Exploring 1 John: Are you Afraid, Ashamed or Confident?
1 John 2:28-29 - Abide in Him and Practice Righteousness, so you are ready!
”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 NASB1995
John ends 1 John 2 once again asking his little children to abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may be confident and not full of shame (or even disappointment). There are some words that are worth studying in this passage.
Let’s start with “He appears”. This comes from the Greek word φανερόω or phaneróō, with the following Biblical usages; Strong’s G5319 is used 49 times in the New Testament:
to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, to manifest, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way
make actual and visible, realised
to make known by teaching
to become manifest, be made known
of a person
expose to view, make manifest, to show one's self, appear
to become known, to be plainly recognised, thoroughly understood
who and what one is
Next, what about “confidence”? This comes from the Greek word παῤῥησία or parrhēsía, with the following Biblical usages; Strong’s G3954 is used 31 times in the New Testament:
freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech
openly, frankly, i.e without concealment
without ambiguity or circumlocution
without the use of figures and comparisons
free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance
the deportment by which one becomes conspicuous or secures publicity
What about “shrink away”? This comes from the Greek word αἰσχύνομαι or aischýnomai and it is the same root word for “shame”. It has the following Biblical usages and G153 is used five times in the New Testament:
to disfigure
to dishonour
to suffuse with shame, make ashamed, be ashamed
Finally, what about the word “coming”? This is from the Greek word παρουσία or parousía and it has the following Biblical usages; Strong’s G3952 is used 24 times in the New Testament:
presence
the coming, arrival, advent
the future visible return from heaven of Jesus, to raise the dead, hold the last judgment, and set up formally and gloriously the kingdom of God
It is obvious that John is talking about the return of Jesus! If we abide in Him we are not ashamed and are freely and fearlessly assured and confident!
Are you ready? If He appeared and came TODAY would you be joyful and confident and ready? Or would you be frightened? Ashamed? Annoyed? Disappointed? Skeptical? If you don’t believe, there will be many emotions driven by fear first, then the usual “me-first” reactions of annoyance, skepticism and disappointment. Those who don’t believe are usually bound to the pleasures and problems of this world. Seeing Jesus return would mean that things are going to be very different. And, no, you won’t get that cruise deposit returned.
If you do believe, but do the minimum to just “get by”, then you may be very ashamed in that moment. You may be saying to yourself - Wait! I’M NOT READY! Here’s a great commentary by Enduring Word about this shame and lack of readiness:
Abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed: Abiding in Jesus means that we need not be afraid or ashamed when Jesus returns. This is because we have intimately known Him, and therefore we can have confidence at His coming.
John brings up a challenging image. When Jesus returns, some people will be afraid because they never knew Jesus at all. But among those who know Him, some will not be afraid, they will be ashamed before Him at His coming. They will realize that they have been living worldly, unfruitful lives. In one moment, the understanding will overwhelm them that whatever else they accomplished in life, they did not abide in Him as they could have.
Paul the Apostle speaks of those who are “barely saved”: he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire (1 Corinthians 3:15). There are those who, for at least a moment, the coming of Jesus will be a moment of disappointment rather than glory.
It is important for us to carefully consider these matters because it is difficult to measure the distance between “barely saved” and “almost saved.” It is dangerous to contemplate questions such as, “How little can I do and still make it to heaven?” or “How far can I stray from the Shepherd and still be part of the flock?” Instead we should be diligent to not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
“What is the way to prepare for Christ’s coming? By the study of the prophecies? Yes, if you are sufficiently instructed to be able to understand them. ‘To be prepared for the Lord’s coming,’ some enthusiasts might say, ‘had I not better spend a month in retirement, and get out of this wicked world?’ You may, if you like; and especially you will do so if you are lazy. But the one Scriptural prescription for preparing for his coming is this, ‘Abide in him.’ If you abide in the faith of him, holding his truth, following his example, and making him your dwelling-place, your Lord may come at any hour, and you will welcome him.” (Charles Spurgeon)
If you spend your time just wanting to be comfortable at church, then you are not ready. If you spend your time not abiding in Him and studying His Word and praying to Him and serving Him, then you are not ready. Talk about a wake-up call! I think most of us put these thoughts aside and don’t dwell on the possibility that He could come at any time. We still pursue our pleasures and distractions, but you could also have the rug pulled out from under you in a different way, by dying in the next minute! Then you are immediately facing Him (I believe our souls are brought to Him immediately upon death if we believe, just like the thief on the Cross). Note that John used the word “we” in verse 28, so he needed that confidence, too.
If you abide in Him, then you know that He is righteous. You will also know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him. We’ve studied “righteous” before, but let’s look at the word again. Righteous comes from Greek word δίκαιος or díkaios, with the following Biblical usages; Strong’s G1342 is used 81 times in the New Testament:
righteous, observing divine laws
in a wide sense, upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God
of those who seem to themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves in their virtues, whether real or imagined
innocent, faultless, guiltless
used of him whose way of thinking, feeling, and acting is wholly conformed to the will of God, and who therefore needs no rectification in the heart or life
only Christ truly
approved of or acceptable of God
in a narrower sense, rendering to each his due and that in a judicial sense, passing just judgment on others, whether expressed in words or shown by the manner of dealing with them
This is a way of thinking, feeling, and acting that is wholly conformed to the will of God. We have moved away from a disposition to sin and practice righteousness. Again, some good commentary from Enduring Word:
Everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him: Abiding in Jesus means that we will practice righteousness in our lives because we are born of Him. Being born again has changed our lives from a disposition to sin to a disposition to righteousness.
This is a test of our abiding in Him, the same kind of test John mentioned in 1 John 1:6, 2:4, and 2:9. There is something wrong if someone claims to be born of Him and he does not practice righteousness.
When someone is born of someone else, there is almost always a family resemblance. You say, “Look, she has her mother’s eyes” or “He has his father’s nose.” Well, the children of God have a family resemblance to their Father in heaven. He is righteous, so those who are born of Him also practice righteousness. “God hath no children destitute of his image, or who resemble him not.” (Matthew Poole)
We will not perfect righteousness until we are glorified with Jesus; but we can practice righteousness right now, as we are born of Him.
There are three precious claims for each Christian in this chapter. I know Him (1 John 2:4), I abide in Him (1 John 2:6), and I am in the light (1 John 2:9). John wants us to know that if these statements are true, it will show in our lives, especially in our love for brothers and sisters in Jesus.
1 John 2 was full of great things to learn. We can claim we know Him, we abide in Him, and we are in the Light. We are ready!
My next devotional moves into 1 John 3 and examines 1 John 3:1 - We are children of God.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - I pray that I abide in You and am joyful and confident in Your coming. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
The Blue Letter Bible was accessed on 4/29/2024 to review the lexicon for He appears, confidence, shrink away (shame), coming and righteous.
Commentary from Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with written permission.
You just after the flesh I judge no man -- John 8:15.
He who does righteousness is righteous EVEN AS HE IS RIGHTOUES 1 John 3:7
There is one righteousness - even the righteousness which comes from God upon all who believe and there is NO DIFFERENCE Romans 3:22
Your description of this so called "practiced righteousness" has nothing to do with the righteousness of God - it is your religious attempts as being good, it's the filthy rags Isaiah the prophet describes. You practice righteousness by faith not by works.