About

Jesus’ last night on earth before he was handed over to be executed was spent with the people closest to Jesus — the disciples. In these final moments before the cross, Jesus commands his disciples to abide in him as the branch abides in the vine. Interestingly, the emphasis is not on bearing fruit, rather on abiding in the vine, and it is through abiding the disciples were to bear fruit (John 15:1-17). The Bible mentions several two kinds of fruits: the harvest of souls (Matthew 13:1-23) and the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The harvest of souls is the spiritual progeny that comes from sharing the gospel and fruit of the Spirit is moral purity that comes from living according to God’s standards. These things, however, are not the result of the efforts of man, but the works of God working in his Spirit through man. More often than not, we get caught so caught up in in trying to bear fruit that we forget to abide in the vine and such people wither in the same manner as a branch disconnected from the vine, which cannot bear fruit. The responsibility of man is to stay connected to the vine so that we may bear fruit, but the one who attempts to bear fruit without abiding in the vine will accomplish nothing.

The Greek word translated “abide” is “μείνατε” which by itself carries the implication of remaining and dwelling. Also it is in the aorist imperative tense, meaning that the disciples were being commanded to currently and continuously abide in the Christ. Given this and the fact the Jesus repeated it over and over gives one the impression that this was really important! Abiding in Christ is a quintessential part of the life of every Christian. To continuously abide in Christ, one needs to be in a constant relationship with Christ, speaking to and hearing from hear. Jesus speaks through his word and we speak to him through prayer and we show that we love him by doing what he tells us to do in his word (John 14:15).

At Abide we seek to provide sound biblical exegesis, practical application to obey the commands of Christ, and points of prayer to consider while you pray. It is our desire that you grow into an intimate and closer walk with Jesus through the resources you find here.