“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.” (1 John 3:3)

Some seem to believe that by their efforts at sanctification, they can make themselves as pure as the LORD Jesus. That certainly is a delusion and not at all the meaning of this text. The Way to purify ourselves, EVEN AS HE IS PURE, is to cease from trusting in any works of supposed righteousness of our own and to trust in the righteousness that the LORD Jesus earned and established and God the Father imputed to the Spiritual account of each of His elect at the cross. So long as any are looking within themselves for purity, they’ll only find impurity. Looking within is not purifying yourself but rather being deceived if we find anything but sin there, 1 John 1:10.

Now the question is, what does it mean, EVEN AS HE IS PURE? It is not talking about Christ's inherent purity. He was inherently pure (sinless) as the God-Man in His flesh. That can never be said of us who are sinners from birth and continue as sinners, albeit justified and sanctified by the shed blood of the LORD Jesus. Our purifying ourselves, even as He is pure, is being sanctified and justified in His perfect finished work imputed. Christ sanctified Himself unto God for His people, as the Passover Lamb being set apart for the payment of the sin of each elect sinner that the Father gave Him to save, John 17:19. He sanctified Himself for our sin in His death and we are sanctified (set apart) unto His death and the forgiveness of sins He procured for us by the effectual sacrifice of Himself.

The HOPE that is in us is Christ and His finished work revealed in the heart by the Spirit of God, “...Christ in you, the HOPE of glory...” (Colossians 1:27)This speaks ofthe Spirit-given HOPE that Christ did indeed put away all our sin by His sacrificial death and that causes us to continue to look to Him for our cleansing. It is the BLOOD OF CHRIST that cleanses from all sin, 1 John 1:9 and it is this HOPE by which I am continually cleansed by His righteousness imputed to me. Those who commit sin, 1 John 3:4,are those that are yet under the law and justice of God, for whom the law has not been satisfied and therefore they continue under that condemnation for eternity. However, those who are called the sons of God, 1 John 3:1, are those on whom the Father has set His Eternal Love and for whom Christ came and put away their sin, 1 John 3:5. Whoever abides in Christ does not sin because the law has been satisfied and sin put away once for all, 1 John 3:6.