November 15, 2025 • 18 mins
We trace John 15 through the lens of the cross and the Spirit to show that abiding in Christ means believing the gospel, not performing for worth. Prayer, love, and confidence before God flow from this union and are sustained by the Spirit’s indwelling.
• timing and covenant context for John 15
• belief as the work of God
• discipleship and freedom after the cross
• new command to love one another
• prayer aligned with God’s will
• abiding clarified in 1 John
• confidence before God through reconciliation
• love as evidence of the Spirit’s work
• assurance and security in the Spirit
• interpreting burned branches without fear
Blog Post: https://wakinguptograce.com/065-what-is-abiding-in-christ-john-15-1-6/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Wait.
There is a world of articles,books, and information out there
when it comes to Christianity,but we are mostly stuck with
rhetoric and double talk when itcomes to our relationship with
the Lord, our new identity asbelievers, and the security and
finality of the work of Christ.
Are you getting everything youneed spiritually from your
church?
Or do you find yourself feelinghungry for more?
(00:21):
Join Lenny as he unpacks whatScripture really taught about
our Lord Jesus Christ in contextand why this matters to you.
Wake up, wake up, wake up tograce.
SPEAKER_00 (00:40):
I imagine there are Christians out there who have
never asked themselves thisquestion.
I'm also certain there are manywho have been taught something
about this topic that is lessthan accurate and even damaging
to their walk with the Lord.
The truth about abiding inChrist will set you free.
It will allow you to standbefore Yahweh confidently in
(01:01):
Christ.
The truth will place you in aperfect fellowship with God,
where you know you can come toHim at all times and in all
things.
On the other side, the errorabout abiding in Christ will put
you in bondage to your sin andcause you to cower before the
Lord in shame.
In another way, it may cause youto stand in false humility.
(01:23):
The error will attempt to ripperfect fellowship out of your
grasp and replace it with aburden that you were never
intended to bear.
Which of these do you want foryourself?
I think most of us who love theLord are going to choose
standing confidently before Himin truth.
So let's talk about that, shallwe?
Today's passage reads like thisI am the true vine, and my
(01:47):
father is the vine dresser.
Every branch in me that does notbear fruit, he takes away, and
every branch that does bearfruit he prunes, that it may
bear more fruit.
Already you are clean because ofthe word that I have spoken to
you.
Abide in me, and I in you, asthe branch cannot bear fruit by
(02:08):
itself, unless it abides in thevine, neither can you, unless
you abide in me.
I am the vine, you are thebranches.
Whoever abides in me, and I inhim, he it is that bears much
fruit.
For apart from me you can donothing.
If anyone does not abide in me,he is thrown away like a branch
(02:31):
and withers, and the branchesare gathered, thrown into the
fire, and burned.
According to Strong's, theoriginal Greek word translated
as abide here is a primary verb,and it can be defined as to
stay, to continue, dwell,endure, be present, remain,
(02:56):
stand.
The context of this passageshows us that Yeshua was
speaking to his disciples.
If we can figure out how thedisciples were to abide and
become fruitful branches, thenwe should also be able to answer
the question, what is abiding inChrist?
Before we get too far along, weshould determine some things
(03:17):
about the timing of our passage.
We know that it was during thetime that Yeshua was here on
earth with his disciples.
Being that this is so certainlytrue, what had not yet taken
place at this time?
Yeshua had not finished his workon the cross or defeated death
through his resurrection yet,had he?
(03:38):
No, he definitely had not.
In turn, what else had nothappened yet?
No person had received theindwelling spirit of God, had
they?
No, they hadn't.
That was yet to come.
Yeshua said to them, Already youare clean because of the word
that I have spoken to you.
Abide in me, and I in you.
(04:00):
That was John fifteen versesthree through four.
Being considered clean probablyreferred to them being saved by
faith.
But whatever he meant aboutbeing clean did not apply to
them being reconciled to theLord.
Until the Spirit of God came todwell within the believer, there
was no reconciliation in regardsto sin.
(04:21):
There was a promise ofsalvation, but sin was getting
in the way of fellowship sinceAdam and Eve's fall in the
garden.
