See 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. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
(1 John 3:1-3 ESV)
The true follower of Christ sees the whole picture: His eternal Deity, His Incarnation, sinless life, sacrificial death, resurrection, ascension, and His Return. We are looking forward to being with Him and seeing Him. Since that is our faith and hope, what should be the affect on our lives now? John is very clear: the pursuit of purity. The writer of Hebrews puts it in terms of "setting aside the sin that so easily trips us up" in our following after Him. James talks about "keeping himself unstained by this world." Waiting for Him is not a spiritually lazy "I'm good" type of life, but a passionate pursuit of having Him cleanse our lives as we anticipate being ready for His return. Do we really want Him to come?
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