If We Abide

[Christsfreeservant]

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:1-2 ESV​

A lot of people struggle with this passage of scripture. They want to explain it away by saying that those “he takes away” are those who have made a profession only of faith in Jesus Christ, and that is why they are not bearing fruit. They want to say that they are those who give lip service to the Lord only, but that they never were ever genuinely saved.

But, the issue really goes deeper than that. It goes to the very meaning of what it means to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. For, if we think of our salvation from sin as a one-time event that takes place in our lives that can never be taken away from us, then the logical conclusion would be that these who are not bearing fruit never were truly saved.

But, what about the fact that Jesus refers to them as “in me”? We can’t be in him unless we are genuinely saved. We can’t be “in him” if we did not ever turn from our sins to follow him in obedience. So, how do we reconcile this?

I believe the big problem here is that so many people have the wrong idea of what it means to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life with God. For, it is not a one-time event that takes place in our lives which guarantees us heaven when we die. For, we are saved (past), we are being saved (present), and we will be saved (future) when Jesus returns and our salvation is complete (Rom. 8:24; 1 Co. 1:18; Heb. 9:28; Rom. 13:11; 1 Pet. 1:5).

Also, the scriptures are real clear that eternal life with God is guaranteed only on the basis of our walks, our lifestyles, which reveal whether or not our faith is genuine. And yet our faith, which has to be God-given and divinely persuaded faith, and not human faith, for it to save us, is not past tense. The scriptures are real clear that it is those believing (present tense) who have eternal life with God (Rom. 8:1-17; Lu. 9:23-25; Jn. 3:16-21).

Note with me, too, that at the beginning of Romans 8, where it says that there is no condemnation for those who are “in Christ Jesus,” it also says that the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who WALK not after the flesh but after the Spirit. And, then it goes on to say that if we WALK according to the flesh, that we will die in our sins, but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, then we have eternal life with God (Rom. 8:1-17; cf. Lu. 9:23-25; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:16-21; Gal. 6:7-8).

If we truly study the scriptures, Matthew to Revelation, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse, we can’t get away from the fact that we are not guaranteed eternal life with God unless we walk (in lifestyle, in practice) in righteousness, of the Spirit of God, in agreement with God and His Word. And, we can’t escape the fact that it makes it quite clear that if we make sin our practice, that we don’t have eternal life with God, but eternal hell.

[Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:16-21; Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8; Eph. 4:17-24; Eph. 5:3-6; Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Co. 6:20; 2 Co. 5:15, 21; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Jn. 14:23-24; 1 Jn. 2:3-6; Jn. 8:31-32; Rom. 11:17-24; 1 Jn. 2:24-25; Col. 1:21-23]

“Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 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. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” John 15:3-6 ESV ​

So, the Lord is speaking here to his followers, to those who are genuinely his, who are “in him.” They are clean spiritually. But, then he instructs them that they must abide (live, walk, continue) in him, in his truth, and in his ways. For, they cannot bear fruit (spiritual outgrowth, results) in keeping with repentance by themselves, in their own flesh. Only as they live and walk in Him and in His Word can they bear fruit (a harvest, yield, produce) for his eternal kingdom.

And, then he explains that as a natural result of abiding (living, walking, continuing) in him we will bear much fruit for his heavenly kingdom, which is the fruit of righteousness, holiness, godliness, purity, honesty, and love, etc. For, we can’t, in our own flesh, bear spiritual fruit for his kingdom. And, that is because the Spirit gives birth to what is spiritual (of God), but the flesh gives birth to flesh, not to what is of God (of the Spirit).

And, then again he says that if we don’t abide (live, walk, continue) in him, as a matter of course, as a matter of lifestyle and practice, that we are thrown away into the fire and burned. And, the apostles taught the same exact thing. For, if we want to have eternal life with God, we must walk according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh, and we must do so until the end of time (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Rom. 11:17-24; Gal. 5:16-21; Gal. 6:7-8; Eph. 5:3-6; 1 Jn. 2:24-25; Col. 1:21-23).

