Title: Stay in the Lord
(Lecture 24) 1 John 2:28-29 Abide in the Lord
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Now, little children, abide in him, so that when the Lord is revealed, we may not be ashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you will know that everyone who does righteousness is born of him (1 John). 2:28-29)
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The difficulty of believers in this reality is which teaching is correct. Everyone says what I'm saying is right, so hearing this sounds like it's right, and hearing that word makes it sound like it's right. There can be difficulties due to confusion. However, there are standards by which we can distinguish right from wrong. It is to see whether the teaching reveals and exalts the grace of Jesus Christ. To do this, you will always have to study and learn the Word, and you will have to live with all your attention on Jesus. Because when one's attention is directed to Jesus, right and wrong will naturally be discerned.
Verse 28 says, “Let your children dwell in them.” This refers to the believer's communion with God through the Holy Spirit in Christ and an eternal relationship. Because by living as those who know God and Christ, we can stand firm as a resident of eternal life.
As such, the apostle does not associate the believer's abiding in Christ with the worldly blessings that are commonly thought of. In other words, it does not address the problem of staying in Christ to enjoy peace and happiness in the world. Living as those who abide in Christ is the image of a believer who lives in eternal life, so we are saying to abide in him.
Why do you believe in Christ? Of course, we do not believe in our own strength and will, but we have to reconsider where we place the reason that faith is given to us. We need to think deeply about why Jesus in heaven had to take on a body like ours and come into the world and die. You must be able to check whether you are truly living in the truth contained in the cross, not just a matter of knowing.
Everyone knows that Jesus died for our sins. However, it became difficult to see them living in this fact, the unchanging truth. The death of the cross is considered merely a Christian doctrine, or a commemorative event, and avoids the life of abiding in Christ crucified. As I gradually distanced myself from my interest in the blood of Jesus, I became more and more interested in my body and my life in the world. And when we think of Jesus only as a helper of our bodies, can this really be seen as abiding in Christ?
Abiding in Jesus is not a matter of going to church, praying, or reading the Bible diligently. To abide in Jesus is to live as a person outside the world. Of course, that doesn't mean you go into the mountains and live alone. It means that the world does not live for the same purpose. And we live in the spirit that Jesus came into the world to speak and teach. Going the way of life that the Lord lived, isn't this abiding in Christ?
Verse 28 says, “Little children, abide in him now, so that when the Lord is revealed, we may have confidence at His coming so that we may not be ashamed before Him.” The apostle says that the reason believers should abid in the Lord, so that when the Lord has manifested us, we may gain confidence, so that we may not be ashamed before Christ. It is speaking of the reason why we should abide in the Lord in connection with the time of His coming.
Then, everyone, what do you think a believer will not be ashamed of before the Lord? Wouldn't it be shameful to do a lot of volunteer work and give all of your fortune to the church?
Believers should think of everything in terms of Christ crucified. In other words, let's say you gave all your money to the church. It can be something to get compliments on in front of people. But what about Jesus who died on the cross? Would you be proud of yourself in front of the cross? In this way, we cannot be proud in front of Jesus no matter what we do. No matter what you do, nothing can compare to the grace of Jesus who died on the cross. Then the conclusion is that no matter what we do, it does not make us not ashamed in the sight of Jesus.
Shame means that there is a fault. Then to be not ashamed means to be without fault. The reason we have no choice but to be ashamed is because we all have faults. that he is a sinner. This transgression cannot be covered or washed away with anything. It is only covered by the blood of Jesus. Therefore, to stand without shame means to stand before the Lord as a being whose sins are covered by the grace of the blood of Jesus. Because of the grace of the blood of Jesus, we can stand boldly as a being without shame in the judgment. Therefore, to abide in the Lord can be seen as living in the grace of the atonement of Jesus. And when we remain in the grace of the Lord in this way, our love for our brothers is revealed.
Do you know the righteousness of Jesus? Then he will be able to distinguish between truth and non-truth. What is not the truth is not the righteousness of Jesus, but because it exalts the righteousness of man. He is a true people who abiding in the Lord, thanks to the grace of Jesus and exalting only Jesus.