Last week we looked at the first three of five reasons we should make the effort to purify our lives now and submit to God’s shaping us, even though God will fully purify us after Jesus returns. Today we look at the last two. The purpose is to encourage and motivate us to do whatever we can to cooperate with God’s work even when it is painful.
The fourth reason is that we are destined to live as perfected New Adams in an eternal community of love with God and his followers. This overlaps with the previous point about wanting to be our true self. If you “set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:13, ESV) then why would you spend any time avoiding foretastes of your hope even if it involved effort? If I were a climber who loved mountain views and I wanted to get to the top of a mountain in order to enjoy the view then I would be happy following a guide up the mountain for several days and enjoy the views along the way, even though it required effort. I would rather do that than wait at the bottom for several days and not see anything then later take a helicopter up. Why wait when I can start enjoying mountain views right away? My hope of seeing the views would compel me to start the journey right away. If one is consumed by a hope then they naturally move in that direction and enjoy the foretastes along the way. This is why 1 John 3:2-3 states: “when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure” (NIV). Our future hope of purity motivates us to purify ourselves now.
“If one is consumed by a hope then they naturally move in that direction and enjoy the foretastes along the way. “
Finally, it is important to remember that even though God will make all believers completely pure and good after Jesus returns, he will also give individualized rewards to believers based on their lives. This may be rarely taught but it is an established biblical teaching and an established teaching in church history. 2 Corinthians 5:10 promises that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (NIV). This is written to Christians and the Apostle Paul says that this judgment is one of the reasons that he wants to please God (v. 9). In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul explains that God will test our works and some people will receive a reward and others will suffer a loss. Matthew 6:20 tells us to “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (NIV). God wants to give eternal rewards to his more faithful followers. These rewards will make any sacrifice pale by comparison. Imagine what kind of reward the infinite and good God would give to one of his children! It would be something valuable to him and to us for eternity. Our joy and bliss will be magnified forever. Most likely it will be something related to more enjoyment of God or more opportunity to creatively serve him. This truth alone is more than enough to motivate us to keep us moving in his direction regardless of the challenges.
As you consider these five reasons for crucifying your old self notice that God does not want us to seek him because we have to. He wants us to seek him because we desire a deep oneness with him and his kingdom. Would you want your child to be committed to you out of fear or purely because you commanded it? Neither does God. This is why the greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37, NIV).
Hopefully, these five reasons are more than enough to motivate you to surrender everything to God and pursue his will for Christformation in your life. You won’t regret it.
