Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
John 15:4
John 15:4
True sanctification requires that believers maintain an intimate relationship with Christ. After someone chooses to believe in Christ and is forgiven, he or she receives eternal life and the power to remain in Christ. Given that power, the believer must then accept that responsibility in salvation and remain in Christ. In Greek, the word meno means to remain, continue, abide, or live. We as believers have Christ's life only as long as His life flows into us through our remaining in Christ.
So how do we remain in Christ? Let's look at John 15:7
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
1) We must keep God's Word continually in our hearts and minds and making it the guide of our actions.
God gave us His Word for a reason. We need to be in His Word daily. We must treasure the Bible and understand that this is one way the God can speak directly to you. By committing these words to your heart, they will translate in your actions. People will notice, and God will be pleased.
2) We must maintain the habit of constant and intimate communion with Christ in order to draw strength from Him.
Jesus wants us to talk to Him. He wants us to ask Him for the desires of our heart. He wants us to want Him. It's hard to maintain a friendship with someone if you never meet with them, or talk with them. This can be difficult for some people, but I strongly urge you to meet with your Savior. Talk to Him. And listen. He will answer your prayers, maybe not always in the way you want them answered, and possibly not on your time line, but you must remember that He is all-knowing. We only know pieces of the past and present, but the Lord knows all parts, past, present, and future. Take refuge in that!
3)We must obey His commands, remaining in His love, and loving each other.
Looking at these three verses, Jesus is very clear.
10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.
12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
17This is my command: Love each other.
12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
17This is my command: Love each other.
John 15:10, 12, & 17
John 15:10 is a classic If/Then statement. Here's the teacher coming out in me:
IF you obey my commands [THEN] you will remain in my love...
This requires action on our part. So, what is Jesus' command?
He states it twice in John 15. Once in verse 12 and again in verse 17.
His command is to love each other. It was so important that Jesus get His point across that He says it twice. And, anything that is stated twice in the Bible means that the Lord really wants you to get it! Nice!
4) We must keep our lives clean through the Word, resisting all sin and yielding to the Spirit's direction.
3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ~John 15:3
13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ~Romans 8:13-14
Jesus is very clear. We need to allow the Spirit to guide us. We need to know His Word.
Do you see where all of this came from? Definitely not from my brilliant mind! All of these means of remaining in Christ come directly from the Word of God, straight from the Bible, and many of these commands come right from the mouth of Jesus.
READ YOUR BIBLE!!! It is your "wilderness handbook" for surviving life in this dirty and perverted world.
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