Watching and Guarding: The Believer's Dual Responsibility at Christ's Return
Orientation
The believer's confidence can be shaken if the gospel treasure is not actively guarded from spiritual thieves.
- Watching for Christ's return is not passive speculation.
- The Lord identifies thieves and robbers who seek to corrupt your spiritual inheritance.
- If your guard is down, your spiritual house—your faith and assurance—can be broken into.
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
Clarification
Guarding the gospel is not about adding personal effort but preserving its simplicity against distortion.
- The treasure is the gospel itself—the message that Christ died for our sins and rose again.
- Thieves often use religious language to twist or supplant this message with human effort.
- Holding fast to this truth is the only foundation for boldness at Christ's appearing.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
— 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
Structure
Biblical logic connects watching for Christ with guarding the gospel, as both protect the believer's inheritance.
- The call to watch is inseparable from the call to guard the spiritual treasure entrusted to us.
- This dual responsibility maintains doctrinal purity and confident anticipation.
- The gospel's clarity, when preserved, is the source of assurance at His appearing.
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
— Colossians 2:6-7
Weight-Bearing Prose
The Pauline charge is dual: watch for Christ’s return and guard the gospel. This is not about earning maturity but protecting the inheritance already given. The gospel—Christ died for our sins and rose—is the believer’s treasure and sole ground of confidence. Spiritual thieves, identified by the Lord, seek to corrupt this message with mixtures of law or human effort, aiming to break into the believer’s house (their faith and assurance). To fail to guard is to allow the foundation of boldness at Christ’s appearing to be shaken. This guarding is an active refusal of every distortion, a holding fast to the apostolic deposit. It employs the Pauline category of the believer’s secure inheritance in Christ, which must be preserved from corruption, not earned through vigilance. The result of guarding is maintained doctrinal purity and unwavering assurance, rooted in grace alone.
Integration
Your confidence is anchored in the unchanging gospel of Christ. He is your righteousness, sanctification, and reward. This assurance is not something you guard for yourself, but something you guard because it is already yours in Him. There is no pressure to advance or earn a higher standing. Abiding in Him—resting in His finished work—is the source of boldness at His coming. Let this truth settle you. Your calling is to hold fast to what you have received, not to strive for what you already possess. Christ is your treasure, your house, and your sure foundation. Look for His appearing with joy, knowing your place as a son and heir is secure.