1: Introduction - Images of the Invisible God

Orthodox Christianity maintains that Christians will truly be like Jesus. But what does this mean based on the Bible? How is being like Christ possible if he is God? 1 John 3:2-3 says,

“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 3:2-3

The word “like” is “homoioi” in the Greek. Strong’s Concordance defines “homoioi” as “like, resembling, the same as”, with one of the usages being “of equal rank” (Strong’s Greek: 3664. Homoios – Like, Resembling, the Same as, 2024).   Additionally, “homoioi” was a word used in Greek civilization for the “equal citizens of ancient Sparta”, or, to define it shorter: “equal ones/equals/peers/same as”. The principles behind this word were: equality, discipline, and selflessness (Nesbitt, 2024).  Given this Greek definition of “like” from this passage, how is being like Jesus possible if Jesus is God? How will any Christian ever really be like a divine “King of kings” and “Lord of lords”? How could Christians ever be equal to, “like”, Jesus if he is God?

“Equal” means, according to Cambridge’s dictionary, “to achieve the same standard or level as someone else”, or, “the same in importance and deserving the same treatment”. Given these definitions, how could Christians ever be like Jesus in this way if he is God?

Interestingly, the verses say we shall be like him because we shall see him as he really is – we will see him more clearly. The emphasis is not on us being very different (not that we won’t be). So, based on this verse, we will not be like him because we will be God-men and God-women like Jesus, if Jesus is God. We will be like him because we shall see him as he is. And who is he? Could we be like him because when he appears we will see that he is 1) not God, and 2) was a sinner like us - one who became sinless? If those two points are not true, what could this verse mean? Why does seeing Jesus “as he is” connect with Christians being like him? Wouldn’t seeing him “as God”, as Christians currently think he is, simply highlight the great difference between Christ and Christians?