Union with Christ: The Way to Know and Enjoy God

by Rankin Wilbourne

Not only do the voices of history convey this shared responsibility in our spiritual progress, but Jesus describes it too. His word for this dynamic is “abide,” which even in English captures the sense. On the one hand, the word suggests resting and staying, like a child leaning into his mother’s embrace. It’s a posture of reliance for care and even survival, like branches depend on a vine, which is exactly the context in which Jesus uses the word. “Abide in me … As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (John 15:4). This is a relationship of utter dependency. As Jesus says, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (v. 5). On the other hand, abiding is an action. Here is something you must choose to do. Jesus commands us, “Abide in me.” He commands us to rest in him. Like a dog commanded to stay, we must exert ourselves not to become distracted or move away from our Master. And Jesus makes it clear that the amount of fruit that comes out of our lives will be a direct result of how much (John 15:5) or how little (v. 6) we heed his commandments. In fact, he goes on to say, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love” (v. 10).