All around this passage, ChristYeshua describes to them the
coming of the Holy Spirit andthe work it would be actively
doing in them.
Based on this, we must ask,could the disciples abide at the
(04:43):
time of this statement, or wasChrist Yeshua speaking of a time
that would soon be upon them?
The wonderful part about thisquestion is that we have the
privilege of reading aboutabiding after the cross from the
same writer of the Gospel ofJohn that is taking place before
the cross.
The commands of Christ Yeshua inJohn's Gospel are echoed by John
(05:06):
in his first epistle.
After receiving the Holy Spirit,John explains to us what Christ
Yeshua meant by what he said.
This helps us to betterunderstand its application to us
today as Christians.
The disciples would have had noclue what the Lord meant when he
spoke to them before receivingthe Holy Spirit.
(05:26):
It was after receiving theSpirit that these truths were
understood.
So we'll compare and contrastthe words of Christ in John's
Gospel with the words of John inhis first epistle to gain a
proper understanding of Yeshua'swords in John 15, verses 1
through 6.
This should allow us to answerthe most important question
(05:47):
we're faced with here.
What is abiding in Christ?
We'll start with passages fromJohn's Gospel, and then we'll
head into his first epistle.
Then they said to him, What mustwe do to be doing the works of
God?
Jesus answered them, This is thework of God, that you believe in
him who he has sent.
That's John 6.28.
(06:09):
Truly, truly I say to you,whoever believes has eternal
life.
I am the bread of life.
And that's John 6.47.
In these passages we're assuredby Christ that the work of God
is to believe, and this alonegrants us eternal life.
But when would anyone trulybenefit or be able to have a
complete understanding of thissimple truth?
(06:31):
We read, So Jesus said to them,When you have lifted up the Son
of Man, then you will know thatI am He, and that I do nothing
on my own authority, but speakjust as the Father taught me,
and He who has sent me is withme.
He has not left me alone, for Ialways do the things that are
pleasing to him.
As he was saying these things,many believed in him.
(06:54):
So Jesus said to the Jews whohad believed him, If you abide
in my words, you are truly mydisciples, and you will know the
truth, and the truth will setyou free.
And here Yeshua clearly statesthat we will know he is the Lord
when he is lifted up.
What do you think he means bylifted up?
(07:14):
It sounds like he's talkingabout the cross, doesn't it?
That's when they lifted him up.
It's interesting to considerthat Yeshua seems to imply that
there were no true disciplesyet.
This fact causes a lot oftrouble in the discipleship
doctrines of our day.
I talk on these things inepisode 37 and episode 38.
(07:35):
Any way we look at this, itwould follow that the disciples
did not yet know the truth, andin turn had not yet been set
free.
Though they did have faith andbelieve, sin had not been dealt
with, therefore there was nofreedom from sin.
Later in John's gospel, Yeshuasays, A new commandment I give
(07:56):
to you, that you love oneanother, just as I have loved
you, you also are to love oneanother.
By this all people will knowthat you are my disciples, if
you have loved for one another.
In this passage, Christ giveshis disciples a new commandment,
and that's John thirteen, thirtyfour.
(08:16):
It's very different from hiswords at the Sermon on the
Mount, or in the Lord's Prayer,where he says, And forgive us
our debts, as we also haveforgiven our debtors, and lead
us not into temptation, butdeliver us from evil.
For if ye forgive others theirtrespasses, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you.
(08:37):
But if ye do not forgive otherstheir trespasses, neither will
your Father forgive yourtrespasses.
That's Matthew six, twelve.
And yes, it is very differentindeed.
Yeshua is no longer teaching inthe context of law or to point
out hypocrisy, but is preparinghis disciples for living by
(08:59):
grace.
He now prepares them for theministry to come.
The ministry that Paul calledthe ministry of reconciliation
in 2 Corinthians 5.18.
Love one another as I have lovedyou, he tells them.
This was how Christ willactively reveal himself through
his people, through his love.
(09:19):
This tells us that if we'relacking in this love for our
brothers and sisters in Christ,something is wrong.
