Ruth 4:8-12. Final chapter – Our home with Christ in the word “abide” – Resisting temptation in order to perform good.

Tuesday June 5, 2018

 

Title: Ruth 4:8-12. Final chapter - Our home with Christ in the word “abide” - Resisting temptation in order to perform good.

 

Christ has made us complete. He has also commanded that we abide in Him.

 

1JO 2:27 And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him (baptism of the Spirit) abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

 

1JO 2:28 And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.

 

“abide in Him” - imperative (command). We have to choose to remain in Him, not in position, but in walk or way.

 

Other passages of meno in the imperative:

 

JOH 15:4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

 

JOH 15:9 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.

 

We will return to this instance in Joh 15.

 

1CO 7:20 Let each man remain [meno: imperative] in that condition in which he was called.

 

1CO 7:21 Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but if you are able also to become free, rather do that.

 

1CO 7:22 For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord's freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ's slave.

 

1CO 7:23 You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.

 

1CO 7:24 Brethren, let each man remain [meno: imperative] with God in that condition in which he was called.

 

Abide in your earthly position and its responsibilities as a free person in Christ.

 

Paul states that in whatever position you were in, social condition, when you were called, i.e. when you believed, remain in it, whether slave or free.

 

The population in the Roman Empire was comprised of 20 - 30% slaves. People were becoming Christians every day and therefore being set free, having only one Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. It would make sense that they should run off from their masters if they were slaves, or even band together and revolt. Both things were illegal and punishable by death. We are to obey the governing authorities. Being free in Christ is not at all diminished if one was a slave by earthly standards.

 

This is to be recalled and applied when you have a difficult boss or you have to deal with any earthly authority when it becomes a challenge to obey them. Remain in your position as the Lord’s freedman and also know that we are all the Lord’s slave. 

 

2TI 3:12 And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

 

2TI 3:13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

 

2TI 3:14 You, however, continue [meno: imperative] in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them;

 

2TI 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

 

2TI 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

 

2TI 3:17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

 

This is much like the John’s command to abide in the doctrines you heard from the beginning. Yet in this case the command is given while acknowledging that all who want to live godly in this world will be persecuted.

 

Adelaide Proctor:

Who is the angel that cometh?

       Pain!

Let us arise and go forth to greet him.

       Not in vain

Is the summons gone for us to meet him;

He will stay and darken our sun;

       He will stay

A desolate night, a weary day.

Since in that shadow our work is done,

Andin that shadow our crowns are won,

Let us say still, while his bitter chalice

Slowly into our hearts is poured -

“Blessed is he that cometh

In the name of the Lord.”

 

HEB 13:1 Let love of the brethren continue [meno: imperative].

 

John wrote that if you love the brethren then you will abide in the light.  

 

1JO 2:10 The one who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

 

[back to]

1JO 2:28 And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.

 

The confidence that we are to have in Christ is contrasted with shame at His coming. The word “coming” is used several times for the coming of Christ. The word can also mean the presence of Christ.

 

Of course, when He comes we will be in His presence forever. The difficulty is in reconciling the joy of our being with Him at the time of the Rapture with shrinking away from Him, especially since we will no longer be in our sinful bodies.

 

Comparing this verse with 1JO 4:16-17 we could conclude that John is referring to the judgment seat of Christ.

 

1JO 4:16 And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

 

1JO 4:17 By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.

 

Any believer who loves the Lord would never fear meeting Him, nor feel ashamed. His love is the epitome of confidence. The one who knows Him knows exactly what they are going to be judged for. They know they haven’t lived a perfect life, not even close, but they also know that they have been justified by His grace, forgiven, and cleansed.

 

Yet, we must concede that our judgment before Christ will consist of good and bad.

 

2CO 5:1 For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

 

2CO 5:2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven;

 

2CO 5:3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, shall not be found naked.

 

2CO 5:4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, in order that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

 

2CO 5:5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.

 

2CO 5:6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord — 

 

2CO 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight — 

 

2CO 5:8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

 

2CO 5:9 Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.

 

2CO 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

 

We all have “bad” and “good,” but is whatever is the recompense for “bad” equal to shame? Since that is not stated here, we can’t say for sure.

 

Perhaps John is simply stating:

 

It would be odd for a brother of Christ to feel ashamed if He appeared to them. John is pointing out the foolishness of not abiding in Him. 

 

If I abide in Christ there would be no reason to feel any shame if He appeared to me right now. Some have used this to mean that there will be shame at the judgment seat of Christ, but that is not mentioned here. They all expected Jesus to return any day, so it would not be odd for John to mean the Rapture appearance of Christ.

 

If I was fleshly, false, carnal, in other words I love myself and other things more than Christ and then suddenly He appeared, I would experience shame.

 

I believe this is simply all John is saying. He is pointing out the foolishness of not abiding in Christ through knowing Him, loving Him, and walking as He walked.

 

Our next instance of abide:

 

1JO 3:6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.

 

1JO 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;

 

1JO 3:8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

 

1JO 3:9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.