True disciples abide in the words of Jesus
Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples” (John 8:31)
Do you want to be a real disciple of Jesus? That is, do you want to be an authentic Christian, rather than a Christian in name only? Do you want to have an assurance that your sins are forgiven and you have eternal life?
According to this verse that is not possible unless you abide in his word. Jesus says if you abide in his word, you are truly his disciple. That means if you do not abide in his Word, you are not his disciple. Can someone who is not a disciple of Jesus legitimately call himself a Christian?
Abiding
Webster’s dictionary defines abide as: “to remain stable or fixed in a state,” “to continue in a place.”
My wife and I have been living in the same apartment since 2009. We are staying; we are remaining; we are abiding.
If over the course of his childhood a boy listens closely to his father and learns eight important life maxims from him, and he lives by those truths all the days of his life, he is abiding in his father’s word.
More than 35 years ago I learned from an author named Haddon Robinson a method of studying the Bible and developing a biblical sermon that I still use today. I am abiding in Haddon’s method.
Abiding in the words of Jesus means reading or listening to them, learning them, and learning to obey them.
Many people are willing to assent to the truths about Jesus, but they do not take his words seriously. They are not intent on changing their life to obey him. They are not intent on surrendering their will to him. They are not intent on sincerely repenting of sin. They are not growing in heartfelt love for him.
Others have some desire to follow Jesus, but they are casual and lazy about the words of Jesus. They scarcely read the Bible. They do not go to church to hear sermons. Or if they listen to sermons or read the Bible, they do not put the words into practice.
At the feet of Jesus
Luke 10:38–42 says, “Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’”
Mary was an avid listener. She was abiding in the words of Jesus. Jesus said such listening “is necessary.”
You do the same thing today when you read the Bible and attend church. You should do so consistently. You should abide in the Bible, in church meetings, and smaller Bible studies.
You do the same as Mary when you abide in the word daily and weekly, not just once or twice a month. If you are reading the Bible or attending church just now and then, it is hard to make the case that you are abiding in the words of Jesus, that you are taking them as seriously as you take your daily meals.
To lose interest in God’s words is to have lost interest in him. On the human plane, if one has no interest in hearing someone else’s words, then it is obvious there is no affection and no desire to know the other person.
What about people who are illiterate or have some other factor that keeps them from being able to read or hear the Bible?
Well, we are not saved by reading the Bible or going to church; we are saved through faith in Christ and his atoning work on our behalf on the cross. God holds us accountable for what we know and what we are able to do.
True faith results in an abiding focus on the Lord’s words
Even if you have read the Bible cover to cover before, interpreting and applying the Bible is a lifelong project. You cannot read it once and know it. Interpreting and applying the Bible is a pursuit deeper and wider than exploring all the oceans of the world.
Memorize and meditate on the Scriptures. Read books and commentaries on Scripture. Listen to sermon podcasts. Talk about it with others who take the Bible seriously.
Still, abiding in the words of Jesus is about more than interpreting and applying them; it is about fellowshipping with God through his words, knowing his presence, and experiencing him speaking to you through his written words. Abiding in the Scriptures is about having your faith in his promises strengthened more and more.
Living faith (see James 2:17) in Jesus is the kind of faith that sincerely believes in and receives him for who he is: one’s Lord and God. To believe in him as Lord and God and at the same time to ignore and unrepentantly disobey his words is hypocrisy and self-deception. It denies the claim that one has saving faith.