Confidence in God
Do you feel confident? What does confidence mean to you and how does it manifest in your life? Jeremiah shows us how he experiences confidence: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in the Lord!” (Jeremia 17,7)Here it becomes clear that trust in God is not only a blessing, but that God himself is the embodiment of confidence. Whoever trusts in God has God's confidence within them. In the biblical passages where Luther uses the word "confidence," other translators preferred terms like protection, trust, refuge, support, or hope. David describes his relationship with God as follows: "For you are my hope, O Lord, my sovereign; from my youth I have trusted." (Psalm 71,5)His experience with God is described in further words: “You answer us wonderfully in righteousness, you God of our salvation, you confidence of all the ends of the earth and of the solid sea.” (Psalm 65,6).
Can God the Father and his Son Jesus, the Messiah, also be for us this confidence, hope, protection, refuge, and support in which we can fully trust? God knows our weaknesses, concerns, and reservations that prevent us from placing our complete trust in the Lord. Therefore, he encourages us: “Let us then with confidence approach the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebr 4,16 Dr. Hermann Menge translated the Greek word «parresia» as joyful confidence. We can therefore approach our Father joyfully and confidently, for he is merciful and gracious.
In the Letter to the Hebrews we read that we can enter the sanctuary with joyful confidence: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus—the new and living way he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh—and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance of faith, having had our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from an evil conscience and having washed our bodies with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good works.”Hebr 10,19-24 (Quantity). Finally, the exhortation follows: “Therefore do not throw away your joyful confidence, for it will yield a rich reward!” (verse 35).
The commentary on these verses by Fritz Rienecker, who wrote the Bible lexicon, really appealed to me: "The 'parresia', this joyful confidence, is the hallmark of Christian certainty of salvation. We have confidence in entering the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus. In the old covenant, only the high priest was allowed to enter the holy of holies, but the community of the new covenant, atoned for by the blood of Jesus, can always confidently go directly before God. They have the freedom and authority to do so, or rather confidence! Christ himself entered the holy of holies as a forerunner, as a scout sent ahead, and made it possible for his community to follow him. This access was consecrated by Jesus as a living path, a path that is new and living; it did not exist until now and is tied to the living person of Jesus Christ. Christ himself becomes in his person the access and path to God."
Now let us consider another aspect of confidence: public conduct. The Greek word "parresia" is also translated as boldness or courage. In the following verses, Paul speaks to the deacons: "Those who perform their ministry well gain a good reputation and great boldness (confidence) in their faith in Christ Jesus." (1. Tim 3, 13).
In private, many Christians find it easy to talk about God and their faith. It is a greater challenge to publicly profess or advocate for their faith. Here, boldness, openness, and confidence are urgently needed. John and Peter were interrogated before the Sanhedrin, and the authorities were astonished by their courage and openness: “They saw the boldness of Peter and John and were amazed, for they realized that they were uneducated and simple men, and they also knew that they had been with Jesus. They saw the man who had been healed standing with them and did not know what to say against it.” (Apg 4,13-14).
When the two disciples had returned to the other disciples, they joined together in prayer and said: “Now, Lord, consider their threats and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness.” And when they had prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.Apg. 4,29 and 31). This boldness, this confident openness of the disciples, was extraordinary; the disciples immediately recognized that this joyful confidence was a gift from God.
Paul also recognized that joyful confidence, this boldness, is an essential element in proclaiming the gospel: “Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplications for all the saints and for me, that words may be given me to speak boldly to the mystery of the gospel.” (Eph 6,18-19).
In his difficult situation, Paul was able to pass on the message of salvation, the gospel, and many persecuted Christians in our time do the same. They do not allow themselves to be held back by circumstances; they continually see doors opening unexpectedly and offering a path to joyful confidence.
If we investigate the word "confidence," we learn that in Old High German it meant "pre-sight" (foresight or anticipation). Paul had this foresight; he knew what the end result would be: "For I know that after all I am now going through, my salvation will come, because of your prayers for me and because of the Spirit of Jesus Christ." (Philipper 1,19).
Let us trust in God's guidance and allow ourselves to be filled with his grace and mercy. In times of uncertainty and doubt, it is God's confidence that sustains and strengthens us. Let us come before the throne of grace with courage and joyful confidence to receive mercy and timely help. Strengthened by this divine confidence, we can then confess our faith publicly and let the light shine through our lives. Let us trust that God is our confidence, now and forever.
by Hannes Zaugg
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