1 John 3:1–7

¹See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ²Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we will be like him, because we shall see him as he is. ³And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. ⁴Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. ⁵You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. ⁶No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. ⁷Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.

"Have mercy on me." "Can't you spare just a little change today?" It was just another day for the crippled man lying at the gate of the temple. The sun was hot, the street dusty, and people were in just as big a hurry as always. Running up and down the street, rushing in and out of the temple. It was afternoon and preparations were underway for the afternoon sacrifice. People were starting to gather to watch as the lamb was killed, cut to pieces and laid on the altar while its blood was splashed on the side of the altar.

Along came two men heading into the temple. The crippled beggar at the door looked at them and held out his hands hoping for a coin or two. But they just stood there looking at him; his countenance fell; his smile turned to sadness; his eyes dropped. One of the men said, "Look at us." He looked up. Then the man said to him, "We don't have any money. But we can give you what we do have." There was a little spark of hope in his eyes now. Perhaps a little food. Boy, was he hungry!

Then he heard the words, "In the name of Jesus Christ, get up and walk!"

"These guys are crazy," he thought. "I have never been able to walk. I was born lame." But for some reason he obeyed. He pushed up with his legs and before he knew it, he was standing up. It felt good. His legs felt strong. There was no pain. He tried to take a step and then another and soon he was running around and jumping up and down shouting for joy and praising God. It was as if he were a new man. He had been born crippled but now it was as if he had been born again, with a completely new body.

He then started hugging the two man who had healed him. The people in the streets were gathering around to see what all the commotion was about and saw the crippled man standing there hugging Peter and John . There were all amazed and asking how this had happened. Peter said, "Why do you wonder at this and stare at us as though we have done anything? It wasn't us, it was Jesus, the Holy and Righteous One, the Author of Life whom you killed on the cross. He was the one who healed this man. He is the one who made him walk because God has raised him from the dead. And by his resurrection all things are recreated and made new. This fallen world where sin has brought sickness, disease, corruption, death, rot and decay, has been recreated. All things are made new. A new heaven and a new earth are created by his resurrection. He is the Author of Life and his resurrection means new life for all men. He is the creator and sustainer of the universe and his resurrection means all creation is being made new. Repent, therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out. Then all things will be refreshed and restored to the perfection it had when it was first created. Sin will be done away. All will be perfect again. Just as this man has a new body, restored to goodness and health so too are all things be made new by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

Just like us. We have been made new. We are restored to the image of God. We are renewed. In baptism a new man is born in us. We are recreated as God's children. By the death and resurrection of his Son, God has made us his sons and daughters. We have been purchased with the blood of Christ and belong to God. God has made us his children and heirs of his kingdom.

Still, what we will be has not yet appeared, for where he appears we will be like him, because we shall see him as he is. But for the time being, we don't look like children of God. We don't look like heirs of heaven. We sure don't look like holy and righteous saints. We look more like sinners. We feel more like slaves than kings and princes. We feel like we are getting old and deteriorating. We see death all around. If the world has been made new, why do I still see death and corruption? If I have been recreated in the image of God, why do I still do the things I don't want to do? Why do I still sin? Why am I still so selfish? Why do I still get angry when people offend me? Why do I still get sick? Why do I still die?

Just a few weeks earlier, Peter and John and all the disciples of Jesus were huddled together in a locked room, hiding from the Roman soldiers and the rulers of the temple. They were terrified because Jesus had been killed and now the soldiers might come for them as well to obliterate his entire following. Then suddenly, right in the middle of the group they saw Jesus standing.

Was it a ghost? Was it delirium? Were they hallucinating? They had seen Jesus die. They had seen his dead body, lowered it from the cross, and placed it in the tomb. There was even talk about his tomb being empty. Did someone steal the body? It was too scary. It was too confusing. They were terrified and screaming as they tried to hide themselves under tables and behind the furniture. What was this specter?

"Why are you troubled? And why do you doubt? Didn't I tell you that the Bible says I would have to suffer and die and rise again?" Then he showed him his hands and feet, and they touched him to see that he really had flesh and bones. Just to prove it to them he ate a piece of fish.

