He Will Sustain You
1 Corinthians 1:8–9 is a great consolation to believers prone to worry about whether they might lose their salvation if they don't do enough or who aren't holy enough.
Speaking of "our Lord Jesus Christ" (from verse 7), it says:
"who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:8-9).
The key is faith in Christ. This is the same thing for all things regarding spiritual growth and Christian living. Look to Christ; trust in Him. Look away from yourself; don't trust in your works or holiness. Only through faith will you find assurance and confidence for the day of judgment.
First, it says, "who will sustain you to the end."
Christ does the sustaining; you are the one being sustained. By grace, Jesus keeps us. In power, Jesus sustains us. It is a clear biblical fact that Jesus sustains His people to the end. Therefore let us not seek peace and rest by looking at how far along we are in sanctification, discipleship, or good deeds. That is legalism. That is the path to either self-righteousness or self-despair. That is not the gospel road. The gospel road is, to look to Christ and His sustaining power. By faith, embrace the absolute truth that, if you are in Christ through faith, Christ "will sustain you to the end."
Then it says, "guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."
When the end comes, this is how you will stand before God. This will be God's verdict when you are presented before Him: without guilt. Innocent. Forgiven. Justified. Righteous. Your standing will be guiltless before God in the final judgment because your standing is already guiltless before God through faith in Jesus. And nothing can reverse this great work of God's redemption. The Bible teaches that nothing, "will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (from Romans 8:39).
What about feelings of guilt?
Since we still sin, and since we no longer love sin because we want to please God and honor Him, we do experience feelings of guilt for our corruption and transgression of God's holy commandments. In one sense, when properly understood, this is good because it leads us to Christ for sanctifying grace. It helps us see our ongoing need for the work of Jesus in our lives. It turns us to Christ. It causes us to trust in Him, cry out to Him, and wait for Him. It enables us to cultivate a deeper and stronger appreciation for His sacrificial death on the cross in our place and for our sins. The point here, though, despite feelings of guilt due to sin, our standing before God in Christ can never be, "guilty," but only and always, "forgiven." And that same status of "forgiven" that we have now will still be true on the day of judgment when we stand before the throne of God in all its glory. Praise the Lord.
Finally, it says, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
This is all based on God's faithfulness, not ours. God is faithful. He keeps His promises. He finishes His works. He stands by His Word. If God called you into fellowship with Christ and promised you an inheritance in the new heavens and new earth, why would He go back on that promise and cut you off? He will not. Jesus said:
"And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:39-40)
Jesus will sustain you; trust in Him
Jesus will keep you; look to Him
Jesus is with you by the Spirit
Jesus is interceding for you in heaven
And Jesus is working within you
to strengthen and comfort you,
to conform you to His likeness
and preserve you until you go to Him in heavenly glory
or He returns to earth in heavenly glory.
Jesus saved us; and He will sustain us to the end for the glory of God.
"Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." (Jude 24-25)