4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” (John 15:4 CSB)

This may be one of my more written about pieces of scripture, and specifically this interpretation which uses “abide” rather than another word. It is not a word that we hear a lot in common language. But it is one that is perfectly suited for this scriptural precept.

If you look up the word in a Marriam-Webster dictionary you will find that it has a few different, and varied uses. As in our scripture it can mean to ”stay within” or to ”conform to” something. It can also be used to describe something we either can or cannot tolerate. It can also mean that we are waiting for something.

Thus, we can use it to Abide in the vine, in the Spirit, in Christ. We can Abide and wait for the Lord. We can also choose to not Abide by sin. Thus, it becomes really clear that the Abiding Life is one where we must Abide in many ways. It forms a complete way of living.

When we start really looking at how we might or might not be living an Abiding Life of faith, we can quickly see where we are or are not. Thus, we can use the word as a rule of thumb for our faith.