Partakers of the Divine Nature

Logos Ministries Incorporated
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PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE

ABIDING IN CHRIST

Abiding in Christ is a relationship that is poorly understood in the church. The three words, "abide in Me" make a great wall-plaque, but if you delve beneath these comforting words, there is little understanding.

There are 12 different words in the Greek text that are translated "abide." Only the word "meno" has application to "abiding in Christ."

"Meno" (mevnw) -

The word means, "to stay in a given place," "to continue in a relationship," "to abide," "to continue," "to dwell," "to take up residence," "to claim as your own, as in land." This is the way land was claimed in the desert. This is the way the west was settled. We have a saying; "possession is nine-tenths of the law."

"And you do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. John 5:38

Jews persecuted Jesus for healing a man on the Sabbath. In His defense, Jesus accused these Jews of not having God's word abiding in them. In this situation, the use of the word "abide" suggests that God's word was not a resident part of their values and thoughts. If applied to "abiding in Christ," the idea of abiding would suggest that it means more than personal location. It suggests that Christ is an integral part of every thought, value decision and priority that one has.

"He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. John 6:56

This was a difficult statement for the Jews and even the disciples to hear. Indeed, 6:56 indicates that many of Jesus' disciples stopped following Him after this statement. This statement was odious to Jews because they knew that the law strictly forbade both the consumption of human flesh and any form of blood.

Jesus, however, did not speak literally. You will remember that in the Passover celebration, He said, "This is my body." He said these words, however, while holding a piece of bread. It was a symbol of peace and forgiveness. Jews only ate bread with persons with whom they were at peace and not in conflict. This is the reason the Pharisees chided Jesus for eating with the tax collectors.

Again, Jesus said, "This is my blood of the new covenant." He said this, however, while holding a cup of wine. A meal and a cup of wine were the means by which covenants were sealed. He was saying that this sealed, made binding the new covenant vouched for in His blood.

In effect, Jesus was saying that those who were forgiven and sealed in the new Covenant had taken up residence in Him and He in them. The forgiven and sealed were bound in a covenant relationship with Him. This tells us something about this abiding. This is not universal. It is a uniquely Christian relationship. It is open only to those who have heard the invitation of Jesus and have responded to His offer of forgiveness and restoration.

The multitude therefore answered Him, "We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can you say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?" John 12:34

In this, His last public discourse, Jesus hinted at the way he would die. The response of the crowd is understandable. The Old Testament teaches that the Messiah would continue eternally. This was the crux of their question. In this discussion, however, they gave us an insight into the meaning of "abiding." Their statement, "the Christ is to remain (abide) forever," suggests that the Christ would live eternally. Abiding, here, however, is more than sustained breathing. It encompasses carrying out one's purpose in life as we fit into the kingdom of God. "Abiding," in this instance, contains an eternal element. It is to continue and carry out the purpose for which the Father sent Him to dwell among people until it is time for Him to come again to gather His own. If we are to "abide in Christ," then there is this element of timelessness involved. We are to continue the purpose for which God gave us life until Christ comes to take us home.

"I have come as light into the world, that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in darkness. John 12:46

On the last day of the feast, just prior to Passover, Jesus cried out in the words of this verse. This is interesting because on this night they would light the huge menorah (candleholder) on the roof of the temple and it would light up every street and alleyway in Jerusalem. On that day He cried out, "I have come as light into the world." In the balance of this verse, Jesus adds to our understanding of "abiding." He said, "Everyone who believes in Me may not remain in darkness." The word "remain" is our word for "abide." Here, the word means to be captive in darkness. It is the inability to escape the darkness. Believing in Jesus emancipates the disciple from the darkness of sin. "Remain" or "abide," in this instance, describes being kept in a relationship. Abiding in Christ identifies a relationship in which the Lord keeps us. It is not a forceful keeping, but one motivated by a loving response.

John, chapters 13-17, took place during the upper room celebration of the Passover. The paragraph, 15:1-10, is part of that section of the book. We mention this because the tone of the entire section is devoted to comforting the frightened disciples. It was becoming clear that Jesus was going to die rather than become an earthly king. This was unsettling for the disciples, to say the least.

