Abiding in Christ is very simple to understand. Here is an illustration that I have used before to explain how abiding works:
Let's say you were all alone drowning in rough seas. A captain of a nearby boat sees you struggling, rushes over, and pulls you out of the water. He then gives you a change of clothes and allows you stay in his personal quarters, eating from his own table, for the remainder of the voyage. He then tells you to stay at His side and to avoid going out on deck because there is always the risk that the waves could pull you back into the water where you might drown.
You are now faced with three options:
#1. trust the Captain and stay inside the boat, no self effort involved
#2. ignore the Captain, and jump back into dangerous waters
#3. flirt with disaster by going on deck on hoping that, if you do fall in, the captain will be there to rescue you once again
Now, common sense tells you that the easiest and safest option is to stay with the captain inside the boat. Biblical faith works similarly. Jesus saves us and accepts us into His Presence. He then warns us to avoid temptation because to indulge in sin is to venture outside of His Presence:
"But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin." ~ 1 John 3:5
However, in regards to salvation, most believers choose the equivalent of option three. They go about living their lives with little regard to what the Bible says, hoping that God will bail them out in times of trouble. To them, God is nothing more than a life preserver, only needed in an emergency.
True, biblical faith not only saves us but also sanctifies us. One need not do anything to remain saved and sanctified but rest in Him by placing all trust in Him and what He teaches. It's when we take our fate into our own hands and follow after the desires of our flesh that we stumble outside of faith and into sin.
Let's say you were all alone drowning in rough seas. A captain of a nearby boat sees you struggling, rushes over, and pulls you out of the water. He then gives you a change of clothes and allows you stay in his personal quarters, eating from his own table, for the remainder of the voyage. He then tells you to stay at His side and to avoid going out on deck because there is always the risk that the waves could pull you back into the water where you might drown.
You are now faced with three options:
#1. trust the Captain and stay inside the boat, no self effort involved
#2. ignore the Captain, and jump back into dangerous waters
#3. flirt with disaster by going on deck on hoping that, if you do fall in, the captain will be there to rescue you once again
Now, common sense tells you that the easiest and safest option is to stay with the captain inside the boat. Biblical faith works similarly. Jesus saves us and accepts us into His Presence. He then warns us to avoid temptation because to indulge in sin is to venture outside of His Presence:
"But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin." ~ 1 John 3:5
However, in regards to salvation, most believers choose the equivalent of option three. They go about living their lives with little regard to what the Bible says, hoping that God will bail them out in times of trouble. To them, God is nothing more than a life preserver, only needed in an emergency.
True, biblical faith not only saves us but also sanctifies us. One need not do anything to remain saved and sanctified but rest in Him by placing all trust in Him and what He teaches. It's when we take our fate into our own hands and follow after the desires of our flesh that we stumble outside of faith and into sin.
Last edited:
