Compelling Love

The hope of meeting Jesus face to face at His second coming motivates us to purify ourselves. The victory of love over sin is the theme of 1 John chapter 3.

1 John 3 (NKJV)
The Command to Love
¹ Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. ² Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. ³ And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
Sin and the Child of God
⁴ Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. ⁵ And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. ⁶ Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
The Outworking of Love
¹⁶ By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷ But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
¹⁸ My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

The first mention of a coming Savior who would strip the devil of his power is in Genesis chapter 3, where God pronounced a judgment upon the serpent who had just led Adam and Eve to doubt God’s goodness and to sin.

Genesis 3:15 (NKJV)
“And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”

This prophecy of a coming Savior born from a virgin is repeated with further details in Isaiah chapters 7 and 9:
Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
Isaiah 9:6 
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

When Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus into the temple, a devout man named Simeon announced that this child indeed was the long awaited Messiah,  “A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” (Luke 2:32)
Luke 2 (NKJV)
Simeon Sees God’s Salvation
²⁵ And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷ So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, ²⁸ he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
²⁹ “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
³⁰ For my eyes have seen Your salvation
³¹ Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
³² A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God. He lived for God’s glory, died for our sins, was buried, rose again on the third day, was seen by hundreds of disciples, ascended to the Father, and has sent the Holy Spirit to live in the hearts of believers.  (1 Corinthians 15:3-6, Acts 1:4-11, Romans 5:5)

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead has given us a living hope, and by faith we are being kept by the power of God “for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
1 Peter 1 (NKJV)
³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Our assignment from God is to purify our hearts, and to be always ready to share the reason for our hope with others.
1 Peter 3:15
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;”

The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us hope that we too will be raised from the dead to eternal life. God fills us with joy and peace, and gives us abounding hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

David Krause,dhkrause2@gmail.com, https://compellinglove.net/