This paragraph, 15:1-10, focuses upon the relationship between Jesus and His followers. The concept of "abiding" is an integral part of that relationship; indeed, it is the central focus. Throughout these verses, Jesus used the image of the grapevine, which they understood very well, to describe a relationship, abiding, which they did not understand at all. Jesus said,

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. John 15:1

In this brief, simple statement, Jesus gave us several pieces of information about abiding.

"I am the vine." – Jesus is the energy, the source of this abiding relationship.

1. The disciples knew that the vine was the source of life for the branches. Separate a branch from the vine and it is dead. Abiding involves an awareness that our spiritual life comes directly through Jesus Christ. There is no other source.

It is equally clear that the vine is the source of the identity of the branch and its fruit. We draw our identity from him. What we produce, in terms of spiritual fruit, is a direct reflection of His character.

"My Father is the vinedresser." – This statement produced several images the disciples would understand quite well.

A vinedresser was the one who planted and nurtured the plants. They owed their existence to his efforts and constant care.
The plants existed for his benefit. He was the total beneficiary of their growth efforts.
The plants belonged to him. They were totally under his control. Their future was totally in his hands.

In each of these understandings it appears that Jesus was giving information concerning the abiding relationship between Himself and His followers. Abiding is a dependant relationship. The abiding one takes on the identity of the vine, Jesus; places his/her own identity in submission to that of Jesus, becoming a vessel for His power, identity and purpose.

Jesus continued the explanation in verse two:

"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit. John 15:2

Notice that Jesus said of the Father, the vinedresser, "Every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit." The purpose of this abiding relationship is to bear fruit. In the church, the idea of "bearing fruit" often takes the connotation of evangelism, of getting more people to accept the forgiveness Christ offers. In this explanation, bearing fruit is a way to describe the reproduction of His character in those who follow Jesus. Bearing "more fruit" means to become more and more a reflection of who Jesus is. Part of the reason for holding this position is the fact that when you get to verse 10, Jesus was talking about obedience, not witnessing. This pruning/cleansing preparation to bear more fruit is the work of the vinedresser, the Father, rather than the fruit, Jesus' followers. It is something that He does in us, not a super-human effort on our part.

Observe that Jesus spoke of the "pruning." There is an understanding that is as common as it is unfounded. Some people feel that the purpose and direction of the Christian faith is to make people happy. The Scriptures do not support such an idea. Repeatedly, the Scriptures point to our purpose, as believers, is to be "imitators of God," living His life after Him.

In order to understand this verse appropriately, we must understand how vineyards were developed in that time. We tend to think of a vineyard in which the vines grow up and spread out on wires three or four feet above the ground. That was not the situation in first century Israel. Vines grew along the ground. We must remember that it seldom rained there. What moisture a vine received came from the dew which formed each night. Days were very hot and nights were very cold. Because of this, large stones were placed next to the vine. The stones, heated by the sun during the day caused condensation in the cold night air and water formed at the stalk of the plant. The plant grew along the ground rather than up to the stretched wires as we have them. Where the branches touched the ground, water would form and at the place where grapes should form there was often mold and mildew. This would stunt if not prohibit the formation of good grapes. The vinedresser would place a small stone under the branch at this point. This would bring needed heat to the branch and in drying, the mold and mildew would be destroyed. We know that this was a common practice in that day. Indeed, it is still practiced by some of the Arab farmers in Israel.

Let us also look at the Greek words of the text. The word translated "prunes" is "kathairei" (kaqaivrei). The word for "lift up" is "airei" (ai!rei). So, is it "prune" or "lift up"? You will observe that the letters "airei" appear in both words.

The honest answer is "We do not know." There are some pieces of information you will need as you make up your own mind.

The word translated "prunes" is (kaqaivrei). The root of this word really means "to cleanse." Now, pruning is one form of cleansing. The removal of the mold and mildew and placing a small rock under the branch that lay on the ground is another way to cleanse.

A careful study of the Nestle-Aland text indicates that there is no textual problem with the use of the word "katharos."

