“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.”
My Notes
What Does 1 John 2:28 Mean?
John writes to his spiritual children with the tenderness of a father and the urgency of a prophet. "And now, little children, abide in him" — "little children" (teknia) is John's characteristic term of endearment for the believers he's shepherding. The command is simple and singular: abide. Meno — remain, stay, continue, don't leave. The same word Jesus used in John 15 for the branch staying connected to the vine. The whole Christian life compressed into one verb: stay.
"That, when he shall appear" — the "when" (hotan) assumes Christ's return as certain. Not if. When. John writes in expectation, not speculation. Christ will appear — phanerothe, be made visible, be revealed in full. What's currently unseen will become unmistakable.
"We may have confidence" — the word "confidence" (parresian) means boldness, frank openness, the ability to stand without fear. At Christ's appearing, abiding produces confidence. The person who stayed connected to Christ doesn't shrink when Christ arrives. They stand. Openly. Without dread.
"And not be ashamed before him at his coming" — the alternative to confidence is shame (aischunthomen — to be put to shame, to shrink back in disgrace). The person who didn't abide meets Christ with the sinking feeling of an unprepared student meeting the teacher. Not condemned necessarily. But ashamed. The word "before" (ap autou) carries the sense of shrinking away from Him — wanting to create distance at the very moment you should be running toward Him.
The verse connects present abiding to future confidence. What you do now determines how you feel then.
Reflection Questions
- 1.If Jesus appeared today, would you run toward Him with confidence or shrink back? What does your answer reveal about your current level of abiding?
- 2.John says abiding produces confidence at Christ's coming. What daily practices keep you connected enough to produce that confidence?
- 3.The alternative to confidence is shame — not condemnation, but the embarrassment of drifting. Where are you drifting right now?
- 4.John calls them 'little children' — tenderness in the warning. How does knowing this instruction comes from love change how you receive it?
Devotional
When Jesus appears, you'll either run toward Him with confidence or shrink back in shame. What determines which? Whether you abided.
John's instruction is simple enough for a child and demanding enough for a lifetime: abide in Him. Stay connected. Don't wander. Don't drift. Don't let the distance between you and Christ grow so wide that when He shows up, you're embarrassed to see Him.
"That we may have confidence." Parresia — boldness, openness, the ability to look Him in the eye without flinching. This isn't earned by being perfect. It's earned by staying connected. The branch that remained on the vine — even if it didn't produce as much fruit as it wanted to, even if there were seasons of struggle — can face the gardener with confidence because it stayed. The branch that detached has nothing to show when inspection day arrives.
"And not be ashamed before him at his coming." The shame John describes isn't hell. It's the specific embarrassment of seeing Jesus face to face after a life of drifting. The believer who didn't abide isn't destroyed. But they shrink. They want distance from the very person they should be closest to. The shame is proportional to the gap — the distance between where they were and where they could have been if they'd stayed.
"Little children." John's tenderness carries the warning. He's not scolding. He's pleading — the way a father pleads with a child headed toward something painful. Stay close. Don't wander. Because the day is coming when you'll see Him. And I want you to run toward Him, not away from Him. I want you confident, not ashamed.
The abiding isn't complicated. It's daily. It's the small choices that keep you connected — the prayer you don't skip, the Word you don't abandon, the relationship with God you don't let drift. Each small act of staying is building the confidence you'll need on that day.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And now, little children, abide in him,.... The apostle having finished his separate instructions exhortations to the…
And now, little children - See the notes at 1Jo 2:1. Abide in him; that, when he shall appear - In the end of the world,…
And now, little children - Τεκνια, Beloved children, abide in him - in Christ Jesus. Let his word and spirit continually…
From the blessing of the sacred unction the apostle proceeds in his advice and exhortation to constancy in and with…
And now Introducing the practical conclusion: comp. Joh 17:5, where Jesus, -having accomplished the work given Him to…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture