S17P19 – When Jesus walked in: our new confidence

1 John 2:28
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.

Before Christ, we may possess a certain kind of confidence. This can be confidence in our abilities, our station in life or our reputation. This confidence, however, only serves a purpose in the current order of things. It is a counterfeit confidence that will pass away with all other temporary things but provides no eternal benefit or security. It only stands to reason that the confidence of an imperfect man, when founded in only himself, would be ineffective and valueless in God’s kingdom. For this reason, Christ gives us a new confidence.

The confidence we gain in Jesus Christ is one of true power. In fact, today’s verse speaks specifically to the power we have in our Christian confidence. It is the power to stand unashamed before Jesus himself at his coming and not shrink back because of our imperfection and natural impurity. What Jesus gives us is his own perfection, his purity, his worthiness to stand before the Father without shame. It is this new confidence that we wear as a garment when we step boldly into the throne room of God and kneel at his feet. We could never enter into that holy place without the new confidence that we gain in Jesus Christ.

Confidence is another one of the many counterfeits that the world and the enemy try to dangle before us like a carrot before a horse. If we place our confidence in the things of this world or the things that will not last, we have placed our faith in that which will ultimately be destroyed. When we come to Christ, we receive the confidence that has eternal power and that comes with the reward of living forever in God’s kingdom. It is this confidence that is necessary to stand before God unashamed and worthy to be in his presence. Father, teach us daily to walk in this confidence, as we approach your throne in boldness and worthiness, clothed in the righteousness of your son.