In verse three, Jesus said, "You are already clean "katharos" because of the word that I have spoken to you." Whatever Jesus meant by "clean," it had already been accomplished in the lives of these disciples. As previously indicated, "clean" could reflect either one of these understandings.

In verse six, Jesus spoke branches removed from the vine and cast into the fire to be burned. The idea of removing a branch is not totally foreign to what Jesus was saying.

We know that the practice of placing a stone under a branch to get it up off the ground so that it would get the benefit of the sun was practiced in that day and is still. It is their way to make an unproductive branch productive again.

As you can see, there is good reasoning to accept either of these positions. This author's inclination is to see this verse supporting the idea of lifting up rather than cutting off. At the same time, he feels generous understanding toward those who hold the opposing position.

Our purpose, however, is not to debate the details of the content of this paragraph. We rather are interested in what this paragraph, and particularly this verse, tells us about abiding in Christ. The purpose of being "in Christ" is to bear fruit. Christ deeply desires that those who abide in Him bear "more fruit." This is our purpose, our reason for being.

Jesus gave additional information in verse three.

"You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. John 15:3

Again, throughout this entire paragraph, Jesus was talking about the relationship between He and His followers. Taking seriously the teaching of Jesus will lead to an inner cleansing. This abiding relationship involves a cleansing in order that the character of Jesus may be reproduced in our lives. The word for "clean" is "katharizo" (kaqarivzw). This is not something that was always clean and pure. It is something, though once defiled, has been made spotless from the taint of disease or sin. The vinedresser would remove anything that would inhibit the pure growth of the grapes. This was accomplished through the teaching of Jesus. This is an integral part of what it means to abide.

Jesus said,

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me." John 15:4

This abiding is a mutual relationship. This abiding, this taking up residence has a dual significance in this verse. In that culture, people refused to associate with persons with whom they had serious differences. Indeed, they would refuse to be in the same building with that person. This was the whole point of the Pharisees problem of Jesus associating with what they considered unredeemable "tax collectors and sinners." When Jesus said, "abide in me and I in you," He was saying that He chose us, despite our wayward past, because He dearly wanted to be identified with us, because He saw something of great worth in us. He wanted us to chose to be with Him because we want our lives to reflect the holiness, purity and godliness He is, not because we feel compelled to do so. Let it be very clear. It is divine motivation and initiative that is responsible for the transformation of our lives. Human initiative, in this direction, would be totally unproductive.

Secondly, Jesus revisited the image of the vine and branches. He mentioned, again, the fragile situation of the branch. It has no life of its own. The branch has no identity of its own. It draws its identity from the vine to which it clings for life. For strong emphasis, He mentioned again that the branch depends upon the vine for its fruitfulness. Fruitfulness, here, is not the production of grapes. It is the growing reproduction of His character in our lives. Growth in godliness is not something we accomplish by trying harder. It is something that Jesus accomplishes in us by the infusion of His life and identity in our character.

In the first century use of the Greek language, emphasis was accomplished by repetition. Jesus said, again,

"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:5

Basically, this verse provides strong, serious emphasis, more than new information. There is repetition, here, of the fact that Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. He stressed, again, that taking up residence in Jesus and opening ourselves to His taking up residence in us is the required condition if there is fruit to be borne. He said again, but more firmly, that without Jesus there is no hope of our bearing fruit, our becoming more Christlike without His help and His life.

Jesus then turned to the negative side.

"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. John 15:6

Jesus dealt with the consequences of not abiding in Christ. Again, this is a part of the vineyard care the disciples had often seen and done. Jesus was saying that failure to abide in Christ is costly.

There is a contrast between verses five and six. Verse five describes the benefits of abiding – "bears much fruit." This suggests the branch accomplished the purpose for which it was planted and nurtured. Verse six is just the opposite. It describes the cost of not abiding. Drying, gathering and burning were all too familiar to the disciples. They saw it every year. Remember that the idea of burning/destruction was their understanding of both spiritual and farming failure. Out of this understanding grew their understanding of Gehenna – the place of burning.

In verse seven, Jesus turned to another facet of abiding.

