PROVISION FOR PROTECTION "And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming."
Devotion 26 of 30
How clearly the nature of the heavenly Kingdom is seen in this passage! John has just finished saying "just as it (the anointing) has taught you, you will abide in Him." Now he admonishes them to "abide in Him," just as though it all depended upon them. Faith trusts in the Lord, but not with folded arms or in as state of spiritual stupor. The anointing teaches us to abide in Christ, but not while we remain in a state of idleness. Those who are not working out their salvation are not being "taught by God." That is why they are indolent.
THE GRAND CONCLUSION
The grand conclusion of our lives is to be found acceptable "when He appears." When we first turned to God, we did so to "wait for His Son from heaven" (1 Thess 1:9-10). Even in our participation at the Lord's table, we "show (proclaim) the Lord's death till He come" (1 Cor 11:26). There is absolutely no hope at all for those found unacceptable at that time!
The coming of the Lord is a central teaching in Christ Jesus. It is not a subject to be debated, or concerning which we are to take sides against one another. Here is the climactic event of all time, when Jesus will come "in like manner" as He left: with the clouds, attended by angels, bodily and visibly (Acts 1:9-11). He will bring His reward with Him at that time (Rev 22:12), and the heavens and earth will flee from before His face, with no place being found for them (Rev 20:11).
The ultimate purpose of the Holy Spirit is to prepare you for the return of Christ. It is then that the earth will be "reaped" (Rev 14:16), and the saved will be "gathered together unto Him" (2 Thess 2:1). Those who have remained in Him will then be "glorified" according to God's eternal purpose (Rom 8:29-30). As it is written, "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Col 3:4). "THEN shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear" (Matt 13:43).
The love of the world and false teaching will make us unfit for that appearing. They will so dull our hearts that we will not consider our Lord's return, and thus will bury our talents and become conformed to the world. Abiding in Him involves keeping ourselves "unspotted from the world" (James 1:27), and purging ourselves from all false teachers – those who represent themselves as coming from Him, yet are not sent by Him (2 Tim 2:20-21).
This matter is so critical, that God has given us an "unction" in order that we might abide in Him. He has not left it to human ability, although it does require our response and sensitivity. I am persuaded that contemporary Christianity is robbing men of the tenderness of heart required to be taught by the Spirit, or the "anointing." Jesus has already told us what results from NOT abiding in Him. "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned" (John 15:6). It is not possible for those words to be effectively contradicted. Thus we must not view our text as a casual suggestion, but a solemn and urgent exhortation.
THAT WE MAY HAVE CONFIDENCE
If we do not see the sense of this verse, it will sound most peculiar. If we read it, "YOU abide in Him . . . that WE may have confidence," you might imagine the readiness of the readers will bring boldness to John in the day Christ returns. That is not, however, the sense of the text.
Here John is identifying himself with the other believers. It is as though he said, "By the grace of God, I am abiding in Him. Now, you do the same so we all can have confidence before our Lord when He comes." Right here we see the power of faith and the effectiveness of the Spirit's teaching. For those who were once sinners, deceived by Satan, and dead in trespasses and sins, to be confident, assured, and unashamed when Jesus returns in all of His glory, is an exceeding great accomplishment! You will find it difficult to find someone who even acknowledges the possibility of such a thing. But it is true!
Over the years, I have noticed the frailty of confidence that is created by a sectarian spirit. Some poor souls are forward and brash when they defend their doctrinal position, thinking nothing of denigrating those with whom they are at a variance. But when the subject is turned to the coming of the Lord and the judgment of all men, their boldness withers and falls away. Nor, indeed, do religious routines and disciplines produce the kind of confidence of which this text speaks. No motivational speech can make a person confident before the glorified Christ! I know from experience that the aggressive adoption of sectarian creeds has no favorable impact upon the heart when it reflects upon the return of Christ. That is because none of those things have anything to do with abiding in Christ.
Notice the glory of this text. Confidence in the day of the Lord does not depend upon our accomplishments, but on our abiding in Him. What is even more, while that abiding does require our effort, it is made possible by Divine tutelage. Such considerations awaken hope in our hearts. Now, how is your confidence?
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for a teaching that produces confidence that will be fully revealed when Jesus comes again.
-- Tomorrow: