Dear disciple of Jesus, who was baptized within the last year,
The thought of writing you this letter came to me recently, when I heard a young brother get open about his insecurity. The letter is to him, but I've posted in on the website as a general letter because it is more of a Bible study. Please follow these instructions to make this study most helpful:
- Please follow along with this as one of your quiet times (approx. 30 minutes of focused time in God's word).
- Use your own Bible along with the few verses I give (producing Berean character).
- Print this out and take personal notes for the bottom section and any comments or questions you have.
1John 3:1-3 HCSB:
"Look at how great a love the Father has given us, that we should be called God's children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn't know Him. Dear friends, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure."
- Insecurity [1] of Christians
- Can you sense the insecurity of the original recipients of this letter?
- The apostle John is the only of the Eleven who was not martyred. Well, they tried to but it didn't work, so they banished him to Patmos, where he wrote Revelation.
- He ministered as a lead evangelist and elder over the church growth of Asia Minor, what is modern-day Turkey.
- 1John is written later in his life.
- We also read about his audience in the first few chapters of Revelation. All of the seven churches are warned by Jesus Christ to persevere in their faith, and do so by constant repentance.
- Read especially Revelation 2:1-7, the church mentioned first, which is known as a pillar church in the region.
i. Jesus says, in vs.4, "I have this against you: you have abandoned the love you had at first."
ii. Keep in mind that he is talking to a church, not a person (accountability for the unity), and they are of older disciples. They've grown out of touch with that pure, innocent, child-like, go anywhere, do anything love for God that they had when they were just baptized and as young disciples of Christ.
iii. The principle is simple: our love must be hot for God!
iv. (Please look back at the passage I wrote above)
1. Don't get discouraged and down on yourself because you've only just begun in your love for God— see that you have that first love now (read 1John 4:19)!
2. You are in it because you are now devoting your life to God—realigning everything according to His will (lordship). It started with your heart of willingness, but the working out is a process!
3. I believe we all battle with this haunting insecurity of God's love.
a. Very few stay at the level where there are no doubts, a child-like security in the love of the father. I have met only a couple of those pure hearted disciples in my life-time. They're a lot more solid through the hard times in life. They've usually weathered tremendous storms with God earlier in their life that they have a phenomenal trust in Him. That is the place we all want to get.
b. Most of us relate better with these first century disciples, who mind you were missionaries, martyrs, and had many years of witnessing first-hand miracles of baptisms and acts of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit doesn't address small issues in the inspired writings!
c. John had to remind them and us, "We are children of God now!" Our insecurity as Christians causes us to have a performance mind-set, where we are trying to gain the acceptance. We think we have lost something—approval—we think there is something to prove before we will be accepted. Yes, we know by the countless examples and common-sense that it is possible for someone to miss the grace of God because they're too insecure to believe, trust and enter a whole-hearted, committed relationship with God.
d. However, we must hold it as conviction, when God has given you that love (vs.1) He does not take it away! You are a child of God! You can say, "Amen" because the Spirit in you is saying just that (Romans 8:12-17, 26-27).
4. Many things cause us to be insecure as Christians. Here are some, can you think of others that are true for you:
a. How do people respond to us?
b. What do people think of me?
c. Can I make a difference?
d. When we are in sin, does God still love me? Although sin might be the starting place for all insecurity (example: Adam and Eve, Genesis 3).
5. There is seriousness (soberness) to the consequences of insecurity.
a. The greatest one I can think about, which makes me the most urgent to take my insecurities to God: Hebrews 12:15 – I don't want to miss the grace of God.
b. The context of that passage describes how God disciplines those He loves and those who refuse God (or become ungrateful like Esau).
6. Lastly, read the parallel passage to 1John 3:1-3: 1John 4:17-19
a. "there is no fear in love"
b. Instead of striving for perfection out of fear—trying to prove something to gain approval— perfect love is the standard in our relationship with God, where there is no insecurity!
[1] Another definition of insecurity I received from a lesson by Russ Ewell, a very dynamic preacher and man of God leading the San Francisco church. Insecurity: another word for 'massive, life-consuming fear of rejection, and the thought of not being accepted.' I think that does a better job describing what we lightly call "insecurity."
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