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. John 15:7

Like verse six, this verse is a conditional statement – "IF this happens, THEN that will be the result." Jesus gave two conditions in this statement:

"If you abide in Me" –
"If my words abide in you,"

Both of these conditions focus on a cultural situation that existed in the time of Jesus. People would associate with other people with whom they had no quarrel whatsoever. You will remember that the Pharisees attacked Jesus because he associated with Zacchaeus, whom they considered unredeemable. The Pharisees would have nothing to do with the traitorous tax collectors that collaborated with the Roman authorities. When Jesus said "if you abide in Me," He spoke of a situation where they were in harmony with His purpose and mission. He spoke of a situation where His followers were so committed to following Him that the sacrifice of life was not too much to ask.

When Jesus said, "If my words abide in you," He was saying that if they accepted His teachings and commands without disagreement this would be the result.

One of the results of abiding is that prayers will be answered. Observe that this conditional statement is written in the form of a promise. This was very important to these people. They were familiar with the fact that the idols were considered to answer prayer, but they never did. This was the situation with Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Jesus was saying that they could count on their prayers being answered if they would abide in Him.

The use of the conditional form suggests that abiding is not required. One can choose not to abide in Christ. This, however, would be a great disappointment to the Lord and a tragic loss to the individual.

There is an issue that requires attention at this point. Some people look at this verse as Jesus' offer of a blank check to His followers. The question arises, what would happen if one asked for something that was wrong or at least not good for us? Observe that Jesus prefaced this by placing the limitation upon His promise – "If you abide in me..." It is appropriate to hold that those who "abide in Him" would also ask for the things that would please Him and fulfill His will for our lives. This is a generous offer, but it is not a blank check.

Because this is written in conditional form, it is fair to assume that Jesus also was saying that failure to abide would produce a situation where prayers would not be answered. This is more than not getting what one wants from God. Prayer is the medium of communication between people and God. Abiding in Christ opens the door to unlimited fellowship with God at a level they had never known before.

"By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. John 15:8

There are a number of benefits derived from abiding in Christ. One among them is the fact that having produced fruit, having become increasingly like Jesus, we will bring glory to the Father. Our reputation or achievements do not necessarily glorify God. Our purpose as saints is to bring glory to the Father. We accomplish our purpose for living by bearing fruit; by living a life increasingly like the character of Jesus.

Observe that Jesus mentioned an additional benefit – "prove to be my disciple." There are a number of people who claim the name of Jesus who wonder if, indeed, they are Jesus' disciples; if they are saved. One of the benefits of abiding is that we have certainty that we are, indeed, His disciples. This does not mean that we hear a deep bass voice confirming our place in God's family. It does mean that we know, by faith in Him; faith in the Scriptures, that we are His. It removes the element of doubt.

Jesus, in verse nine, turns His attention to yet another facet of abiding.

"Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. John 15:9

This verse exposes us to some other pieces of information about abiding.

Abiding is the foundation upon which the relationship of agape love is established and shared between the believer and God. For the pagan idolater, fear is the foundational relationship with the idol being worshipped. Just the opposite is true of the relationship of the saint who abides in Christ. There is love. There is no fear.
Verse nine begins with the words "just as." The Greek text begins with the word "as." This identifies the fact that a comparison is in progress. The love relationship between Jesus and the Father is the pattern; it is comparable with our relationship with Jesus. This is helpful information. We can observe the relationship between Jesus and the Father and learn a lot about how our relationship with Jesus lives on day by day.
The form of the verb "abide" is "Aorist Active Imperative." Simply put, this is a command that focuses not on the time of the action, but on the act of abiding. It stresses just how important it is for us to abide.

In this passage, abiding is the essential ingredient through which God shows His love for us and through which we share our love for God. Our "abiding" is instructed by the abiding relationship between Jesus and the Father. That relationship is expressed in mutual love and respect as revealed in the death of Jesus on the cross. Abiding is an essential ingredient in the purchase of our redemption.

Abiding is an essential ingredient in our relationship with Christ. It is not just an option. As we grow in our "abiding" relationship with Christ, there will come a desire for obedience to His plan and will for our lives; a desire to reflect His character in our daily lives and conduct. If there is no "abiding," then we must ask serious questions about our relationship with Christ.