Continuing our study, Yeshuathen declares, If you abide in
me, and my words abide in you,ask whatever you wish and it
will be done for you.
John 15 7.
Many take this to make Christour own personal genie in a
(09:42):
bottle.
When we make anyone but ChristYeshua the initiator of
spiritual works, we go down adark road.
We're responders, not initiatorswhen it comes to the Holy
Spirit.
If we're to see this passage inlight of our role as responders
and not initiators, we mightlearn something valuable.
It may be relevant to considerthat when we pray and request
(10:05):
things according to His will,those things will be done.
In other words, if we seeprayers getting answered in our
lives, maybe this is ourcounselor, the Holy Spirit,
telling us we're on the righttrack.
What if this is a means ofguidance hidden away in words
that on the surface seem toindicate otherwise?
(10:25):
I think this fits quite well inthe context of our role in all
of this, and is another exampleof spiritual understanding
versus worldly understanding.
Everyone knows how to ask forwhat they want from the world,
but how many have the disciplineto pray for what they need
spiritually?
I also see this passage as aforetelling of the indwelling
(10:49):
spirit of God that would givethe disciples everything they
needed for their journey tocome, just as declared by Peter.
His divine power is granted tous all things that pertain to
life and godliness, through theknowledge of Him who called us
to His own glory and excellence.
(11:13):
So now we can take a look atJohn's first epistle, where he
explains the words of ChristYeshua in his new covenant view
on abiding.
Here we essentially get theinterpretation of the words
written and read in his gospel.
No one who denies the Son hasthe Father.
Whoever confesses the Son hasthe Father also.
(11:34):
Let what you heard from thebeginning abide in you.
If what you heard from thebeginning abides in you, then
you too will abide in the Sonand in the Father.
And this is the promise that hemade to us, eternal life.
I write these things to youabout those who are trying to
deceive you.
That's first John 2 23.
(11:55):
Now this can begin to getconfusing really quickly.
John seems to be telling hisaudience to let belief abide in
them, does he not?
He also adds in an if that wouldseem to tell us that there's a
chance that it won't happen.
Those who were trying to deceivethem did not believe the gospel.
They denied Christ.
(12:15):
I go over 1 John in severalmessages and from different
angles.
If you want further context, youcan look those up.
My more recent discussion can befound in message number 51.
But if we examine what is beingsaid here, John declares belief
in the truth about Christ aswhat they heard from the
beginning.
He then says, If what you heardfrom the beginning abides in
(12:39):
you, then you too will abide inthe Son and in the Father.
We could paraphrase this bysaying, If you believe the truth
about Christ Yeshua, then youwill abide in him.
The if part is not really aquestion of will a believer
abide, but John rather statesthat if we believe, we will
(12:59):
abide, because only a believercan abide, and only a believer
can receive eternal life.
John continues, Beloved, if ourheart does not condemn us, we
have confidence before God, andwhatever we ask we receive from
him, because we keep hiscommandments and do what pleases
him, and this is hiscommandment, that we believe in
(13:22):
the name of His Son, JesusChrist, and love one another,
just as He has commanded us.
Whoever keeps His commandmentsabides in God, and God in Him,
and by this we know that Heabides in us, by the Spirit whom
He has given us.
What would cause our heart tocondemn us?
Would unbelief qualify as ananswer here?
(13:44):
How about denying the one whosaves us from sin, Christ
Yeshua?
And how might we have confidencebefore God?
Would it not be through thereconciling blood of Christ?
John then makes the samestatement as Christ, which leads
many to the genie in a bottleapproach to prayer.
But let's compare the twostatements and see if we can
(14:05):
find anything interesting.
Yeshua said, If you abide in me,and my words abide in you, ask
whatever you wish, and it willbe done for you.
John 15 7.
And John said, Whatever we askwe receive from him, because we
keep his commandments and dowhat pleases him.
(14:25):
And this is his commandment,that we believe in the name of
his Son, Jesus Christ, and loveone another just as he has
commanded us.
That's 1 John 3 22.
From my view, we further confirmhere that abiding is believing.
