Confidence before God
1 John 3v21
24th March 2023
Last time, we looked verses 19 and 20, which say that there are times when a Christian's heart can condemn him, and that, when that happens, we can set our hearts at rest because we know we love each other, and because God knows us intimately, and He understands us and what we're going through.
Perhaps we've been caught in a particularly embarrassing sin, or perhaps we've listened to some very damaging negativity from other people. Perhaps we've realised we've been making some significant mistake. Perhaps we just don't feel very good or very lovable. Perhaps we've remembered some sin committed long ago, and repented of, but now we just don't feel forgiven or clean.
For whatever reason, a Christian may sometimes choose not to join in the Lord's Supper, or not to worship, or not to read his Bible, or not to pray, because his heart condemns him. Tragically, some may even drift away from church and even from God. Some may continue to pray, but with little expectation of God's favour.
But God understands. God knows we do love Him and we do love our brothers and sisters. He will never leave us or forsake us. He loves us eternally and nothing can ever separate us from His love. It's vitally important that we choose to set our hearts at rest, as verse 20 says we can, because Verse 21 says:
1 John 3v21
Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God
As Brooke Foss Westcott says in his commentary, this confidence before God is "the boldness with which the son appears before the Father, and not that with which the accused appears before the Judge". A son who has really let his earthly father down doesn't come to him in the same way as a son whose life is really making his earthly father proud. A son who has seriously under-performed shuffles into his earthly father's study shamefaced and downcast, and perhaps fearing punishment. He doesn't come boldly, with confidence.
But as verse 1 of this chapter reminds us, we're children of God. God is not like an earthly father. Any child of God can always come boldly before heavenly Father! As a beloved child of a perfectly loving and understanding Father, you're always welcome before God.
Hebrews 4v16
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
If you're a Christian then, whatever's happened, recently or years ago, you're welcome before the throne of grace. If you've got some things seriously wrong, God wants to help you deal with those things, put them right, and restore you. God loves you.
The preceding verses of Hebrews 4 make it clear that our confidence is not based on our own goodness, but on the fact that Jesus Christ is our great high Priest. That's why we can set our hearts at rest. As we read in 1 Timothy 1v15, Christ Jesus came into the word to save sinners – sinners like us.
We've been adopted as God's children through God-given faith in Jesus and His redeeming blood, and God-given repentance from our sinful ways. We come before the throne of God forgiven and washed clean.
As 1 John 1v8 reminds us, however, we do still sin. Our confidence before God is always on the basis of Jesus's sacrifice for us, and never on our own ability to keep God's commands, because we still don't obey God perfectly. The reason we can stand before God is the historical reality that Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself in our place to pay for our sin.
We all know:
Romans 8v1
... there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
That wonderful verse means that God will never condemn us. But sometimes we condemn ourselves or, as John puts it, our hearts condemn us.
I expect we've all known times when we've disgusted ourselves, when we're all too aware that we've really, really let God down. Perhaps we've sinned in a particularly appalling way, or over a disturbingly long period of time. We might ask ourselves if we're really Christians at all.
God doesn't doubt that we're His children. Jesus has already paid not only for the sins you committed before you found saving faith in Him, but also for the sins you're still committing. There is no condemnation from God for you, but your heart might be condemning you. So although you're still very welcome before the throne of grace, and you really, really need to be there, perhaps you feel unworthy.
At such a time, you need to be aware of two facts. Firstly, yes, your sin was – or even continues to be – horrible. Secondly, you're still forgiven!
Father wants you to come to Him. As Hebrews 4v16 says, He wants you to find grace to help in our time of need.
God knows what you need, and God wants to help you. If you've done something awful, God wants to assure you of His forgiveness. If you're caught in a sinful habit, God wants to give you the grace you need to break free from that habit and live a holy life. If you're under great temptation, God want to strengthen you to resist and stay pure.
Come, come to the throne of grace, wherever you've been and whatever you've done.