"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love. John 15:10

This is a conditional statement and must be seen in this light.

"IF you keep My commandments" – keeping Jesus' commandments, obedience to His commands is doing the things that He commanded us to do in the Gospel records. In the book, "Imitators of Christ," we have discussed, at length, the quality of obedience. I would recommend this for your reading. In short compass, obedience is doing the things Jesus commanded us to do because we want to do them. Obedience is NOT doing the things Jesus commanded because we are afraid of the consequences if we fail to do them.

(THEN) "you will abide in my love." The word "then" is in parenthesis because it is not written in the text, but is clearly understood to be a part of the sentence. In short, obedience is a requisite to abiding in Christ.

The force of making this statement conditional adds great emphasis to the words of Jesus. IF there is no obedience, THEN there is no abiding relationship. Abiding tacitly depends upon active obedience- keeping the commandments of Jesus.

In this verse, Jesus said, "You will abide." The Greek is a bit more expressive; "You will abide and keep on abiding." This form stresses the enduring quality of abiding. It begins and becomes a way of life, a style of life, not a single action.

Jesus said, "You will abide in my love." Love is not a place, but a quality of relationship. It is not different from "abiding in Christ." It, rather, defines one facet of what it means to "abide in Christ." It involves sharing a most intimate relationship with Christ, characterized by agape love. It makes us, unendingly, the object of His self-giving affection. In order to accomplish this, He becomes partner and participant in everything we do, say, think and are. Conversely, we become partner and participant in all that He is, does and wills.

The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. 1 John 2:6

In the paragraph 2:1-6, John described, for these believers, what it means to "come to know Him" (Christ), to be "in Him." Three times in this paragraph, in three different ways, John made "come to know Him," "in Him," and "abide in Him" contingent upon obedience to the commandments of Jesus. It is impossible to separate "abiding" from obeying. They are inseparable ingredients one of another.

Observe what John said in verse six. "The one who says he abides in Him, ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked." The idea of "walking" is a description of a person's lifestyle. It is the way a person lives life. Saying that one abides is not enough. Walking as Jesus walked, living as He lived is essential to "abiding." The life and conduct of Jesus become the essential ingredient in the unique pattern for "abiding in Christ." The evidence that we are "abiding in Christ" is that we are busy doing the things that He did, the way He did them.

I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 1 John 2:14

In this verse, John continued the same idea he pursued in the previous paragraph. Speaking to the "fathers," he spoke of "knowing Him," as he had in verse four. Speaking to the "sons," however, he spoke of "the word of God abides in you." This is not a parallel description of "abiding in Christ."

John wrote of "the word of God," the Scriptures abiding in these young men. This gives us a glimpse of his description of the meaning of "abiding." People did not have personal copies of the Scriptures. They, therefore, committed numerous passages to memory. As with us, we learned a number of passages as little children. We are not momentarily aware of the presence of these verses in our memory. At a crucial, appropriate time, the words of the verse flood back into our memory as if we had just memorized them. This is the word of God "abiding in us."

We do not think, momentarily, moment by moment, of the fact that we abide in Christ. Like the verses of Scripture, however, we are moment by moment participating in what Jesus is and does, just as He continually participates in everything that we are about.

Continuing in the same chapter, John said,

And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:17

The word "but," in this sentence, suggests that there is a contrast in it.

"The world is passing away."
"The one who does the will of God abides forever."

It is clear that part "b" deals with eternal, heavenly existence. Part "a," however, is the opposite of eternal, heavenly existence. The difference between the two is quality of life rather than duration. Scripture makes it clear that the punishment of the wicked is as eternal as the blessing of the righteous. "Abiding in Christ" identifies a quality of blessing that never ceases.

And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. 1 John 2:28

In this verse, John identified some of the consequences of "abiding in Him."

"We may have confidence" when He appears.
"We may not shrink away from Him in shame" when He returns.

These two consequences both deal with our inner response when Christ comes again. "Abiding in Him" assures us that we need not fear how Christ will evaluate our lives when He returns to claim His own.

