WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ABIDE IN JESUS?

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:4–5 (ESV).

Does the idea of abiding in Christ seem abstract or elusive to you?

John 15:4-5 helps us understand what Jesus meant by abiding in Him. The main point of the analogy is that the power to bear fruit requires us to be vitally connected to Him. Similarly, this is true with the phrase, “Abide in my word” found in John 8:31.

Simply put, abiding in Christ means having faith in Him alone. The primary message Jesus is communicating is that salvation is found in Him alone. To abide in Him is to repent and believe that God the Father lovingly sent His Son to die on the cross and rise from the dead to forgive sin so that we could be declared righteous in God’s sight and receive the gift of eternal life. “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News” (Mark 1:15).

In John 15, Jesus plainly tells us that He is the power we need to live fruitful lives. He says, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” Abiding in Jesus means staying vitally connected to the life-giving, power-giving, fruit-producing branch, Jesus.

Abiding in the vine means receiving, believing, and trusting in the words of Jesus. Abiding in Jesus, like faith, is a matter of degrees. It’s not that some Christians abide and some don’t. If you believe in Jesus, you are in Him and united to Him. You are connected to the life-giving branch. But no matter where you are on your spiritual journey, you can experience the reality of this connection to Jesus more and more.

We may experience peaks and valleys in abiding in Jesus. But in the end, the battle is assured because it does not depend on us. Jesus wins. He and His Father are greater than all.

When we abide in Christ, He bears fruit in our lives. This glorifies Him and blesses us and those around us. We can trust Jesus and the Father to prune and bring forth fruit in our lives.

“Abide in Me says Jesus. Cling to Me. Stick fast to Me. Live the life of close and intimate communion with Me. Get nearer to Me. Roll every burden on Me. Cast your whole weight on Me. Never let go your hold on Me for a moment. Be, as it were, rooted and planted in Me. Do this, and I will never fail you. I will ever abide in you.” – JC Ryle.

Discussion Questions:

What is the importance of abiding in the Lord?
What does abiding in the Lord look like practically? Why is it sometimes hard to abide in Jesus?