#117 The Goal and Designation

From Meditations on the Epistles of John, by Samuel Froehlich

With the end in view, our goal and designation now is this: that, in this world, we shall be as was the Son of man Jesus, so that we may be His brothers and sisters, who do the will of the Father. In this respect, there are indeed many who will be saved as members of the body of Christ. Thus Christ is the Firstborn among many brethren who become children of God, but with respect to the inheritance they are but one in Christ, as one body, and whoever is not found in this oneness cannot inherit since the inheritance is dependent upon sonship.

Thus there is a double relationship in Christ by His being the Son of man and of God. As the son of man He desires to be multiplied and is the Firstborn among many, but as the Son of God He is ever and eternally only One, the Only Begotten of the Father (John 1; Romans 8; Hebrews 2). As the Son of man we must now already know Him for therein we become like Him in His holy life and suffering on earth so as to be children of God; but as the Son of God in His glory, we only afterwards shall learn to know Him.

John sums up the life of Christ in the word “pure.” Just as He was holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners and made higher than the heavens (Hebrews 7:26) (below), so shall we, in Him, also be set apart from sinners and be higher than the angels (I Peter 2 and 3), who are merely servants for our salvation.

Hebrews 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

Children of God are pure and holy, free from sin, and they must be so in Christ, for in Him there is no sin and anyone who abides in Him does not sin. Because of that, we dare not be frightened about the impossibility of the thing, but rather about this, that we are not of that circumstance by reason of our own fault, for if we truly desired and longed so to be, it would be granted to us also according to His promise, for God is not a man that He should lie or that He would have to repent of something.

Should we not be—or are not becoming—like Christ, the reason is that we do not receive Him, for even though no one at present seeks God first, of himself, but God seeks us first, as the lost, the ungodly and sinners, we nevertheless must still seek Him afterwards in return, must knock, must ask that He cleanse us from our former sins with His blood and give us His Holy Spirit Who makes us free from the law of sin and death in our members (Romans 8). Thus God indeed anticipates us with His grace and offer, but it is all the more worthy of punishment if we do not respond to Him and pray for and receive His gift, for whoever does not ask for the Holy Spirit does not receive Him because that person is not concerned about Him and yet, nowhere at all is there life, peace and joy for us except in a holy life in Christ.