Abiding in Christ
“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. 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 15:4-5)
What does
it mean to Abide in Christ?
In order for God to conform us to the image of His Son (see
Romans 8:29), we must abide in
Christ. The phrase abiding in Christ pictures an
intimate, close relationship, and not just a superficial acquaintance. This
means to remain, rest, stay, wait, and
continue. Abiding in Christ is
patient anticipation. The Psalmist declares, “My soul, wait in silence for God only,
for my hope is from Him.” (Psalm 62:5) Abiding in Christ,
therefore, means to draw supernatural strength from the presence of the Lord
and walk moment by moment in the leading of His Spirit so as to bear fruit in our life.
John 15 gives a beautiful illustration of how we are to
bear fruit in our lives by abiding in Jesus Christ. Jesus uses the analogy of a vine and a branch
as He prepares His disciples for His quickly approaching death, burial, and
resurrection. Jesus is the vine, we are
the branches, and He is seeking to emphasize theirs and our absolute dependence
on Him.
It is only by abiding in Christ that we are able to
fulfill God’s purpose for our life. The Parable of the Vine reveals how we, as
believers, are to remain in Jesus, vitally connected to Him, in order to
accomplish all God intends for us. The
branches can only produce fruit as long as they are connected to the vine and
receiving nourishment. They live in
complete dependence upon the resources the vine provides.
It is the same for followers of Christ. The fruitfulness God expects cannot be
produced through our endeavors and determination. God doesn’t want our focus to be on doing good
things for Him but rather to focus on our relationship to Jesus. This will result in our becoming the people He
wants us to be, and achieving His purpose for us.
To reach the deeper levels of our
faith—that of abiding—we must intentionally strengthen the quality of time spent with Him. How often do we sit quietly and simply
enjoy His presence?
1) Abiding is
more than reading our Bible for 10 minutes in the morning.
2) Abiding grows
our relationship with Him by having an all-day awareness of His presence.
3) Abiding means Jesus
is no longer simply someone we read, but a
living master and friend.
4) Abiding is
obeying Jesus’ words to us.
5) Abiding in Christ,
we begin to recognize that still small
voice of His Spirit speaking to ours.
6) Abiding gives us
the inner rest and refreshment we
need to do the work He has called us to do.
7) Abiding in
Christ we bear fruit. We experience
His love, His joy, His peace, His patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control.
The Spirit works to grow these “Christ-like” qualities in
us, as we learn to abide in Him. This
beautiful, ongoing, intimate relationship with the Lord is the only path to the
fruitful, fulfilling life for which you were created.
Are you abiding in
Christ?
Can God change your life?
God has made it possible for you
to know Him, and experience an amazing
change in your own life.
Discover how you can find peace
with God.