And keeping commandments likethese is like keeping a
treasured possession.
(14:45):
They're given to us for us tokeep.
One of the major benefits ofabiding is that we can ask for
anything of our Lord now, andsin will no longer be blocking
us from receiving a response.
And as Peter said, we have beengiven all things already through
the Holy Spirit.
I see the statement asmagnifying these facts.
(15:06):
John upholds the command givenby Christ to love one another as
well.
This new Christ-like love comesthrough the Holy Spirit and
becomes as evidence of ourbelief.
Genuine love for one another canonly be produced by Christ
through our depending on Him.
Just as belief is a work of God,genuine love also is a work of
(15:28):
God.
We don't produce these things.
We can bear them if we depend onthe Lord to produce them.
Loving our brothers and sistersin Christ is made equal to
loving Christ Himself in thesewords.
It sounds pretty important,doesn't it?
This command gives us the senseof unity in Christ that we all
(15:49):
share and displays how trulyimportant love is in our walk.
This love encourages ourselvesand others as it's working in
our lives.
We end with John saying, Whoeverkeeps his commandments abides in
God, and God in him.
And by this we know that heabides in us by the Spirit whom
(16:10):
he has given.
And in his second epistle, wereceive a powerful confirmation
of the eternal security we havein our abiding in Christ, the
elder to the elect lady and herchildren, whom I love in truth,
and not only I, but also all whoknow the truth, because of the
(16:32):
truth that abides in us and willbe with us forever.
So what is abiding in Christ butbelief itself?
We have now been told that weknow we abide because the Holy
Spirit has been given to us.
We have been promised he willnever take it away.
(16:53):
We are even told what the workof the Holy Spirit will be in
our lives so that we can beconfident that he is working
within us.
How do we become the branch thatis pruned that it may continue
to bear more fruit?
We have to believe.
There is still much more todiscuss about this passage,
though.
One major issue presents itselfin the words Yeshua uses to open
(17:17):
his analogy.
In describing fruit-bearingbranches as well as branches
thrown into the fire, Yeshuaseems to declare both of these
types of branches as in him.
What are we to make of this?
Some say this is God chastisingbelievers.
Others say these believers havebecome useless to the Lord by
(17:39):
bearing no fruit.
Some even say Yeshua speaks ofChristians losing their
salvation.
What do you believe about thesebranches?
I say we have to figure outwhat's going on.
Wait.
There is a world of articles,books, and information out there
when it comes to Christianity,but we are mostly stuck with
rhetoric and double talk when itcomes to our relationship with
the Lord, our new identity asbelievers, and the security and
finality of the work of Christ.
Are you getting everything youneed spiritually from your
church?
Or do you find yourself feelinghungry for more?
(00:21):
Join Lenny as he unpacks whatScripture really taught about
our Lord Jesus Christ in contextand why this matters to you.
Wake up, wake up, wake up tograce.
SPEAKER_00 (00:40):
I imagine there are Christians out there who have
never asked themselves thisquestion.
I'm also certain there are manywho have been taught something
about this topic that is lessthan accurate and even damaging
to their walk with the Lord.
The truth about abiding inChrist will set you free.
It will allow you to standbefore Yahweh confidently in
(01:01):
Christ.
The truth will place you in aperfect fellowship with God,
where you know you can come toHim at all times and in all
things.
On the other side, the errorabout abiding in Christ will put
you in bondage to your sin andcause you to cower before the
Lord in shame.
In another way, it may cause youto stand in false humility.
(01:23):
The error will attempt to ripperfect fellowship out of your
grasp and replace it with aburden that you were never
intended to bear.
Which of these do you want foryourself?
I think most of us who love theLord are going to choose
standing confidently before Himin truth.
So let's talk about that, shallwe?
Today's passage reads like thisI am the true vine, and my
(01:47):
father is the vine dresser.
Every branch in me that does notbear fruit, he takes away, and
every branch that does bearfruit he prunes, that it may
bear more fruit.
Already you are clean because ofthe word that I have spoken to
you.
