“Abide in Me,
and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the
vine, no more can you, except you abide in Me. I am the Vine, you are the
branches; He who abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit,
for without Me you can do nothing…. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in
you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:4-7).

The beloved
apostle John, who heard these farewell words from the lips of the Lord, also
spoke of them in his Epistle:“He who says he abides in Him ought himself also
so to walk, even as He walked…. Little children, abide in Him, that, when He
shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His
coming…. Whosoever abides in Him sins not” (1 John 2:6,28; 3:6).

What are we to
understand by the Lord’s words, “Abide in Me”? (1) They imply a walk in such
nearness to Christ that the soul delights in all His loveliness and moral
excellencies, and thus finds in Him its object and perfect pattern. (2) They
suppose a heart in communion with Christ, that delights to confide in Him and
learn of Him. (3) Above all, they imply a life lived under the influence of His
presence and realized by faith.

If a Christlike
man of God visited our home, would not his presence have a restraining
influence upon everyone in the home? We should probably be a little more
careful than usual of our words and ways. If this would be the effect of the
presence of a man of like passions with ourselves, what would be the effect of
the realized presence of Christ Himself? To walk in the consciousness that He
listens to our words, sees our every act, and reads our thoughts, is to walk
under the blessed influence of His presence and thus abide in Him.

The Scriptures
that exhort us to abide in Christ tell us also of the blessedness we shall
enjoy if we do abide in Him.

     By Abiding in Christ We

     Shall Bring Forth Fruit

The fruit in
this passage is not service or the exercise of gift, however important these
may be in their place. Rather, it is the expression of something of the
loveliness of Christ—the reproduction of His own character— in our lives (see
Gal. 5:22,23, “the fruit of the Spirit”). Any little setting forth of the
graces of Christ goes up as fruit to the Father, and goes out as testimony to
the world. We shall never exhibit the character of Christ by simply trying to
be like Christ. If, however, we seek His company and come under His influence
by abiding in Him, we shall be changed into His image from glory to glory (2
Cor. 3:18).

    By Abiding in Christ Our

    Prayers Will Be Answered

If we are under
the blessed influence of His presence, with His words abiding in our hearts,
our thoughts will be formed by His thoughts and our prayers will be in accord
with His mind. Thus praying, we will have answers to our prayers.

     By Abiding in Christ We

     Will Walk As He Walked

How did Christ
walk? Of Him we read, “Christ pleased not Himself” (Rom. 15:3). And the Lord
could say, “I do always those things that please Him [that is, the Father]”
(John 8:29). This is the perfect pattern for the believer’s walk, just as the
apostle Paul exhorts believers to “walk in love, as Christ also has loved us”
(Eph. 5:2). The outstanding marks of the Lord’s path were the entire absence of
self-will in doing the Father’s will, and the serving of others in love. For
us, it is possible to tread such a path only as we abide in Christ.

We may know the
doctrines of Christianity; we may rightly hold the great essential truths of
our faith. But, as another has said, “No amount of knowledge, however correct,
no amount of intelligence, however exact, will ever put upon your soul the
impress of the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ.” If we are to wear the impress of
Christ, we must be in His company and walk with Him. Every man is formed by the
company that he keeps:the character of the one in whose company we walk is the
character we shall reflect. We must abide in Christ and thus walk with
Christ if we are to be like Christ and walk as He walked.

     By Abiding in Christ We

      Shall Not Be Ashamed

Often our walk,
ways, speech, and manners may be acceptable according to human standards. But
if we were to judge ourselves, our words, and our ways in the light of the
coming glory of the appearing of Christ, would we not find much that we would
have to condemn, and confess with shame as far short of the standard of glory?
Only as we abide in Christ, walking in self-judgment, will we be preserved from
all that would cause shame in the day of glory.

      By Abiding in Christ

          We Do Not Sin

“Sin is
lawlessness” (1 John 3:4 JND), that is, the essence of sin is doing one’s own
will without reference to God or man. The world around is increasingly marked
by lawlessness—everyone doing what is right in his own eyes. How are we to
escape the evil principle of lawlessness and self-will? Only by abiding in
Christ, for “whosoever abides in Him sins not” (1 John 3:6). Only as we are
held under the influence of the One who could say, “I came … not to do Mine
own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38) shall we escape the
self-will that is the very essence of sin.

These, then,
are the blessed results of abiding in Christ.