Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
1 John 3:2-3 NIV
I really like this passage and the hope it expresses. We are children of God- not in the future, but now. But there is more to come. And if, like me, you have ever wondered what we will be like in heaven, this passage has the answer for you. We don’t know; it hasn’t been revealed to us. That answer may be disappointing to you, but John goes on to say that we shall be like Christ because we will see him as he actually is.
We should avoid the mistake of thinking that we will become gods, but in some real way, we shall be like him, sharing his life and his glory. There is much we don’t know about what that future holds for us, but we can eagerly look forward to it.
John goes on to say that those who have this hope should, even now, be preparing themselves by removing the impurities of their lives and striving for holiness. After all, what does this life have that is worth comparing with being like Christ (2 Cor. 4:16-18)?