It really is a fair and legitimate question to ask. And before we start asking others, we might want to ask it of ourselves: “How does one know if they are truly abiding in Christ?”

Please note- we are not questioning whether you ‘believe Jesus is the Son of God and died on a cross’. And no one is calling into question whether you are a ‘faithful church member’ either. Truth be told, both of those ‘boxes can be checked’, and still, that is no guarantee or proof that one is truly abiding in Jesus.

I would imagine there is no small number of people who would quickly claim that they are ‘saved’, but might have a more difficult time answering the real question here as to what it means to abide in Christ and whether they indeed are doing that themselves.

We always seem anxious to assure our church members, regardless of how long they have been attending, that they are ‘saved’ and they need not worry about that. But this idea of ‘abiding’ in Christ? Meh...not so much. We might give or hear nice sermons on the topic from time to time, suggesting it is a good idea and something we should be ‘willing to strive to do’, but it has ‘nothing to do with being saved’’; or so we tell ourselves.

I would hope that it would be an easy conclusion to arrive at where we see how a person who is truly ‘abiding’ in Christ...is genuinely ‘saved’, however you want to interpret that word ‘saved’.

On the other hand, just because a person is told they are ‘saved’ and believe that, would it be a bit of a stretch to automatically assume they are abiding in Christ? Do you see where I am getting at here?

So once again, how would one know if they are abiding in Christ?

And before you are tempted to run to your denominational headquarters to get an answer to that question, why not simply turn to the pages of your bible and read for yourselves as to whether this question is answered in scripture. Remember, you don’t have to go to seminary to understand the bible. You only need to come to Jesus with a sincere heart and He can reveal His word to you. At least that is what we are told in Luke 10:21. Jesus actually suggests that these truths are ‘hid from the wise and the prudent...and are revealed to the babes’.

So what can we learn from scripture about what it means or looks like to ‘abide in Jesus’? And can we just agree upfront, that there is no better place any ‘believer’ could be outside of truly abiding in Him?

“Whoever abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit.” -Jesus (John 15:5)

“Just like a branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it aides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” - Jesus (John 15:4)

“IF you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” -Jesus (John 15:7)

-pause- Want to make sure we are on the ‘same page here’ and confirm that all I am doing is pointing out what the bible has to say on this subject. Those verses should be found in your bible as well. Those last three were actually quotes made by Jesus.

Let’s continue....

“Whoever abides in Him does not sin.” (1 John 3:6). [sin is breaking God’s commandments-1 John 3:4]

“Whoever abides in Him...keeps His commandments.” ( 1 John 3:24). You might go back now an underline 1 John 2:3-4 that says “by this we know that we know Him, IF...we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him.”

And one more – “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (1 John 2:6)

Whew. Anyone else squirming yet?

I would suspect that some of you reading today might quickly want to dismiss such talk, as you remind yourselves that you made a profession of faith years ago, even got baptized, and all is well with your soul. But before you run off and get about the business of the day, could you at least stop and ponder as to why such verses would be disturbing to you, if not offensive? All we are doing is examining scripture here, are we not?

Now I purposely saved 1 John 2:6 for last as I want to focus in on a key word here when it comes to ‘abiding’. John wrote that he who claims to ‘abide in Him’.... ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (That ‘He’ refers to Jesus)

No doubt our first reaction to that would be to scoff and say nobody can do that! And if you are in that camp that feels agitated by such a statement, you might even feel inclined to ask me directly: “Are you saying that YOU walk like Jesus and don’t sin?”

To which I would respond...”This is not about me. It is about what the word says and declares clearly...regardless of what I do, say, or believe.” I mean, it was Jesus who said: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21)

Back to that word I wanted to key in on: ‘walk’. If we are abiding in Him, (or say you are), we ‘ought to be walking as He walked’.

Paul wrote to the Colossians admonishing them that “as they have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him...rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith...(2:6-7) Abiding is not about ‘believing’ as much as it is about ‘walking’. Walking in/with Jesus. And it goes without saying, this is not something we do weekly or occasionally or just in the morning when we do ‘devotions’...or when we ‘feel like it’.

Believers who abide in Jesus...”walk by faith, not by sight”. (2 Cor. 5:7).

I’m going to cut it a little short here today by mentioning two people we read about in the bible and both are cited in the ‘Hall of Faith’ chapter found in Hebrews 11. They would be Enoch and Noah. Both, we are told, ‘walked with God’. (Gen. 5:24 & 6:9). I will elaborate more tomorrow, Lord willing, but want to leave you with this verse now: “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, and prepared an ark for the saving of his household...” (Heb. 11:7) By faith...he was moved...with godly fear...to prepare...that he might be saved.

A lot of people think that story of Noah and the ark and the flood was more of a myth. Yet, Jesus Himself points back to Noah and his day saying that the days leading up to His return to the earth...will be ‘just as it was in the days of Noah’. (Matt. 24:37-38)

We should not be so quick to dismiss such talk. See you tomorrow?