John 15:4 Commentary and Bible Study

If a new life and a new nature and holiness and communion with God comes only from Christ – he is the true vine, he must purchase and secure it for us, belief in him is essential – then how is it perpetuated? The answer is fascinating: ‘Abide in me.’ What does it mean, ‘Abide in me’? The Greek word translated ‘abide’ simply means stay, remain. Stay in me. It also is used for dwell – dwell in me, remain in me, hold on in me. The word is used ten times in these few verses, so it is very important. We do not have to be puzzled; the Bible tells us itself. We have a fine example in John 6:56, ‘He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth [abideth] in me, and I in him.’ Exactly the same terms in the Greek.The first way in which we abide in Christ is to depend upon Calvary with all our hearts and never let it go. It purchases salvation for us. It is the limitless sympathy of Christ. He so loved his people he went to Calvary for them. When we think about Calvary in our private reading and devotions, and as we gather round the Lord’s table, it touches our heart. And the second way is in verse 7: ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will.’ So to abide in Christ is to abide in his word. In other words, you live in a sense in the pages of the Bible. The Bible is everything to you. The disciples had heard the word of Christ, and the Holy Spirit would bring everything to their remembrance. The Ten Commandments are in all the utterances of Christ. So to abide in his word means to strive after holiness to obedience to his word. Then thirdly in verse 8, ‘Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.’ The ‘abide’ word is not there but it continues from verse seven. To abide means to glorify God and to bear fruit, to make much of him. Your chief interest is Christ your Saviour and your heavenly Father, and to make him known, to see him glorified, to make much of him. And then fourthly, verses nine and eleven throw light on what it is to abide in Christ: ‘As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.’ So the fourth way we abide in Christ is to never forget his love, to reflect on it, think about it, thank him for it.