Again, because we "abide in Christ," we need not be ashamed of the way we have lived our lives. You may remember that several verses identify the fact that "abiding' requires obedience to His commands. Because of this we will have no need to fear or be ashamed.

In the following chapter, John makes an interesting statement that requires careful study.

No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 1 John 3:6

The word "abides" is "menon" (mevnwn). It is a Present Active Participle. John chose the form of this word very carefully. In simple terms, the Present Active Participle can be described in this way:

A participle describes action that is proceeding; it is in process.
The Present Active form stresses ongoing action.

John used two form designations to strongly emphasize the idea that "abide" really means "abide, keep on abiding and never stop abiding." John described a relationship that begins and continues unchanged into eternity. That is how changeless "abiding in Him" really is.

Observe, also, what seems to be a frightening statement that John makes – "No one who abides in Him sins." At first blush, this would seem to exclude all of us. The Greek text is a bit more helpful. The word translated "sins" is "hamartanei" (a%martanei). In form, this word is Present Indicative Active. This simply means that the action is ongoing. One might translate this part of the sentence, "No one who keeps on abiding sins and keeps on sinning." John did not say "people who abide never sin." He did say, "People who go on abiding do not make a lifestyle of sinning." This would exclude some, but it does not present an impossible standard.

Now look at the closing part of the sentence – "no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him." Again, at first blush this could present an impossible situation. Here, however, as in the previous paragraph, it is really less dramatic than it seems. The word for "sins," is "hamartanon" (a&martavnwn). As in the case of the word "abides," the form is exactly the same – Present Indicative Participle. This is a very strong form that describes ongoing, continuous action. It would be appropriate to translate these words, "No one who sins and goes on sinning (or makes sinning a lifestyle)"

The words "seen" and "knows" have exactly the same form – Perfect Active Indicative. In plain English, this form was used to describe completed action whose consequences continue. This is a way of strongly asserting that people who practice sinning experience the consequence that they will not see God – a reference to heaven. Also, people who sin as a way of life cannot "know God." Two pieces of information are particularly interesting here.

"Know Him," as we observed in 2:4, is another way of talking about "abiding in Christ."
The word for "know" is "ginosko" (ginwvskw). As you may remember, there are two basic words for "knowing" in the Greek:

"Oida" (o^ida) – to know fully, absolutely
"Ginosko" (ginwvskw) - to begin to know and continue to discover

The latter, of course, is the one John used. The sinning lifestyle will prevent a person from an ongoing discovery of the person and character of Jesus. The converse is implied. The person who does not make sinning a lifestyle will begin to know and never stop discovering deeper depths of the person and character of Jesus.

Abiding in Christ results in an ongoing discovery of the person, character and heart of our Lord Jesus Christ. What a blessing!

John continues with this theme in the balance of this chapter.

And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. 1 John 3:24

The forms chosen in this sentence are very familiar. The word translated "keeps" is a Present Active Participle. As indicated previously, in I John 3, this form doubly stresses ongoing action. One might translate it, "One who continually keeps His commandments, abides and never stops abiding in Him."

The message stated here is a repeated emphasis on both ongoing obedience and abiding. Without habitual obedience, there can be no abiding in Christ.

The next part of this verse gives an additional piece of information about abiding. John said, "And He in him." Abiding is a reciprocal relationship. In the same way that we abide in Christ, Christ also abides in us. In this intimate relationship, He is a vital participant in everything that we are and do. This is a sobering thought. It causes one to want to exert extreme diligence to be pure and holy so that Jesus would not be offended by our failure to live an increasingly holy life.

The closing portion of this verse gives us yet another piece of information about abiding in Christ. John said, "And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us." In the English text, it is difficult to discern between two possibilities:

Did John say that our knowing is by the Spirit that Jesus gave us?
Did John say Christ's abiding in us is by the Spirit Christ gave us?

If you diagram this part of the sentence, it is clear that the Spirit Christ gave us enables us to know and increasingly discover that Jesus abides in us.

