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Abide in Me

By on in Theology

While thinking through what it means to abide in Christ, here His words come through.

So Jesus was saying to those […] who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”  – Jn 8:31

That is to say, to abide in Him is to abide in His word. That in doing so, the fruit of that is to live without pervasive sin. That is the bearing fruit He speaks of further along in His teaching.

“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.” – Jn 15:5

That is we are unable to do anything good or of benefit to ourselves and the kingdom if we were to no longer abide. To dwell in Him is to be free from sin. Able to serve and honor Him with fruit by being of good use to the Lord and others. 

Another really incredible point to carefully think through is that God Himself keeps us dwelling. We are responsible for whether or not we abide, but it is Jesus that causes our faith to remain (Jn 17:11-12). Once we are sealed by the Holy Spirit, it is He who causes us to turn back if we might doubt, neglect, or deny Christ. Moreover, in John Piper‘s words, it is Jesus’ demand that we abide in him so that we keep trusting the one who keeps us trusting.

We remain attached to Jesus by abiding in Him through His word.

1 John Piper, What Jesus Demands from the World (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2006), 67.

Listen to Me

By on in Theology

“While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”  – Matt 17:5

Remember the horrific words in Matthew 7? Those particular words, “I never knew you? Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness?” To understand those who He would never know, it is therefore critical to recognize and understand what it is to know Him. And what it means to not be known by Jesus.

According to Him and to the Father, the whole point of being a stranger is to those who do not listen to Him. Who don’t know His voice, His words, or what He has said. More specifically, in John 10:27, He says that His sheep hear His voice. And that He knows them. And they follow Him.  

The non-listeners are those who He does not know. For they “are not of God” (Jn 8:47), “are not of the truth” (Jn 18:37), and “His words find no place in you” (Jn 8:37). 

So it stands to understand, to be known by Him is to listen to Him. To know His voice and to follow Him.

  • Pray to Him
  • Worship Him
  • Obey Him
  • Serve Him
  • Honor Him
  • Love Him

So when you stand before Him face to face, the LORD God’s purpose within us shall be made complete. With overflowing joy at His glory and being.

 

Abiding Truth

By on in Theology

Continuing along in my reading of John Piper’s book, “What Jesus Demands from the World”, I just finished the section entitled “Abide in Me.” Numbered as demand #7 with references Jn 15:4, Jn 15:9, and Jn 8:31-32.

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” -Jn 8:31-32

That dwelling, continuing, and remaining with Jesus comes from believing in him and his love daily. By being in daily prayer and abiding in His word, He will produce fruit within us and from us. And I would also add that worship is a crucial practice to glorify God in us in order that we are most satisfied in Him.