Abiding in Christ Gives Confidence
A. Maclaren, D. D. 1 John 2:28-29 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence… It is only in proportion as we keep ourselves in union with Christ, in heart and mind, and will, and work, that we shall stand steadfast. The lightest substances may be made stable, if they are glued on to something stable. You can mortise a bit of thin stone into the living rock, and then it will stand "four-square to every wind that blows." So it is only on condition of our keeping ourselves in Jesus Christ, that we are able to keep ourselves steadfast, and to present a front of resistance that does not yield one foot, either to imperceptible continuous pressure, to sudden assaults, or to the fluctuations of our own changeful dispositions and tempers. The ground on which a man stands has a great deal to do with the firmness of his footing. You cannot stand fast upon a bed of slime, or upon a sandbank being undermined by the tides. And if we, changeful creatures, are to be steadfast in any region, our surest way of being so is to knit ourselves to Him "who is the same yesterday, and today, and forever," and from whose immortality will flow some copy and reflection of itself into your else changeful natures. (A. Maclaren, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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. WEB: Now, little children, remain in him, that when he appears, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.