The narrow pathway
by Stuart Gray
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And now, dear children, continue in him so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming (1 John 2:28).
I often hear people say things in our society that the world is getting worse by the day. Many church people lament the distractions and false religions that have taken people away from church attendance and learning about values, morality and taking care of others.
In this passage, John encourages Christians to stick with what he taught them about Jesus Christ and that if you remain in him, you will receive what he promised us – eternal life. This encouragement was necessary because even in the early church, people were distracting believers from the core teachings of the church.
Specifically, John talked about an early form of Gnosticism, which taught that spirit was entirely good and that matter was entirely evil. This led to thinking that a person’s body, which is matter, is evil and that salvation is the escape from the body.
But John says that if we continue to have faith in the crucified and resurrected Christ, we not only remain in him but in God the Father as well. This is sufficient to have confidence and be unashamed when we face him at his coming.
What amazing reassurance. We can be confident and unashamed when we face our Maker if we remain in him. It sounds so simple, but in today’s world, we are faced with challenges just as great as the early Christians faced, and we still need to be constantly reminded to stick with the teachings we have been given through the Holy Spirit.
We pray, Holy Spirit, that you sustain us in our belief in the risen Christ and protect us from the heresies and diversions in the world around us. We pray, Heavenly Father, that you help us to be confident and unashamed about you as we are witnesses to the love you have given us through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
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