Abiding in Christ

Written by Allie Fadden

As Christians, the word abide is often commonplace in our conversations and teachings. In its familiarity, we move past it without much thought. We’ve heard John 15 time and again: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” If asked what it means to abide, could you give an answer? My guess is most of us would be quick to say Bible reading! Prayer! Church! And I wonder… in all this doing, are we missing the point? After all, before the first humans ever did a thing, their Creator spoke a declaration over them– these beings designed in His own glorious image– “Very good.” Very good. Already of worth. Already loved. Already enough.

It seems to me that in order to abide, we must first come to both a right view of God and a right view of ourselves. We may be tempted to jump into a whole lot of “doing” to get there. And yet, what if it is more simple than that? What if we simply sit with God, ask Him some questions, and pause to listen. Grab a pen and paper and let’s try it together:

God, what am I believing about you that is not true?

Pay attention to the very first thing you sense, whether it is a feeling, an image, or a word. Write it down. 

God, what am I believing about myself that is not true?

Again, write down the first thing you sense. Then ask, 

God, what do you want me to know about this?

Maybe God showed you a wrong belief you’ve been holding. Here we arrive at another Christian word we have become overly familiar with: confession. Our rote response is often, “I’m sorry.” But confession is not simply remorse; it is an acknowledgement. It is truth telling. Telling the truth brings the lie into the light, and the light brings transformation. Jamie Winship, in his book Living Fearless, puts it this way: “[Truth telling] activates repentance. Repentance is changing the way you think, turning and going a new way. God tells you the truth about who he really is, who you really are . . . God’s truth empowers you to believe in a new way, which leads to thinking in a new way, which leads to acting in a new way. This is transformation.”

Once our false beliefs have been brought into the light, we have the freedom to walk in the identity God has given us. We all find our identity in something– maybe a career, a team, a talent. Born out of our doing, these are false identities. Our true identity can only be given by the One who formed us, who knew our every moment before it came to pass (Psalm 139:13-16). It is who we are, not what we do. So grab your pen and paper again, and let’s ask.

God, what do YOU call me?

Write down the first thing that comes to mind. Then ask,

God, what do you want me to know about this?

Only now can we return to the idea in John 15 of bearing much fruit. Rather than allowing our doing to inform our being, our being informs our doing. When we walk boldly in our identity, God will overflow from us. John 7:37-38 says, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me” (MSG). Verse 39 goes on to tell us that these rivers of living water are the Holy Spirit– God’s own Spirit living in each of us, claiming us and equipping us. As we remove our false beliefs and replace them with what is true, loosen our grasp on our doing, and abide (be!), the Holy Spirit is free to move in truth and power.

Reader, my prayer is that this would be true for you: that you would meet with God, and he would transform you with his truth. I pray that you will recognize his voice as he speaks and notice the ways he is already loving you. May you be free to simply be.