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10 October 2003
Jn 15:4-5: 4 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. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (Revised Standard).
The Greek word for ‘abide’ is meno (Strong’s # 3306). It appears 120 times in 105 scriptures. It is translated abide 61, remain 16, dwell 15, continue 11, tarry 9, endure 3, misc 5. Some Bible versions use ‘remain’ and ‘continue’ in the verses above. I prefer abide or dwell because of the illustration used. A branch is part of the vine. It gets its nourishment and life from the vine. The point of this study is to understand what meno means when speaking of our relationship to Jesus Christ.
The branch/vine symbol illustrates that we get our nourishment and life from Christ. 1 Jn 5:11: And this is the testimony, that God hath given to us eternal life: and this life is in his Son. (Webster’s Bible). So the life we receive is eternal life, which is a quality of life that begins when we accept Jesus as our Savior. What is the nourishment that provides this life? Jn 6:54-55: 54. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth 3306 in me, and I in him. So, to dwell, or abide in Christ, Jesus describes as eating his flesh and drinking his blood. What does this mean? It interesting to note that the Jews and the 70 disciples of Jesus did not understand what he was saying, and departed from him as a result (verses 52, 60,66).
1 Cor 15:47, 49: 47. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven... 49. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Is it to bear the image of the Lord from heaven a physical thing? Or, is it inward, of the mind? Of course, it is inward! So, how are we to bear the image of Jesus? Col 3:9-10: 9. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10. And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge [according to] the image of him that created him: [Greek] The ‘old man’, then, is the earthly, and the ‘new man’ is the image of Christ. How is this image made? According to Christ’s knowledge! 2 Cor 3:18: 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. (American Standard). Verse 17 says that Jesus Christ is THE SPIRIT, and that the Spirit of Jesus transforms us into his image.
Jn 6:63: 63. It is the spirit that [gives life]; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. [Greek]. The spirit of Christ is the voice of Christ which nourishes us with words, symbolically called his flesh and blood. By hearing and doing his spoken words (Mt 7:24), we get spiritual nourishment and grow in grace and knowledge. THIS is abiding in Christ. I want to make a distinction here. It is NOT the written word (Bible) which nourishes us. It is the meaning of the written word as spoken by Christ to the conscience that is nourishment. (Example of the flesh and blood).
Eph 5:8: For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: Jesus is the light, Jn 8:12. What does it mean to ‘walk in the light’? If you compare an individual walking into a church with one walking into a bar, what does that tell you about that person’s thinking? The feet are symbols of the direction of your heart, or thinking. Walking is the application of your thoughts. So, if you are abiding in Christ (have his thoughts), then what you do outwardly, are the works of God.
1 Jn 1:3, 6-7: 3. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ... 6. If we say that we have fellowship with him (the Father), and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7. But if we walk in the light, as he (the Father) is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Very clearly, we have two individuals - the Father and his Son, Jesus. The source of all light comes from the Father through the Son. So, when we abide in the Son, we are abiding in the Father, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from ALL sin.
How are we cleansed by the blood of Jesus? The scripture plainly says, if we walk in the light, as he (the Father) is in the light. Do not miss the little word IF! We just explained above what walking in the light means. Lets look at some verses that deal with cleansing.
John 15:1-3: 1. I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he (the Father) taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he (the Father) purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. We are cleansed by the spoken word. Taking this concept back to 1 Jn 1:7, being cleansed by the blood of Christ means understanding the cross and applying that knowledge (walking) cleanses us.
Jn 5:38: And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Jesus told the Jews who were trying to kill him that his word was not abiding in him. Later, they were told to clean the inside of the cup (Mt 23:26). Unless a person has the spiritual concepts of Jesus in their thoughts, they are not abiding in Christ, nor walking in the light. Let me make it clear, that it is not the amount of understanding that saves you, but the application of what you do have. God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Eph 5:25-26: 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it; 6 that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word... Jesus Christ will make his church holy and cleanse it with words!! Cleansing takes place, not when one sits and listens to a preacher or teacher, but when the person takes what the preacher or teacher says, goes to the Bible and seeks the Lord to write it on the heart, then apply it in his life.
Can we really hear the voice of Christ? Jn 10:4-5: 4 When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. (American Standard). Most likely you will not hear an audible voice, but will merely feel elated by what you hear, or have an uneasy feeling. Be forewarned, the truth may be vastly different from what you think you know, and the intellect will rise against it. Learn to know the difference.
1 Jn 2:27: but the anointing which you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that any one should teach you; as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie, just as it has taught you, abide in him. (Revised Standard).
Is there any question as to the meaning of abiding in Christ? Is there any question as to where the responsibility lies? If we choose it, the Father delivers it through his Son, Jesus Christ! AMEN!