The years that I served at a non-denominational church in New York City were good years. They were times of being stretched, growing in community, and seeing God work in significant ways in the lives of people. During those years, eight in total, and thanks in large part to my friend Billy, there was an emphasis, yea, a steady focused drumbeat on “abiding in Christ.”
This important focus in the Christian life comes from John 15 where Jesus is talking to his disciples on the night of his arrest. At the time (February 14, 2014) I quoted from the New International Version of the Bible in which the word “abide” is translated as “remain.”
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also 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.
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
By my count Jesus mentions “remain” or “abide” eleven times in this passage. The Greek word is meno. The same Greek word appears in John 6:56. Let’s look at the larger context (6:53–58).
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
Looking back on that time I was very familiar with Jesus’ admonition to “remain” or “abide” in Him from John 15, but I had not made the connection of how we “remain” or “abide” in Him that he clearly gives us in John 6. When we eat His flesh and drink His blood in the Eucharist (which is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus), we have His life in us and we remain and He remains in us. And that is the bottom line.
Little did we know this before we realized its reality of John 6, which we never even noticed before! Love you, Gary!