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:7-11 ESV​

One of the results of us abiding in the Lord and his words abiding (living in practice) in us is the intimacy we have with him. We have a closeness, a oneness with him. We are in relationship with Almighty God through faith in Jesus Christ. He lives in us and us in him. He is our husband and we are his bride. And, he is our best friend, too!

Through our abiding in him and his words abiding in us we get to know him and to understand his heart and to realize his will for our lives. We begin to feel what he feels and to think his thoughts. His heart becomes our heart. His passion becomes our passion. What he values we value, and what he hates we hate. And, so what we pray is for his will to be done, too. So, we aren’t going to ask for what is out of God’s will.

When we get up in the morning, he is there in our minds and he is already speaking to our hearts. As we go throughout the day we can hear him gently leading us and directing us in the way that we should go, and even cautioning us against going the wrong way, too. Even before a prayer is on our lips he is already answering us in our minds via his Word or via a Christian song or a gentle nudge or a whisper. And, when we go to bed at night, he is still there with us, speaking his truths to our hearts.

And, when we have this kind of relationship with him, and we remain in that relationship, and we walk in obedience to his commands and in his love, then we will bear much fruit for his kingdom and for his righteousness. And, we will prove ourselves, thus, to be his genuine disciples (his followers).

And, this love that we are to abide (live, walk, continue) in is agape love which literally means to prefer (desire, choose) what God prefers. And, what he prefers is what is holy, righteous, honest, trustworthy, just, godly, pure, kind, and faithful. These we are to make our practice, empowered by the Spirit of God living within us. These should describe who we are.

And, when we live and walk and continue in the Lord Jesus, and in His Word, and we practice what is righteous and holy, and not what is evil and immoral, then we are also filled with the joy of the Lord. Awesome!

You Loved Me

An Original Work / December 3, 2019
A song based off the poem by the same name

When I was lonely and afflicted,
You were there to pick me up.
You took me in Your arms,
And You held me tenderly.

Your love embraced me.
Your grace sustained me.

When my heart cried out to You
In my fear and my despair,
You never turned away,
But You let me know You loved me.

Your grace forgave me.
You did not shame me.

Then, when I answered the call,
“Here, Lord, send me.”
You sent me to where I must be.
Your mercy held me, did not fail me.
All this, You had planned, to use me.

And, when all trials and scorn
Came to test me.
You gave me all that I would need.
You strengthened me so I’d not fail You.
Your kindness blessed me, it touched me.

And, when I needed the church
To lift up me,
To hearten me so I’d not fail,
You blessed me with folks who would love me.
Their presence with me, Your praise hailed!

And, when I walked through the valley
Of the shadow of the death,
And tears flowed from my eyes,
Still Your kindness was there for me.

Your touch, it healed me.
For I believed You.

When now I think about the ways,
Of the many, many ways
That You in Your great love
Show me that You’ll always care for me,

My heart, it thanks You,
And gladness fills me, fills me.

 

[Rescued One]

If God truly gave them eternal life, they are saved. If they understood the reality of their salvation, they would understand that they didn't give it to themselves and that their words(which didn't save them) and works can't deliver them from the power of sin.

The reason we aren't cut off is because Christ gives us life. He purchased us and He takes care of His own.

1 John 2
18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. 24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

Romans 8
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

1 Corinthians 1
4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; 5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; 6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: 7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: 8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Matthew 11
25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. 26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. 27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Salvation is God's work in us, not the other way around.

John 10
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

I won't argue the issue as it has already been argued for centuries, but the verses are there and some will believe them.

 

[Aussie Pete]

No No No. You got a bit right. But there are two salvations. The word "salvation" should be replaced with "deliverance". "Salvation" has come to mean "going to heaven when you die" which is incredibly shallow.

When we repent and accept Christ and what He did for us on the cross, God identifies us in Him. We are born again. The old nature of sin is removed and the new spirit comes in. That is what it means to be born again. Lord Jesus comes into the believer at that point. He will not come into the old, dead spirit.

