Confidence in the day of judgment.
Orientation
God's intention is not for His children to face the day of judgment with anxiety, shame, or tormenting fear.
- The religious mind often traffics in fear of judgment and rejection.
- This fear is a direct assault on the finished work of Christ and the assurance He purchased.
- God's desire is for confidence and boldness, not trembling uncertainty.
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. (1 John 4:18)
— 1 John 4:18
Clarification
Confidence before God is not presumption or self-generated boldness, but the result of dwelling in His perfected love.
- Fear of judgment is not a sign of spiritual maturity, but evidence of not being perfected in God's love.
- This boldness is a fruit of grace and sonship, not of law and self-righteousness.
- The ground of our confidence is our standing in Christ: 'as he is, so are we in this world.'
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. (1 John 4:17)
— 1 John 4:17
Structure
Biblical confidence is structured on abiding in Christ, perfected love, and the assured result of an abundant entrance.
- Abiding in Christ produces confidence and removes shame at His coming (1 John 2:28).
- Dwelling in God's perfected love casts out fear and grants boldness for judgment (1 John 4:16-19).
- Diligence in confirming our calling and election leads to an abundant entrance into the kingdom (2 Peter 1:10-11).
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)
— 1 John 2:28
Weight-Bearing Prose
The core theological assertion is that God desires believers to possess a divinely enabled boldness on the day of judgment. This is not a human accomplishment but the result of specific means God has established. The positive cause-effect chain is clear: abiding in Christ results in confidence and not being ashamed; dwelling in God’s perfected love results in boldness and casts out fear; diligently confirming one’s calling and election through faithful obedience results in never falling and receiving an abundant entrance. The negative chain is equally clear: fear, which is torment, results from not being made perfect in love. This framework employs Pauline categories of union (’in Christ’), assurance of faith, and the inheritance of the saints. It directly counters any teaching that leaves the believer in uncertainty or that severs the link between present abiding in Christ and future confident standing. The ‘abundant entrance’ (2 Peter 1:11) is not a wage for performance but the ministered result of a calling and election held as sure.
Integration
This confidence is your inheritance in Christ. It is not something you muster but something you receive as you abide in Him. The love that casts out fear is God’s love for you, perfected in you. Your calling and election are sure in Christ; your diligence is simply holding fast to this reality. The day of judgment is not a threat to be feared but a reality where you will stand in the boldness Christ provides. Rest here. Your standing is as secure as His standing, for you are in Him. Let this truth anchor you, removing all pressure and fear. Christ is your confidence, your love, and your abundant entrance.