(35) - "IN Christ" - as HE is

A MAJOR focus came out of the context of 1 John 4. John claims that we SHOULD have NO FEAR even on judgment Day itself. I remember sharing that verse with someone about 35 years ago - and the response was - "well, you can't take those kind of verses at face value."

My response is (not was - I think I said something jokingly about - wow - what happened to it means what it says and it says what it means?) - if we cannot take the focus of an entire section at face value - then why take ANY of it at face value ? Why even HAVE a Bible ? Just tell me YOUR thoughts and I'll know what TRUTH is - right ? (Read that gently - I try very hard to be gentle.)

I think we should be very careful about discarding any verse - and especially in a book which has as its purpose for being written to encourage some things that are not fully focused upon ! John said - "this is the message WE heard from HIM" 1 John 1:5 - and I get real uncomfortable with anyone who thinks they know God's message better than Jesus did ! Note the following - "I am writing this so our joy may be complete" 1:4; "I write this so" 2:1; 2:12; 2:21; 2:26. LISTEN - John wants this to be understood and used completely ! OK - let's say "at face value" - and realize that if John cannot be taken at face value - there is NO FACE VALUE !

Then - about that confidence on Judgment Day - let's GET IT ! There is a reason for having it, John says - it is "because as He is, so are we in THIS world" 1 John 4:17. It seems we need to know a concept - "as HE is, so are we - in THIS world" and in this context it includes a huge principle. 1 John 4:13 introduces part of it this way - "we KNOW that we abide in Him, because He has given us of His own Spirit" - then the following verse claim that if one "confesses Jesus is the Son of God - God abides in him and he in God."

NEXT - if we know and believe the Love God has for us - verse 16 - then love is matured in us - THEN we have confidence on Judgment Day, (v.17).

My pilgrimage was towards believing God's love for me - but I sort of switched that to MY Love for God. However - I did settle that a little back in 4:10 - "this is Love - NOT that we loved God, but that HE loves us" - but many groups have a HARD focus on us instead of God. "If you love ME, you will keep My commands" - becomes YOU better keep commands ! Actually the emphasis is - if you are not keeping commands - LEARN TO LOVE -then you WILL keep the commands - because if you LOVE - you just automatically will !

So - that helped a LITTLE - but something was wrong - I didn't feel very confident. The little phrase "because - as He is, so are we, in this world" held a bigger key. How come Jesus was confident ? That's the real concept we must learn in this regard.

There are MANY clues - but for me, the biggest was at the grave of Lazarus as Jesus began to pray. Strange prayer - He said, "Father I thank You that You have heard Me - I am always aware of You hearing Me - but I said this on account of those who are standing by - so they will believe You sent Me" John 11:41ff. Plus the MANY times He said, "I do nothing of Myself" - and I realized that Jesus took His relationship with God as a fact - a continuing, actual, for sure - fact.

Now - back to 1 John - if I take relationship with God as a fact (as HE is, so are we - in this world) will I not have much better confidence ? AND - if I know my relationship to God is "as a son" - not as a slave - won't THAT give me some confidence ? Well - my secret is in there.

Being born again, Paul wrote, is God's job - He "Fathers me - energizes me and causes me to have His life" (Colossians 2:12, 2 Corinthians 3:4-5; 2 Cor. 4:6ff. Romans 8:11-17)

In fact - we have "put on Christ" Galatians 3:26ff. so we have HIS identity and by faith we are a son of God and have confidence in our FATHER !

When I realized that God gets to be GOD and I trust Him - one more facet came to my brain - "if I TRUST HIM - I will not be put to shame" - (prophesied in Isaiah 50:6-8 and written by Paul in Romans 9:33 quoting Isaiah 28:16; 8:14.)

Well, that brings up a study about "shame" - we'll have to postpone to another time - but IMPORTANT - God wishes us to live without shame. Standing on Judgment Day confidently means we have allowed God to deal with our shame - and we have ACTUALLY become like Jesus in this world. We KNOW we are sons - and we know that being God's sons is what gives us confidence. Well - that was a MAJOR rock to climb on in my personal pilgrimage. Hope it helps someone else as well. More to come