1 John 3:2 Explained: Becoming Like Christ Now, Not Someday

In 1 John 3:2 we read “When we shall see Him, we shall be like Him”, and I have heard a lot of people referring to this verse to say that we are worthless, unequipped now, and that the glorious time is way off in the future.

Man, if you think that way, you are surely missing out!

What if I told you this promise is already at work in you right now? Let’s unpack how seeing Christ daily reshapes our identity and actually makes us more like Him today.

When “Seeing is believing”

John is talking about a present reality. He is saying that when we see Christ, NOW, we shall be like Him. You see, the moment, you are born again, you are immersed in Christ, unified with Him, and you have what He has, and its amazing-

BUT it doesn’t mean that you are walking in it.

You need to have your mind renewed to that truth in order to start walking in it, and that is what Paul means when he says when you SEE Christ.

Open Your Eyes: Ephesians

He even prays this in Eph 1:18 – that the eyes of our understanding may be opened! TO see our inheritance in Christ! Are we seeing it? Is our mind renewed to that.

When we see Him, we see we are in Him—we begin to reflect His character right here, right now. It’s not “someday I’ll be like Him,” but “since He’s in me, I’m walking like Him every day.”

See Christ: Galatians

Paul even reminded the Galatians, “Before your eyes Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified” (Gal. 3:1). They didn’t see Christ crucified, but it was about spiritually “seeing” it. Paul was certain that the reason why the church in Galatia was veering into legalism was because they failed to see Christ as crucified, and see them crucified with Him, and they would see their freedom in Christ.

See Freedom: James

Like in Galatians, James talks about the freedom when you look at the Word (James 1:25), when you see Christ. Why liberty? Because Christ is in us, and we have been set free!

Renewing Your Mind to the Truth

Here’s the secret: it’s not self-help pep talks, but soaking in God’s truth. Romans 12:2 says to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Meditate on:

“I am crucified with Christ.”

“Christ lives in me.”

“I am free from the law.”

As you feed on these truths, your thoughts align with reality—Christ’s reality—and your life naturally begins to look like His.

As Paul says in Galatians 5:16

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Bottom Line: You’re not waiting for “that day” to be like Jesus—you’re already walking in it. As you keep your eyes fixed on Him—His cross, His freedom, His law of liberty—you’ll find yourself becoming more like Him each moment. Now that’s living hope!