God’s intention for His children is not ambiguity, anxiety, or trembling uncertainty about the day of judgment. He has made it plain in His Word: He wants us to stand before Him with confidence and boldness, not shrinking back in shame or tormented by fear. This is not a peripheral issue; it is central to the gospel and to our inheritance as sons. Any doctrine that leaves you uncertain, fearful, or striving to secure your own standing before God is a direct assault on the finished work of Christ and the assurance He purchased for you.
Abiding in Christ: The Only Ground for Confidence
Scripture is unambiguous: “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.” (1 John 2:28)
The only way to have confidence at His appearing is to abide in Christ. This is not a call to frantic self-examination or to accumulate a record of works, but to remain where God has placed you—in Christ. To abide is to rest in the gospel, to hold fast to what you heard from the beginning, to refuse to be moved from the hope of your calling. The result is not mere wishful thinking, but a settled, God-given assurance: you will not be ashamed before Him. This is the inheritance of every believer who abides.
Perfected Love Casts Out Fear
The world and the religious mind traffic in fear: fear of judgment, fear of rejection, fear of not measuring up. But God’s love is not like that. He has provided something infinitely better—a love that is perfected in us, a love that drives out fear and replaces it with boldness.
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:16-19)
If you are tormented by fear of judgment, it is not a sign of spiritual maturity—it is evidence that you have not been perfected in God’s love. Fear is the fruit of law and self-righteousness; boldness is the fruit of grace and sonship. God’s love is not a vague sentiment; it is the very means by which you are made bold. As you dwell in His love, as you are perfected in it, fear is expelled. You are brought into the same standing as Christ Himself: “as He is, so are we in this world.” This is not presumption; it is the very heart of the gospel.
The Abundant Entrance: Assurance, Not Uncertainty
Peter does not dangle the hope of the kingdom as a carrot for the diligent and a stick for the fearful. He declares the reality of an abundant entrance for those who stand in the assurance of faith:
“Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:10-11)
This diligence is not the anxious labor of the flesh, but the steadfastness of faith—holding fast to Christ, refusing to be moved from the hope of the gospel. The result is not a bare, grudging admittance, but an entrance abundantly ministered. God’s intention is not that you scrape by, uncertain and fearful, but that you enter His kingdom with rejoicing, full assurance, and the confidence of a son coming home.
What Is Lost If This Is Denied?
If you accept any teaching that leaves you fearful, uncertain, or ashamed at the thought of Christ’s coming, you have surrendered the very heart of the gospel. You have traded sonship for servitude, inheritance for anxiety, and assurance for torment. You have, in effect, denied the sufficiency of Christ’s work and the perfection of God’s love. The result is not humility, but unbelief—a refusal to receive what God has freely given. This is not a secondary matter; it is salvific. To undermine the believer’s confidence is to undermine justification itself.
God’s Desire: Sons Standing Boldly
God’s desire is clear: He wants you to stand before Him with boldness, perfected in His love, assured of your place in His kingdom. This is not the result of your striving, but of His initiative—He first loved us. Your confidence is not in your performance, but in His promise. To abide in Christ, to be perfected in His love, to give diligence to your calling—these are not burdens, but the very means by which God secures your assurance and grants you an abundant entrance.
Do not settle for a gospel that leaves you in fear. Do not accept a doctrine that robs you of assurance. Stand in the finished work of Christ. Abide in Him. Let His love be perfected in you, and you will find that fear is cast out, confidence is established, and an abundant entrance is assured.
For a deeper exploration of these truths and how they secure your inheritance, see Rewards and Service in Grace.
