the limitations we have here; nor will they be subject to the maladies and humiliations we experience here. Though we see through a glass dimly now; we have only a partial understanding of what our new bodies and lives will be like, we know like the Psalmist David when he wrote “I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness” (17:15) and “in thy presence is fullness of joy, at thy right hand are pleasures ever more” (16:11). Yes, we as God’s children halve a secure future.

Finally, we have a stimulating hope. What God has done for us moves us to want to serve him, follow him, and to know him more intimately. This is all of God’s grace too that He would cause us to walk in good works and desire to worship Him. John says “and every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (3:3). By God’s grace we are being changed day by day to be more like Christ. Truly this is a stimulating hope!