Abide in me, and I in you, asthe branch cannot bear fruit by
(02:08):
itself, unless it abides in thevine, neither can you, unless
you abide in me.
I am the vine, you are thebranches.
Whoever abides in me, and I inhim, he it is that bears much
fruit.
For apart from me you can donothing.
If anyone does not abide in me,he is thrown away like a branch
(02:31):
and withers, and the branchesare gathered, thrown into the
fire, and burned.
According to Strong's, theoriginal Greek word translated
as abide here is a primary verb,and it can be defined as to
stay, to continue, dwell,endure, be present, remain,
(02:56):
stand.
The context of this passageshows us that Yeshua was
speaking to his disciples.
If we can figure out how thedisciples were to abide and
become fruitful branches, thenwe should also be able to answer
the question, what is abiding inChrist?
Before we get too far along, weshould determine some things
(03:17):
about the timing of our passage.
We know that it was during thetime that Yeshua was here on
earth with his disciples.
Being that this is so certainlytrue, what had not yet taken
place at this time?
Yeshua had not finished his workon the cross or defeated death
through his resurrection yet,had he?
(03:38):
No, he definitely had not.
In turn, what else had nothappened yet?
No person had received theindwelling spirit of God, had
they?
No, they hadn't.
That was yet to come.
Yeshua said to them, Already youare clean because of the word
that I have spoken to you.
Abide in me, and I in you.
(04:00):
That was John fifteen versesthree through four.
Being considered clean probablyreferred to them being saved by
faith.
But whatever he meant aboutbeing clean did not apply to
them being reconciled to theLord.
Until the Spirit of God came todwell within the believer, there
was no reconciliation in regardsto sin.
(04:21):
There was a promise ofsalvation, but sin was getting
in the way of fellowship sinceAdam and Eve's fall in the
garden.
All around this passage, ChristYeshua describes to them the
coming of the Holy Spirit andthe work it would be actively
doing in them.
Based on this, we must ask,could the disciples abide at the
(04:43):
time of this statement, or wasChrist Yeshua speaking of a time
that would soon be upon them?
The wonderful part about thisquestion is that we have the
privilege of reading aboutabiding after the cross from the
same writer of the Gospel ofJohn that is taking place before
the cross.
The commands of Christ Yeshua inJohn's Gospel are echoed by John
(05:06):
in his first epistle.
After receiving the Holy Spirit,John explains to us what Christ
Yeshua meant by what he said.
This helps us to betterunderstand its application to us
today as Christians.
The disciples would have had noclue what the Lord meant when he
spoke to them before receivingthe Holy Spirit.
(05:26):
It was after receiving theSpirit that these truths were
understood.
So we'll compare and contrastthe words of Christ in John's
Gospel with the words of John inhis first epistle to gain a
proper understanding of Yeshua'swords in John 15, verses 1
through 6.
This should allow us to answerthe most important question
(05:47):
we're faced with here.
What is abiding in Christ?
We'll start with passages fromJohn's Gospel, and then we'll
head into his first epistle.
Then they said to him, What mustwe do to be doing the works of
God?
Jesus answered them, This is thework of God, that you believe in
him who he has sent.
That's John 6.28.
(06:09):
Truly, truly I say to you,whoever believes has eternal
life.
I am the bread of life.
And that's John 6.47.
In these passages we're assuredby Christ that the work of God
is to believe, and this alonegrants us eternal life.
But when would anyone trulybenefit or be able to have a
complete understanding of thissimple truth?
(06:31):
We read, So Jesus said to them,When you have lifted up the Son
of Man, then you will know thatI am He, and that I do nothing
on my own authority, but speakjust as the Father taught me,
and He who has sent me is withme.
He has not left me alone, for Ialways do the things that are
pleasing to him.
As he was saying these things,many believed in him.
(06:54):
So Jesus said to the Jews whohad believed him, If you abide
in my words, you are truly mydisciples, and you will know the
truth, and the truth will setyou free.
And here Yeshua clearly statesthat we will know he is the Lord
when he is lifted up.
What do you think he means bylifted up?
(07:14):
It sounds like he's talkingabout the cross, doesn't it?