Yes, there was Jesus risen from the dead. His scars and wounds still in his body, but he was no longer dead, that's for sure. He was alive and standing there, talking with them. His body had been recreated and was now a glorified, incorruptible body. A body incapable of sickness, disease, pain or death. He was the first person to be raised from the dead; the first born of the new, restored creation. In fact His resurrection was the new creation; the beginning of the new order, the kingdom of God. It was God claiming his world for himself and taking it back from sin and corruption.

But that recreation is not yet made visible to us; it is not yet manifest. Jesus is the firstborn of the new world, the new creation, but we still are waiting for the day it will be made visible and see it with our own eyes. On that day we will behold the perfection and goodness of the restored image of God in us. On that day there will no longer be sickness of crippling disease. All the lame will walk again. All the sick will be healed, the blind will see, the mute will talk and the deaf hear. On that day the creation itself will be restored. On that day floods and earthquakes and hurricanes will no longer destroy and kill. On that day the rivers and lakes and air will no longer be contaminated and poisonous. On that day there will no longer be sickness; decaying organs and limbs; crippled legs. On that day there will be no death. There will no longer be sorrow. There will no longer be pain. For all is created new and restored to its original goodness.

On that day sin will be wiped away. There will no longer be sin, or selfishness, or lust, or envy, or hatred. That is why our Lord commissioned us to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations. He died to release the creation from the bondage of sin. He rose to proclaim forgiveness from God on the world. That is what he sends us to proclaim. That is our message. That commission to proclaim repentance and forgiveness is Christ recreating the world, recreating humanity, one by one, to the holiness and perfection in which we were created. It is through his word, the Gospel, that we are purified.

On that day we will no longer look like sinners. All who hope in him purifies himself as he is pure. All who abide in him does not keep on sinning, for his sin is washed away. And when he is revealed to us, we shall be like him. So deep, so intimate, so indivisible the union and fellowship with Christ and all the saints with us. By faith we are purified, washed clean of sin. How do we abide in him? We abide in him and he in us when we eat his body and drink his blood. There is no closer and more intimate way to be joined together that to eat and drink his body and blood. You can tie things together with a rope. You can nail them together with a nail. But they keep their own unique and separate identities. But if you ingest something it is assimilated into our very nature and becomes one substance with you. It becomes part of you. Your own unique and separate identities are no longer maintained for the two become one. In Communion we become one with Christ. His life becomes ours and ours becomes his. And all who commune with him commune with one another. We abide with him and with each other. We become one in Christ and one with each other.

We who thus abides in Him by faith, has no sin. That is because our sin is washed away. It is forgiven. Therefore, even when we sin, there is no sin because it is forgiven and gone. If we say we have no sin, we lie and deceive ourselves, but if we confess our sin he is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Sin is gone! We are cleansed!

But we do not therefore continue to live in sin. We do not say to ourselves, "Well then, if I am forgiven and my sins are gone, then I can do whatever I want and it doesn't make any difference." Wrong! We cannot say then that the law no longer applies to us. Or that God no longer demands perfection of us. For then of whom does God demand perfection? Of wood or stone? Of cats or dogs? No! The law speaks to those who are under the law. That's us.

Quite the contrary. We are made new in baptism, created as new people, born again, renewed in the image of God. We are joined to Christ in Communion, we abide in him, his life becomes ours. How then can we continue in sin? We cannot. No man born new, abiding in him, can continue to live and practice sin knowingly. That is a contradiction. Indeed, no one who willingly practices sin is born of God or abides in him. The new man, recreated in the image of God, desires to do nothing other than please God with his all. The new heart created by the resurrection of Christ, is a heart of love for God and for one another. Christ creates in us a new heart and renews a right spirit within us.

Yes, what love God has for us that he calls us his children. But our eyes do not see it today. On the day the Christ is revealed, we shall see him as he is, perfect and holy, and we shall then be like him forever.

Amen.