‘Starting’ is often easier than ‘continuing’ through difficulty and hardship.  The need to ‘keep going’ through the challenges is a tough lesson for every child; and yet with encouragement and love the child can learn to overcome the obstacles and develop essential life skills.  The same is true for the children of God.  That was why John wrote his letters … so that God's children, who were so dear to him, would learn to keep trusting the Lord resisting the lure of fleshly lusts, worldly temptations, and false teaching (1 John 2:15-17; 1 John 2:26).

Every Christian is not only following Jesus, and has Christ within them, they are also described as being 'in Christ'.  Like a baby who is 'in the womb', so the Christian is 'in Christ' (Romans 8:1; 1 Corinthians 15:22).  The womb is the environment in which the baby can grow and without it the infant will perish.  So it is with Christ: all those who are in Him have life, safety and nutrition.  He is the only environment in which the developing believer can grow, by responding to His Word, into his or her full potential.

Continuing 'in Him' is the only way to remain in eternal life.  Unlike the unborn baby which has no choice, children do have choices and can either agree to stay within loving parental constraints, or rebel.  Adults who ‘fall in love’ must choose to ‘stay in love’.  For the Christian, obedience is a response of love for all Christ has done for us (John 14:15), which will enable us to be in confident relationship with God as we anticipate the second coming of the Lord Jesus.  No loved Child of God would want to be ashamed on that day (2 Timothy 1:8).  Therefore, it is essential to continue in trusting obedience, and resting dependency on Him; because apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).

The pressures of the world, the lusts of the flesh and the attacks of the devil will all conspire to encourage us to take a different path, back-pedal or even stop our walk with the Lord.  But none of those are viable options for the believer. We must continue in Him, bathed in His love and keeping in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25).  The Lord is on the move in this world, and we must move along with Him.  Our only security and purpose-base is to continue in Him – whatever our friends, false teachers, persecutors and our fleshly appetites may demand.  It is the only way to look with confidence to His return.