That's when they lifted him up.
It's interesting to considerthat Yeshua seems to imply that
there were no true disciplesyet.
This fact causes a lot oftrouble in the discipleship
doctrines of our day.
I talk on these things inepisode 37 and episode 38.
(07:35):
Any way we look at this, itwould follow that the disciples
did not yet know the truth, andin turn had not yet been set
free.
Though they did have faith andbelieve, sin had not been dealt
with, therefore there was nofreedom from sin.
Later in John's gospel, Yeshuasays, A new commandment I give
(07:56):
to you, that you love oneanother, just as I have loved
you, you also are to love oneanother.
By this all people will knowthat you are my disciples, if
you have loved for one another.
In this passage, Christ giveshis disciples a new commandment,
and that's John thirteen, thirtyfour.
(08:16):
It's very different from hiswords at the Sermon on the
Mount, or in the Lord's Prayer,where he says, And forgive us
our debts, as we also haveforgiven our debtors, and lead
us not into temptation, butdeliver us from evil.
For if ye forgive others theirtrespasses, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you.
(08:37):
But if ye do not forgive otherstheir trespasses, neither will
your Father forgive yourtrespasses.
That's Matthew six, twelve.
And yes, it is very differentindeed.
Yeshua is no longer teaching inthe context of law or to point
out hypocrisy, but is preparinghis disciples for living by
(08:59):
grace.
He now prepares them for theministry to come.
The ministry that Paul calledthe ministry of reconciliation
in 2 Corinthians 5.18.
Love one another as I have lovedyou, he tells them.
This was how Christ willactively reveal himself through
his people, through his love.
(09:19):
This tells us that if we'relacking in this love for our
brothers and sisters in Christ,something is wrong.
Continuing our study, Yeshuathen declares, If you abide in
me, and my words abide in you,ask whatever you wish and it
will be done for you.
John 15 7.
Many take this to make Christour own personal genie in a
(09:42):
bottle.
When we make anyone but ChristYeshua the initiator of
spiritual works, we go down adark road.
We're responders, not initiatorswhen it comes to the Holy
Spirit.
If we're to see this passage inlight of our role as responders
and not initiators, we mightlearn something valuable.
It may be relevant to considerthat when we pray and request
(10:05):
things according to His will,those things will be done.
In other words, if we seeprayers getting answered in our
lives, maybe this is ourcounselor, the Holy Spirit,
telling us we're on the righttrack.
What if this is a means ofguidance hidden away in words
that on the surface seem toindicate otherwise?
(10:25):
I think this fits quite well inthe context of our role in all
of this, and is another exampleof spiritual understanding
versus worldly understanding.
Everyone knows how to ask forwhat they want from the world,
but how many have the disciplineto pray for what they need
spiritually?
I also see this passage as aforetelling of the indwelling
(10:49):
spirit of God that would givethe disciples everything they
needed for their journey tocome, just as declared by Peter.
His divine power is granted tous all things that pertain to
life and godliness, through theknowledge of Him who called us
to His own glory and excellence.
(11:13):
So now we can take a look atJohn's first epistle, where he
explains the words of ChristYeshua in his new covenant view
on abiding.
Here we essentially get theinterpretation of the words
written and read in his gospel.
No one who denies the Son hasthe Father.
Whoever confesses the Son hasthe Father also.
(11:34):
Let what you heard from thebeginning abide in you.
If what you heard from thebeginning abides in you, then
you too will abide in the Sonand in the Father.
And this is the promise that hemade to us, eternal life.
I write these things to youabout those who are trying to
deceive you.
That's first John 2 23.
(11:55):
Now this can begin to getconfusing really quickly.
John seems to be telling hisaudience to let belief abide in
them, does he not?
He also adds in an if that wouldseem to tell us that there's a
chance that it won't happen.
Those who were trying to deceivethem did not believe the gospel.
They denied Christ.
(12:15):
I go over 1 John in severalmessages and from different
angles.
If you want further context, youcan look those up.
My more recent discussion can befound in message number 51.
But if we examine what is beingsaid here, John declares belief
in the truth about Christ aswhat they heard from the
beginning.
