Albert Barnes Commentary 1 John 2:28

"And now, [my] little children, abide in him; that, if he shall be manifested, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before him at his coming." — 1 John 2:28 (ASV)

And now, little children (1 John 2:1).

Abide in Him, so that when He will appear—that is, in the end of the world, to receive His people to Himself (John 14:2–3).

We may have confidence. (In Greek, this is boldness—parrhsian.) This word is commonly used to denote openness, plainness, or boldness in speaking (Mark 8:32; John 7:4, 13, 26; Acts 2:29; 4:13, 29; 2 Corinthians 3:12; 2 Corinthians 7:4).

Here it means the kind of boldness, or calm assurance, which arises from evidence of piety and of preparation for heaven. It means that they would not be overwhelmed and confounded at the coming of the Saviour, when it is then found that all their hopes were fallacious.

And not be ashamed before Him at His coming. This shame consists in having all one's hopes taken away, and in being held up to the universe as guilty and condemned.

We feel ashamed when our hopes are disappointed, when it is shown that we have a character different from what we professed to have, when our pretensions to goodness are stripped off, and the heart is made bare.

Many will thus be ashamed in the last day (Matthew 7:21–23); but it is one of the promises made to those who truly believe on the Saviour, that they will never be ashamed or confounded (1 Peter 2:6; Romans 5:5; 1 Peter 4:16; Mark 8:38).