Abiding in Christ

What does it mean to abide in Christ?

Every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is “in Christ”, which means they are saved eternally, can never be lost/sent to Hell, and now have access to serve in their new nature (or abide in Christ). Believers have been saved and now possess access to abide in Christ. Christ will always be abiding in believers because they have been saved when they trusted in Him alone as their Savior. However, just because Christ is abiding in believers (through the Holy Spirit) doesn’t necessarily mean believers are always abiding in Him. This is because every believer still has an old sinful nature which we possess, and we must make the conscious decision to yield ourselves over to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to control our lives (abiding in Christ).

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17 

Believers are new creations “in Christ” and now have access to serve God. New life has been given to believers; you now possess a new nature which can be controlled by the Holy Spirit when you yield to Him through believing and applying God’s Word (Galatians 5:16, 25).

“If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” – 2 Timothy 2:13

I love this verse. God is always faithful to us even when we lack faith or deny our trust. This is Christ always abiding in us. Christ will never fail us in being faithful to deliver His promises.

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” – 1 Peter 1:23

We are not abiding in Christ if we are living in our old sinful nature. Only when you are serving in your new nature are you at that time abiding in Christ.

Jesus told unbelieving Jews that God was not in them and His Word was not abiding in them because they were not saved. They had not believed in Jesus Christ alone accepting Him as their Savior.

“And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.” – John 5:37-38

If you want to abide in Christ, you must be saved and serve in your new nature. Abiding in Christ is serving in your New Nature. Unfortunately, we do not always abide in Christ; we do not always serve in our New Nature.

“He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” – 1 John 2:6

Walk in your new nature. Live in your new nature. This is serving Christ. This is abiding in Christ. 

“He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.” – 1 John 2:10

“We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.” – 1 John 3:14

Loving is abiding in Christ. An unbeliever cannot love according to the Bible. This is because God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). An unbeliever does not have God and therefore cannot experience love according to Scripture. When believers demonstrate love in their lives, they are abiding in Christ. Loving is an example of abiding in Christ. As 1 John 3:14 explains above, not demonstrating love is abiding in death (or abiding in your old nature). Hating another is certainly not of God but rather of the Devil and this is serving our old nature.

“Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” – 1 John 3:15

Believers are saved forever and possess eternal life. However, they are not abiding (or serving) in that eternal life which is Christ when they are demonstrating hate towards another.

“I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.” – 1 John 2:14

Notice in this verse above that the Word of God abides in believers (Christ/the Word always abides in believers), but believers may not always abide in Christ or His Word. Not falling to the temptation of the Devil (or sin) is abiding in Him. Serving in your new nature is abiding in Him. Following God’s Word is abiding in Him.

“And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” – 1 John 2:17

The will of God for salvation is to believe on Christ and be saved (John 6:40). The believer will forever have Christ abiding in him. 

“But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” – 1 John 2:27

The Holy Spirit resides in believers and is our connecting point to spiritual truths of God. Yielding to the Holy Spirit by believing and applying God’s Word is abiding in Christ.

“Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.” – 1 John 3:6

If you are serving in your new nature (abiding in Christ), then you cannot sin or serve in your old nature simultaneously. You are either serving one or the other at any moment in time.

“And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.” – 1 John 3:24

“Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.” – 2 John 1:9

Serve Christ by following His Word. Abide in the doctrine of Christ and you will have no room for stumbling. These verses are contrasting the old and new natures of a believer. You either serve your new nature or old nature at any point in time.

Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” - John 15:1-8

A believer in Christ must abide in Him to produce fruit. The fruit of the believer is to reproduce ourselves (Proverbs 11:30, John 4:36). Reproducing ourselves is sharing the Gospel with an unbeliever so that they may become saved. Every believer can and should win souls to Christ by giving out the Gospel. Share your testimony of how you were saved by believing the Gospel (Jesus shed His sinless blood and died in my place to pay my sin debt. He saved me the moment I trusted in Him to forgive me of all my sins (past, present, and future sins). He gave me eternal life, the Holy Spirit, and a new nature upon my belief in Him. He is my personal Savior.