And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
The purity here spoken of must be wholly derived. No man can purify himself. Much less make himself pure, as Christ is pure. But the sense is, that being by regeneration quickened into a new and spiritual life, the child of God that hath this hope in him, beholds himself pure, as Christ is pure in Christ's purity. He considers himself accepted before God in the Beloved. And he pleads on this well-grounded and assured hope, for a complete justification before God, and a complete sanctification of himself in Christ on this footing. Being justified, (saith the Apostle), freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; Romans 3:24.