He then says, If what you heardfrom the beginning abides in
(12:39):
you, then you too will abide inthe Son and in the Father.
We could paraphrase this bysaying, If you believe the truth
about Christ Yeshua, then youwill abide in him.
The if part is not really aquestion of will a believer
abide, but John rather statesthat if we believe, we will
(12:59):
abide, because only a believercan abide, and only a believer
can receive eternal life.
John continues, Beloved, if ourheart does not condemn us, we
have confidence before God, andwhatever we ask we receive from
him, because we keep hiscommandments and do what pleases
him, and this is hiscommandment, that we believe in
(13:22):
the name of His Son, JesusChrist, and love one another,
just as He has commanded us.
Whoever keeps His commandmentsabides in God, and God in Him,
and by this we know that Heabides in us, by the Spirit whom
He has given us.
What would cause our heart tocondemn us?
Would unbelief qualify as ananswer here?
(13:44):
How about denying the one whosaves us from sin, Christ
Yeshua?
And how might we have confidencebefore God?
Would it not be through thereconciling blood of Christ?
John then makes the samestatement as Christ, which leads
many to the genie in a bottleapproach to prayer.
But let's compare the twostatements and see if we can
(14:05):
find anything interesting.
Yeshua said, If you abide in me,and my words abide in you, ask
whatever you wish, and it willbe done for you.
John 15 7.
And John said, Whatever we askwe receive from him, because we
keep his commandments and dowhat pleases him.
(14:25):
And this is his commandment,that we believe in the name of
his Son, Jesus Christ, and loveone another just as he has
commanded us.
That's 1 John 3 22.
From my view, we further confirmhere that abiding is believing.
And keeping commandments likethese is like keeping a
treasured possession.
(14:45):
They're given to us for us tokeep.
One of the major benefits ofabiding is that we can ask for
anything of our Lord now, andsin will no longer be blocking
us from receiving a response.
And as Peter said, we have beengiven all things already through
the Holy Spirit.
I see the statement asmagnifying these facts.
(15:06):
John upholds the command givenby Christ to love one another as
well.
This new Christ-like love comesthrough the Holy Spirit and
becomes as evidence of ourbelief.
Genuine love for one another canonly be produced by Christ
through our depending on Him.
Just as belief is a work of God,genuine love also is a work of
(15:28):
God.
We don't produce these things.
We can bear them if we depend onthe Lord to produce them.
Loving our brothers and sistersin Christ is made equal to
loving Christ Himself in thesewords.
It sounds pretty important,doesn't it?
This command gives us the senseof unity in Christ that we all
(15:49):
share and displays how trulyimportant love is in our walk.
This love encourages ourselvesand others as it's working in
our lives.
We end with John saying, Whoeverkeeps his commandments abides in
God, and God in him.
And by this we know that heabides in us by the Spirit whom
(16:10):
he has given.
And in his second epistle, wereceive a powerful confirmation
of the eternal security we havein our abiding in Christ, the
elder to the elect lady and herchildren, whom I love in truth,
and not only I, but also all whoknow the truth, because of the
(16:32):
truth that abides in us and willbe with us forever.
So what is abiding in Christ butbelief itself?
We have now been told that weknow we abide because the Holy
Spirit has been given to us.
We have been promised he willnever take it away.
(16:53):
We are even told what the workof the Holy Spirit will be in
our lives so that we can beconfident that he is working
within us.
How do we become the branch thatis pruned that it may continue
to bear more fruit?
We have to believe.
There is still much more todiscuss about this passage,
though.
One major issue presents itselfin the words Yeshua uses to open
(17:17):
his analogy.
In describing fruit-bearingbranches as well as branches
thrown into the fire, Yeshuaseems to declare both of these
types of branches as in him.
What are we to make of this?
Some say this is God chastisingbelievers.
Others say these believers havebecome useless to the Lord by
(17:39):
bearing no fruit.
Some even say Yeshua speaks ofChristians losing their
salvation.
What do you believe about thesebranches?
I say we have to figure outwhat's going on.
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