Lesson 9: Confidence at His Coming
The first major section of John's letter — "God is light, walk in the light" (1:5–2:29) — draws to a close. John has laid down the moral test, the love test, and the doctrinal test. He has warned about the world and the antichrists. Now he turns his readers' gaze forward to the day when Christ will appear. The question that matters most is this: When He comes, will you have confidence or shrink back in shame?
Read the Text
28And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.— 1 John 2:28-29 (ESV)
Abide in Him
Verse 28 begins with the same tender address John used at the start of chapter 2: "And now, little children." The word teknia — "little born-ones" — reminds them (and us) that we are God's children, not distant servants. And the command is the same one that has echoed through these verses: abide in Him.
Menō (abide) has been John's great theme in this chapter. It means to remain, to stay, to dwell in constant union with Christ. Like a branch connected to the vine (John 15:4-5), the believer who abides draws life, nourishment, and stability from Christ. Everything John has written — about walking in the light, keeping His commandments, loving the brethren, confessing the Son — is the practical outworking of abiding.
The command is present tense: keep abiding. Continue abiding. Make it your settled posture. Not a one-time decision but a daily, moment-by-moment dependence on Christ.
For That Day
John gives the reason: "That when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming."
The word for "coming" is parousia — a technical term for the arrival of a king or ruler. Christ's parousia is His visible, glorious return when every eye will see Him (Revelation 1:7). John is looking forward to that day, and he wants his readers to face it with confidence rather than shame.
The Greek word parrēsia (confidence) means boldness, frankness, freedom of speech. It's the opposite of cowering. John envisions a believer standing before Christ at His return not with terror but with open, joyful confidence — like a child running to greet a beloved father, not shrinking away in fear.
And the alternative is sobering: "Not be ashamed before Him at His coming." The one who has not abided — who has loved the world, denied the Son, or lived in darkness — will shrink back in shame when the true Light appears. Not because they lost their salvation but because their life will be exposed as empty profession.
The Proof of New Birth
Verse 29 introduces a theme that will dominate chapter 3: "If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him."
John's logic is straightforward:
- God is righteous. This is the starting point — a truth John's readers already know. The same God who is light (1:5) is also righteous.
- Those born of God practice righteousness. The new birth produces a new nature, and the new nature expresses itself in righteous living. It's not that righteous acts make you born of God; they demonstrate that you are.
The phrase "born of Him" (gegennētai ex autou) is John's first use of a term that will become central in chapter 3 (cf. 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18). The new birth is the source of the new life. And the evidence of the new birth is not a past decision but a present pattern: doing righteousness.
This is the moral test in its most distilled form: righteousness is the family resemblance. A child looks like his parents. A child of God looks like his Father. And the Father is righteous — so His children practice righteousness.
The Bridge to Chapter 3
These two verses serve as a hinge between the first major section of 1 John and what follows. They introduce three themes that chapter 3 will develop:
- The appearing of Christ (v. 28) — "When He appears" points to the second coming, which chapter 3 will connect to our hope of being like Him (3:2-3).
- Confidence before Him (v. 28) — The parrēsia that comes from abiding, which 3:21-22 will develop in the context of prayer and an uncondemning heart.
- Born of God (v. 29) — The new birth as the source of righteous living, which 3:9 will expound in the starkest terms: "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning."
John has set the stage. The tests have been given. The warnings have been sounded. The call to abide has been issued. Now he will unfold the glorious reality of what it means to be a child of God.
Key Terms to Remember
- Confidence (parrēsia) — Boldness, freedom of speech, open assurance before God; the opposite of shame and cowering at Christ's return
- Coming (parousia) — Christ's visible, glorious return; the arrival of the King
- Born of Him (gegennētai ex autou) — The new birth, being born of God; the source of righteous living and the basis of our family relationship with God
- Practice righteousness (poiōn dikaiosunēn) — Habitual, characteristic righteous living that flows from the new nature
Check Your Understanding
1. According to verse 28, why should we abide in Christ?
2. What does it mean to have "confidence" (parrēsia) at Christ's coming?
3. What is the relationship between being "born of God" (v. 29) and practicing righteousness?
4. How do these two verses serve as a bridge to what comes next in chapter 3?
Primary Resource
Before Next Lesson
Read 1 John 3:1-3. Ask: What does it mean that I am a child of God right now — and how does the hope of seeing Christ transform how I live today?