Articles
Truth and Confidence
“By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in Him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him; the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 John 2:3-6). Jesus made a similar statement in John 15:9-14, especially in the saying, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love…”
It amazes me how so many Christians are tethered to their fear of condemnation. They fret over judgment as if there is simply no hope! But if “abiding in Him” involves keeping His commandments in a clear, obvious way (1 John 3:24) – if it is really as simple as obeying Christ, just as He said – then our confidence in salvation should reflect that. I do not have to guess where I will be for eternity. My expectation is not to barely make it to heaven. If I am abiding in Christ by obeying His teaching, then my salvation should be as certain as the sun coming up tomorrow (really, more certain). John writes, “And 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. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him” (1 John 2:28-29). Righteousness is obedience to the revealed will of God, and unrighteousness is a rejection of that will (1 John 3:4-10). The writer of Hebrews also demands renewed confidence from his readers in Hebrews 10:35-39.
To a Christian, the judgment should not be associated with anxiety or fear. Rather, love is the central idea, at least how John describes judgment in 1 John 4:16-17. “By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment.” Let us be clear about something, however: the confidence stems from Truth. I am confident not in myself, but in God and His Son. I am confident in what they have done, and the Way they have prepared for me. If I obey Jesus, then it is really an expression of confidence in Him and what He has promised to do for me. My confidence is in God who is always faithful, even when I demonstrate my many imperfections (2 Timothy 2:10-13).