Once the individual is born again, the journey begins. It is a marathon, not a sprint. God leads us through various experiences. Some experiences are joyful. God's intent is to draw us closer to Himself and encourage us to accept the Lordship of Christ fully. The problem is that we have been programmed to be stubborn, proud, rebellious and independent. Those characteristics are incompatible with the Life of Christ. Mostly, God allows us to go our own way and to live with the consequences. It is the law of sowing and reaping. When suffer, it is to bring us back to God and to break the hold of those ungodly characteristics.

The will of God is revealed to us in our spirit man. Often, the soul (mind, emotion and will) are so "noisy" that they drown out the voice of God. As we grow in grace and the knowledge of the truth, we become quieter in soul and more able to be led by the Spirit.

This process is known as the "salvation of the soul". Replace "salvation" with "deliverance" and it becomes easier to understand.

Most Christians never experience the salvation of the soul. They are only interested in getting into heaven. A lot of this is due to the pathetically shallow preaching of what passes for the gospel these days. For those who are born again, we get a new start. Unless we seek the new life, we will be little different from a well intentioned unbeliever. It's as if we are placed back in the Garden of Eden. The two trees are still there. There is the "Tree of Life" and the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil".

The Tree of Knowledge still appeals to the soul. Satan still tells us that we can be like God but without God. That is a lie and deception, but Christians still fall for it. It is the root cause of much of the division, pointless argument, false doctrine, confusion and moral failure that blights the church. Even if we know God's will, in ourselves we have no power to do God's will. (Romans 7).

The Tree of Life represents Christ. There is little that appeals to the soul. The opposite. In order to be a spirit-led person we have to relinquish all that is of self - independence, stubbornness, pride and rebellion, self confidence and self will. Not so many are willing to give up their soul-life. We need the power of the cross, which is death to those things, if we are to be alive in Christ in experience. The death that brings us into eternal life is when God identifies us in Christ when we get converted. We must die before we can receive resurrection life. In the same way, we must die to receive the experience of the Life of Christ. We die daily - as long as we carry the cross.

In practice, the daily cross does its job every time that we refuse to follow self and choose Christ instead. We get plenty of opportunity. As we progress, if we progress, it gets easier. There is less strength in the soul and more strength in the inner man.

To be born again is instant and costs nothing. To experience the salvation of the soul is a lifetime's work and costs everything.

Lose the self life. It is of zero value and it will only bring us grief. The one who lives for self, even if he is born again, receives little or no reward in God's kingdom. The one who loses their soul-life now for the sake of Christ will receive great reward in the Kingdom

Some embark on great projects, building a ministry but by the power of their personality and natural talents. They will find their works to be dead and burned to ashes. Others are unsung heroes of the faith, people who pray and who are never recognised in this life, people who speak so honestly and truthfully that they are despised and those who just go about doing God's will without fanfare or recognition. They will have great reward.

Missionary Jim Elliot: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

Lord Jesus (NLT) "If you cling to your (soul) life, you will lose it; but if you give up your (soul) life for me, you will find it."

 

[Mathetes66]

Born again: made alive spiritually by the Spirit of God for those who repent & believe the gospel. This is the act of God whereby someone receives ETERNAL life & they become a new creation in Christ--created in likeness to the Creator. They have passed out of death & into life, transferred out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.

This is justification: being made right in the eyes of God through the substitutionary death, burial & resurrection of Christ. They are imputed the very righteousness of Christ & NOT on the basis of works but by grace through faith, from beginning to end. Jesus is the author & finisher of our faith as we run the race on this earth.

The process of salvation: past, present, future

Justification: being saved from the penalty of sin


Sanctification by the indwelling Holy Spirit: being saved from the power of sin daily & maturing in Christ, becoming an instrument of righteousness.

Glorification: being saved from the presence of sin, the hope of glory in Christ's presence & forever glorifying Him in the everlasting heavenly Jerusalem & kingdom of our Lord, in resurrected & incorruptible, glorified bodies.