What does “Abide in Christ” mean?
To “abide” means to remain, to reside, to live up to a promise, to submit to and carry out, in the company of, to join as with the other. “In Christ” means to have a new legal standing or a new relational orientation. Galatians 3:26-28 gives us insight into the phrase “in Christ” and what it means.
“In Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Paul is speaking to the Christians in Galatia, reminding them that once they placed their faith in Jesus, they have a new identity. To be “baptized into Christ” means that they were identified with Christ, having left their old sinful lives, and fully embracing the new life in Christ.
John 15:4-9 is a popular scripture that shows what abiding in Christ means. It gives a picture of Christians as branches, and Jesus as the vine. Through this scripture there are three interwoven themes.
- Believers need to have a connection with Jesus. A branch is connected to the vine, and the vine is connected to the branch. This connection is a union, a mutual connection and if there is no connection there is no fruit. This is true of a tree that bears fruit and for us as Christians’ our fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
- Believers need to depend on Jesus. The branch is dependent on the vine, but the vine is not dependent on the branch—it is not reciprocal. The branch gets its life and power from the vine (sap flows from the vine to the branch supplying it with water, minerals, and nutrients to make it grow). As Christians, Jesus supplies us with the ability to love others and to have joy, peace, patience, and kindness in our hearts. Those who believe have everlasting life.
- Believers need to continue to abide (or remain) in Jesus by trusting Him, depending on Him, and believing in Him.
To truly understand how to abide in Christ, you need to know where your identity is rooted. Is it in the work you do or in how successful you are in the world? Is your identity rooted in sickness, disability, pain, fear, anxiety, or depression? Or, is your identity rooted in the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did for you at the cross?
God created you in His own image (Genesis 1:27). You need to see yourself as God sees you. God says you are His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10); you are co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17); you have a heavenly calling (Hebrews 3:1); you are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37); you are righteous and holy (Ephesians 4:24).
It is up to you to identify with and abide in Christ. 1 John 4:17 says, “Love has been perfected among us in this; that we may have boldness in the day of judgement; because as he is, so are we in the world.” As Jesus is so am I—that is what this verse is saying. If you are living with sickness in your body, abide in Christ today. Since Jesus does not have sickness or pain in His body, neither do you!
~Donna Jones