We live in a culture that places high value in appearances- both our culture at large and even our Christian subculture. A lot of time and energy is spent on creating the appearance that you always have it all together when, in reality, no one does. What about you? Beneath it all, where have you placed your confidence, dear Christian?
Finding Confidence in Christ
Confidence is having the trust that you’ll succeed. It’s walking boldly forward with faith and clarity. What’s the source of your confidence? Try not to give the answer you’ve memorized or where you think it should be, but where it actually is. Finding confidence in Christ begins with looking at yourself honestly.
1) Self
Your natural tendency is to rely on yourself. It’s inherent in the sin nature. Just like Adam and Eve decided to do it on their own apart from God, so is every Christian’s natural first response. The problem is human confidence is dependent on conditions and circumstances that are often unpredictable. No one always has it all together. Everyone fails eventually. What’s more, things often happen beyond your control.
2) Who He Is
God, the one true and only living God, is the only steady, unchanging, and altogether faithful and reliable entity in all of life. He is the only uncreated One. He is the only self-existent and self-sustaining being. Ever. And He is good! All good things come from Him and He is good down to His very essence. In fact, He defines the word. He alone is worthy of all your trust, faith, and confidence simply because of Who He is.
3) His Word
He revealed Himself to us in His Word. He supernaturally governed the recording and preservation of it through the lives of men, so we could have it even today. His Word is holy, complete, and true. It’s without error in its original manuscripts. All things will pass away, but His Word will endure.
4) His Grace
Hebrews 4 tells us to approach the throne of grace boldly or with confidence. Jesus has experienced the human life. He knows temptation, sorrow, and heartache. He is also God- the God who gave Himself so we could know Him. You can approach Him freely, constantly, without hesitation or reservation, and with all confidence that He will hear you. No matter what has happened, what you’ve done, how you feel, or how weak you think your faith is, you can approach the God of the universe with confidence. Not proudly, but having the quiet assurance that He will receive you, hear you, and attend to you. You are His.
5) Salvation
You can have confidence in your salvation. You don’t have to hope you’re saved or think you’re saved or hope you will be at the end of your life. And you don’t have to live in fear you will lose this great gift of salvation He has given you. Why? You did nothing to earn it. You could never do enough to earn it. It wasn’t given to you by merit, but by grace. If you believe in Christ, that is that He died in your place to reconcile you to God and paid in full for your debt of sin, then your salvation is secure. You did nothing to earn it and could never do enough to keep it. That’s His work.
A Word on Good Works
If good works don’t earn your salvation and good works don’t preserve your salvation, what role do they play in the Christian life? Ephesians says you are saved for good works that God has prepared for you in advance. They flow out of your salvation, out of your new identity in Christ. They are a product of your salvation, not its cause or preserving agent. After salvation, God begins to sanctify you or make you more like Himself. He changes you and invites you into the work He’s already doing all around you. Stay connected to His community. Let Him live in you, my friend, and have confidence in following Him.
Learn More
Everything in our culture says to be confident in yourself- in your abilities, your personality, your resources. It’s not popular to admit weaknesses, inadequacies, or failures. This is true in the world and it’s true in our Christian culture. Most of the time you’d rather show you have it all together in every aspect. This posture, however, is antithetical to growth and maturity in Jesus. Instead, find your confidence in Christ. Who He is, His Word and His grace will never change. Humble yourself, friend, and He will lift you up.
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