Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Beloved by the Father therefore by me Beloved - by the Father, therefore by me.
Now - in contrast to "not yet." We already are sons, though unrecognized as such by the world, and (as the consequence) we look for the manifestation of our sonship, which not yet has taken place.
Doth not yet appear, х efaneroothee (G5319)] - 'it hath not yet (at any time, aorist) been manifested what we shall be,' what glory we shall attain by virtue of our sonship. "What" suggests a something inconceivably glorious.
But - omitted in 'Aleph (') A B. Its insertion gives a wrong antithesis. Not, 'We do not yet know manifestly what, etc., but we know,' etc. Rather, the manifestation to the world of what we shall be has not yet taken place. We know (in general, with well-assured knowledge) х oidamen (G1492)] that when х ean (G1437)] ('if' expressing no doubt of the fact, but only as to the time: also implying that on the coming preliminary fact the consequence follows, Malachi 1:6; John 14:3) He (not 'it,' namely, that which is not yet manifested, Alford) shall be manifested (1 John 3:5; 1 John 2:28), we shall be like Him (Christ: sons substantially resemble their father: Christ, whom we shall be like, is 'the express image of the Father's person:' so in resembling Christ we shall resemble the Father). We wait for the manifestation (Romans 8:19, the apocalypse: applied also to Christ's own manifestation) of the sons of God.
After natural birth, the new birth into the life of grace is needed; to be followed by the new birth into the life of glory: the two alike are 'the regeneration' (Matthew 19:28). The resurrection of our bodies is a coming out of the womb of the earth: being born into another life. Our first temptation was that we should be like God in knowledge: by that we fell: but raised by Christ, we become truly like Him, by knowing Him as we are known, and seeing Him as He is (Pearson, 'Creed'). As the first immortality, which Adam lost, was to be able not to die, so the last shall be not to be able to die. As man's first free choice was to be able not to sin, so our last shall be not to be able to sin (Augustine, 'Civit. Dei,' b. 22:, 100: 30). The devil fell by aspiring to God's power; man, by aspiring to His knowledge; but aspiring after God's goodness, we shall ever grow in His likeness. The transition from God to "He," "Him," referring to Christ (who alone is said in Scripture, to be manifested, not the Father, John 1:18), implies the unity of the Father and the Son.
For ... Continual beholding generates likeness, (2 Corinthians 3:18); as the face of the moon, being always turned toward the sun, reflects its glory.
See him - not in His innermost Godhead, but as manifested in Christ. None but the pure can see the infinitely Pure One (Matthew 5:8; Hebrews 12:14; Revelation 1:7; Revelation 22:4). In all these passages х opsomai (G3700)], not the action of seeing: but the state of him to whose eye or mind the object is presented; hence, the verb is always in the middle, or reflexive voice, to perceive, inwardly appreciate (Tittmann). Our spiritual bodies will recognize spiritual beings hereafter, as our natural bodies do natural objects.