The Hidden You
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 1 John 3:2 NASB
Not appeared – Is John right? Is it really true that you and I don’t actually know who we are yet? John uses the Greek phaneroo, “to reveal, to show.” What he suggests is that who we really are is still invisible. It can’t be seen yet because the game isn’t over, the Son has not returned. We won’t really know who we are until that day that the Messiah is made visible. In other words, just as he is now invisible, so are we. His revelation will be our revelation. Until then, we walk disguised, even from ourselves.
If John is right, then why are we so concerned about finding our destiny, discovering our purpose, making something of ourselves? If John is right, our game is not the end game. There will always be something about who we really are that will remain hidden from us. Pretending to become what we think we should be or want to be or are driven to be is only a part of the real picture. In fact, what we see now might not even be the real you or me. All we know is this: we are His children now. The rest is a mystery.
“Can you live with that?” Perhaps the better question is “How can you live with that?” since you really don’t have a choice in this matter. Oswald Chambers once wrote, “we have to learn to interpret the mysteries of life in the light of our knowledge of God.”[1] That means we have to interpret ourselves, the greatest mystery of life, in terms of what we know about God now. And now we know that we are His children. Is that enough for you? Are you really ready to reconcile all the facets of what you cannot yet explain on the basis that you belong to Him? Are you ready to say, “Lord, I truly can’t see what You are doing with my life. I don’t know where it is going or why it travels along this path. Who I really am is somehow a mystery to me. But this I know. I am Yours. It is enough”?
Our Western culture often demands explanation before action. We are prone to ask, “Why should I do that?” We think that knowing leads to doing, that understanding precedes choice. We ask about the ends in order to justify the means. But how does that model work if the ends are unknown and unknowable? How can you decide which road to take if you don’t know where you are going? One ancient Greek philosopher summed up the Western world’s psychology in two words: “Know thyself.” But the Hebraic view points out that this goal is impossible. You can’t know yourself—until the Son reveals himself. Who we really are is directly tied to the self-revelation of the King. Today’s vision is guesswork. “Know thyself” cannot be achieved without “Know God.” In the Hebraic world, knowledge is not power. Power comes from relationship, from belonging. “Know to whom you belong,” is the Bible’s response. The rest is mystery—for now.
Topical Index: appeared, phaneroo, invisible, destiny, self, 1 John 3:2
[1] Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, July 29.
This is superb! I love this! Thank you, Skip.
Who I am is still a potential, a probability, and a possible. Who I was created to be will not be revealed until the Creator has redeemed His creation by means of His Body, for who I am can only be reflected in that completion. His revelation, likewise, is also waiting on us. We were created to reveal Him, but that is a collective Body process. He is invisible; not because He has not been present, but because we have not.
Hello again, Alice.
What we will be has no appeared yet, but we do know some things about who we are. When the Lord revealed Himself and His word to me I took action and changed a lot of things in my life (as we all have) because He gave me a new picture of myself as His. This is a process that continues. Some people have an unhealthy, often self-centered, even selfish striving for finding their destiny today, but to me, finding my destiny, my purpose, has nothing to to with making something of myself. It has to do with submitting to God’s will, in love, wanting to participate in what He is doing on earth. Doesn’t a sense of calling to a specific task or people make you prepare for that so that you can do it well, and doesn’t it make you stay committed even when things are difficult, because you know God has called you? I think it does. And it’s not about knowing myself but knowing God, His will, His plans, His heart for people.
And I’m looking forward to see, in all of us, what we still will be.
“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.” —THOMAS MERTON, “THOUGHTS IN SOLITUDE”
What a beautiful prayer.
So many times when I explain different aspects of my Torah walk with my co-workers, their first response is, “Why?” My simple answer is, “Because Yah says so. Do we have to know why?” The conversation continues, “OK. But, why?” And it stays on this circular reasoning until I give them the verse that explains the reason for doing what the Bible says (one example: wearing tzitzit). It is a learning event for both of us. I see how entrenched the Greek/Western culture is in our worldview, but then I always close out the discussion with explaining how the Children of Israel accepted all of Yah’s Word before they understood the requirements — this is the way to live our lives.
The comment by Kieth on the previous blog is very relevant here. Our goal is not to win because we do not know how. Our purpose is to pay attention to the small things we do for then our conversation is in heavan from where we await our saviour. And by clothing our selves with these small perfect deeds we reveal Him in us… Go to the ant and learn to be wise… Christ the wisdom and power of God.
Wait a minute. John says we do not yet know. Paul says when we reveal christ… Col 3. Is Paul providing the answer that John is reminding us of or is shama the revelation of christ and the manifestation of what God has in mind for now… While Peter reminds us to bind our thoughts be sober and hope that we will be part of the grace when christ appears. Is it about someday in the future or today. As the word of God is Christ in flesh and the word of Christ is God in flesh. The anointed manifests the divine will or Torah.
This goes back to the idea that if you want to know where you are going you have to look at your past. Even if we think we know where we are headed, are we to be proactive about making the future happen or do we sit back and wait for God to make things happen? We often fear we’ll make the wrong choices or that we’ll not make the right choices. We want to do what will bring about God’s will in our lives, but we don’t want to make the same bad choices the patriarchs made. We look for how our choices will benefit us or prepare us for what God intends for us to do or be. God can still speak to us/guide our choices whether we execute Greek or Hebraic thought. He is capable of rolling with us as far as that goes. How does God reveal to us who we are or what we are to do? Look for Biblical patterns that may have/are taking place in your life. It’s a freaky thing when you realize you’ve lived a Biblical pattern. Even if we know the pattern, we still don’t always know what to do. We are free to do something in opposition to a step in the pattern; opposition can happen whether it is our choice or not. Sometimes suggestions from others who don’t know what we are thinking, come at a perfect point in time; often this is what we need to hear and do. Is this God’s way of speaking to us? It’s something to consider and not ignore.
“…and it has not appeared as yet what we will be”, if we would be in an incorruptible resurrected body as when Yeshua returns, in a totally different body unlike the one we have now, physically, IF the incorruptible SEED has been sown and in the process of growing to maturity bearing forth fruit to YHWH’s pleasure, as begotten Sons (addressed as masculine in Hebraic in plural terms inclusive of daughters), and messiahs (christs), called to set creation free-
“To the surprise of some, “Christ” is not Jesus’ last name (surname). “Christ” comes from the Greek word Christos, meaning “anointed one” or “chosen one.” This is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Mashiach, or “Messiah.”
Messiah comes from the Hebrew word mashiach and means “anointed one” or “chosen one.” The Greek equivalent is the word Christos or, in English, Christ. The name “Jesus Christ” is the same as “Jesus the Messiah.” In biblical times, anointing someone with oil was a sign that God was consecrating or setting apart that person for a particular role. Thus, an “anointed one” was someone with a special, God-ordained purpose.”
“The longer I live, the more I realize, the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude to me, is more important than facts.” – Charles Swindoll.