1 John 2:28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
Sometimes we must sustain movement in a particular direction in order to reach a goal. Not everything in life is reached in a single effort. Sometimes it can take years to achieve a goal.
The original readers of this letter were facing persecution. They were being bombarded by false teachers who were perverting the Gospel, bending it to their own ends. These false teachers were contradicting the foundational truths of the Gospel, destroying the foundations of the faith.
So the writer wants to provide encouragement and stability to his readers. He wants them to stay true to the Faith they have received, and this includes what they have learned about Jesus. They have an “anointing” that will help them stay true to the truth, keeping them on track in their walk with Him.
But it can be difficult to live a consistent life. It is very easy to get off track as we travel. Just a slight deviation in our course and a little time, and you can end up at a very different destination than you would have otherwise. Your planned trip ends up somewhere completely different.
Little sins, left unchecked, will become roadblocks. They will move us slightly off course. The create a barrier between you and the LORD and between you and other people. It will shift our lives slightly off center.
That is why our text tells us to continue in Him. Notice that it doesn’t say, “continue in the teaching” or “continue following our example”, both of which are good things. But we must continue “in him.”
So many today don’t realize that Jesus is the center of our devotion. He is the One we seek. Getting to know Him more is the sole pursuit of our spiritual lives. When we know Him, then all the other things in life fall into place, or perhaps shift closer to the center as we yield to His promptings.
It is much easier to live by a set of rules than it is to get to know Jesus. It takes time, surrender, confession, repentance, and perseverance to know Him. And again, it is not know about Him, but know Him.
And when we know Him, we can stand in His presence with confidence, knowing that we stand, not because of the things we have done, but because of what He has done on our behalf. We stand ‘in Him’, not on our own, or even at Jesus side. We are included in Him.
That is how we have confidence in His presence. We are ‘in Him’.
So many lack confidence in their spiritual journey. So many live in shame. The writer’s solution is to continue in him. WE can’t think for a moment that we are able to live this life without Him. He is the only way to be successful in this spiritual journey of knowing Him.
The Arnold Journey 