It is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to inform our hearts that Christ has taken up residence in us. There is a holy ambivalence in this discovery:

It is tremendously exciting to learn that Christ would live His life in and through me.
It is equally awe inspiring to realize that Christ would dwell in such a faltering servant.

Thus, the only way to describe our considered response is ecstatic awe and worship.

CONCLUSION

We need to review the pieces of information we have discovered in observing these verses.

John 5:38 – Christ is an integral part of every thought, value decision and priority of our lives.

John 6:56 – Abiding is not universal; it is a uniquely Christian relationship.

John 12:46 – Abiding eternally is more than sustained breathing; continuing to breathe; continued living. It encompasses carrying out one's purpose in life as we fit into the kingdom of God.

John 15:1 –

Jesus is the driving force, the source of this abiding relationship.
Abiding involves an awareness that our growing spiritual life comes directly through Christ.
Abiding also involves an awareness that our identity comes from Jesus. What we produce, in terms of spiritual fruit, is a direct reflection of His character.
In abiding, we owe our existence to His efforts and constant care.
We exist for the benefit of God. He is the total beneficiary of our growth.
In abiding, we belong to Him. We are totally under His control. Our future is completely in His hands.
In abiding in Christ, we become a vessel through whom His power, identity and purpose flow.

John 15:2 – The pruning involved in preparation to bear more fruit is the work of God, not a super-human effort on our part.

John 15:3 – In abiding, God removes anything that would inhibit the pure growth of the fruit. This is accomplished through the teachings of Jesus.

John 15:4 –

Abiding is a mutual relationship.
In abiding, Christ chooses to take up residence in us despite our wayward past, because He dearly desires to be identified with us.
In abiding, Christ wants us to choose to be with Him because he wants our lives to reflect the holiness, purity and godliness that He is.
In abiding, our growth is expressed in the reproduction of His character in us.
Abiding in Christ produces growth in godliness. It is not accomplished by our trying harder. Christ accomplishes this growth in us by the infusion of His life and identity in our character.

John 15:6

The benefit of abiding in Christ is that we bear much fruit.
Failure to abide leads only to destruction.

John 15:7

Abiding is not required. One may choose not to abide, but it is at devastating cost.
In abiding, we have the promise of Jesus that our prayers will be answered.

John 15:8

As we become increasingly like Jesus, we will bring glory to the Father.
We accomplish our purpose for living by bearing fruit, by living a life increasingly like the character of Jesus.
A benefit of abiding is that we have demonstrable evidence that we are His disciples.

John 15:9

Abiding is the foundation upon which the relationship of agape love is established and shared between the believer and God. This love relationship eliminates the propensity to fear when one encounters God.
The love relationship between Jesus and the Father is the pattern we emulate in our love relationship with Christ.
Abiding is the essential ingredient through which God shows His love for us and through which we share our love for God.
Abiding in Christ is expressed in mutual love and respect as demonstrated in the death of Jesus on the cross.
Abiding is demonstrated by our obedience to His plan and will for our lives.

John 15:10

There is an enduring quality to abiding.
Love is the quality of the abiding relationship.
In abiding, Jesus becomes partner and participant in everything we do, say, think and are.
In abiding we become partner and participant in all He is, does and wills.

I John 2:6

Walking (living) as Jesus walked is essential to abiding.
Evidence we are "abiding in Christ" is that we are busy doing the things He did, the way He did them.

I John 2:14 – Abiding in Christ identifies a quality of blessing that never ceases.

I John 2:28

Abiding assures us we need not fear how Christ will evaluate our lives.
We need not be ashamed of the way we lived when Christ returns.

I John 3:6

Abiding in Christ is an unchanging relationship.
Those who "abide" do not make sin their lifestyle.
The person who does not make sin their lifestyle will begin to know and never stop discovering deeper depths of the person and character of Jesus.

I John 3:24

Abiding is a reciprocal loving relationship. In the say way we abide in Christ, He abides in us.
Christ is a vital participant in everything the abiding one is and does.
The Holy Spirit enables us to know and increasingly discover that Jesus abides in us. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to inform our hearts that Jesus has taken up residence in us.