S) "28 Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming."
1 John 2:28 (NASB)
O) This chapter is a little tough, as John is admonishing the church to overcome, and walk in obedience, and love, and abide in Christ, and not love the world. He uses some strong language throughout, and puts things in very simple but hard and fast contrast. In the end, though, he brings it back to a great encouragement. As Christians, we shouldn't be worried about our standing with God, if we really understand His grace through Jesus. So long as we abide in Christ, we will look forward to His return without any hesitation or dismay. The key, though, is abiding in Him. That phrase is a call back to vv.5-6, when John tells us we can know if we are in Christ, if we walk like Christ. That is, after all, what it means to be His disciple.
A) I really think God wants us to stand before Him with confidence. To be clear, this cannot be arrogance. God clearly opposes the proud. However, when we are in a right relationship with Him, when we are humbly submitted to His sovereignty, I think He wants us to have confidence as His children. Our confidence before Him is based on Christ, who had every perfect reason for confidence. If we are like Him, that is, if we are submitted to a life of following Jesus and seeking to be like Him, and when we are raised at the last coming, we will be like Him, then we share in a confidence now, knowing that we are fellow heirs with Christ, and justified before the Father, and loved by God. I want to walk with that confidence until His second coming. I want to approach the throne of grace with confidence. It can even go beyond (or before that?), because my confidence in who God has made me, and why He has given me the talents and gifts I have, and understanding I live for Him in all that I do, that gives me a confidence for my work, parenting, ministry, relationships - it touches everything. But here is the real crux: that confidence must glorify Jesus Christ. If it doesn't glorify my Lord, then it's not confidence in Him, or in me abiding in Him, but something else, something unjustified, ungodly. So, this is then a sort of a humble confidence.
P) Father, thank You for the grace and mercy I have in Jesus Christ. Thank You for drawing me to Him, that I may have a restored and right relationship with You, as I abide in Him. Let my confidence in Jesus, and in the cross, be a light that attracts others to what I have in You. Let this shine as a light, that my confidence doesn't come from some esoteric belief in myself, but it comes from a very real, very evident belief in Jesus Christ the risen King. I look forward to the day I stand before You, in the fullness of the glory of Christ, when I am finally abiding in Him perfectly and eternally. Until then, let me focus on walking as He walked, with all the confidence that brings, all to Your glory. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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