Abide In Him!

 

1 John 2:28-29  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.  (29)  If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

            “[L]ittle children,” young new Christians “abide in him.”   We now must define “abide.”   For us to “abide,” is to permanently (eternally, everlasting, forever, evermore) reside.  I know in our “modern fluid world,” residing at a permanent address is something that is becoming uncommon.  Yet, the permanence of our dwelling (“abide[ing]”) in God is what sets us apart from religions.

1 John 4:15  Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

To iterate again for clarity, John the Revelator is speaking to “new” Christians, Christians who have called on the name of Jesus The Christ as their personal Saviour.

Romans 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Paul is speaking to those, who through The Holy Spirit’s conviction, have personally confessed to others that they believe God.  In that belief, God has saved them from their sins and from a burning Hell.

            In our text, John is asking us to do something The Holy Spirit has already done.  So what is John referencing?    When we accepted Jesus, The Holy Spirit indwelled us, consequently “God dwelleth in him, and he in God.”

Paul also laid it out for us.   We must make the decision to follow with a personal commitment and “present your [our] bodies” to God.

Romans 12:1-2  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  (2)  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

This commitment isn’t a commitment to the Pastor, Preacher, Priest, or a Church.  It is a committed “confidence” that says, “I will “present your [my] bodies a living sacrifice,” and mean it from your heart.

Hebrews 10:22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

We are telling God, and showing the world what I am doing is with a “full assurance of faith” knowing confidently “he [God] is righteous.”   I am “abide[ing]” in Him, and I am “born of him.”

            Reader, “Are you an abiding resident in God? Do you have the “confidence” in your heart that you are a living testimony of righteousness for God?”

            “Do you know that if you died today, tomorrow, in twenty years, Heaven will be your home?  Or, will hell, an abiding burning that will last beyond our limited idea of eternity be your home?”

            Choose Jesus today.  Live for Him.  Abide in Him.

Bro John R. E Chastain

Retired Pastor

Wylie, Texas

fundamentalthoughts-preacher.blogspot.com   Fundamental Thoughts