27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lieājust as it has taught you, abide in him.28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
1 John 2:28-29
Every Christian believer, especially those young in the faith, has times of doubt, especially those John has already called “little children.” As one grows up from being a “little child” to a “young man” and then to a “Father,” those times of doubt naturally fade.1 I don’t mean to imply that one can become free of all doubts about anything, but as we walk with the Lord over time, we get to know him and his faithfulness so that doubts are quelled before they become an issue. How does one take action to resolve their doubts?
There is a simple solution to doubts, especially those that would cause one to feel shame at the coming of the Lord Jesus. John gives it to us in three words, “abide in him.” Or, as one old friend says, it is the Sunday School answer to any question, “Jesus.” But how does one apply this, and what does it mean to abide in him?
Of the 118 uses of the Greek term for “abide” (meno), 64 are in John’s gospel and his three epistles. (54% of all uses of “abide” in the New Testament). Abiding is a big deal for John.
Today’s main point is that abiding in Christ is the key to confidence when Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead. Confidence is the antonym of doubt.
Deconstruction has become a thing in the past few years. We used to call it apostatizing or turning away from the faith. One who has deconstructed will not have confidence when he appears. The deconstructed are already shrinking away from him in shame. Based on 1 John 2:28, I can guarantee you that those who have deconstructed have not been abiding in Christ.
So, how does one abide in Christ?
I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. (1 John 2:14)
The first practical step is to remain or abide in the Word of God, the Bible. Read it, study it, meditate on it. “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” (Proverbs 30:5). “Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. (1 John 2:24) John takes us back to what we heard from the beginning: the gospel. Let that direct and simple message remain in you, and you will abide in the Son and in the Father.
The second practical step is to obey the Word of God. “Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.” (1 John 3:24).
The deconstructed versus the faithful.
“Watch yourselves so that you may not lose what we have worked for but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead [and follows false teachers] and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” (2 John 1:8-9)
Those who deconstruct or fall away are those who accept false teaching, especially about who Jesus is, and cannot, therefore, abide in him and have confidence at his coming.
Abide in him so that when he appears, you may have confidence. Let’s be clear. The confidence we are writing about is not self-confidence but confidence in the finished work of Jesus and the assurance that it applies to me or you.
Footnotes
- These three categories do not equate to time as a believer but maturity. For more on this topic, see my post, “Children, Young Men and Fathers in Christ.”
