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. (ESV)

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (NIV)

A branch is not “free” when it is detached from the vine; it’s dying. 

Apart from the vine, the Christian life isn’t hard; it’s impossible. 

In Romans 9, Paul makes this profound point that the worst imaginable outcome for our lives is being cut off from Christ. He then says that the best possible outcome is being in Christ. Jesus is telling us the same thing in John 15. 

He doesn’t just stop at “come to me,” He says, “remain in me,” “be pruned by my Father,” and “you will bear much fruit.” 

Reminding us that the best possible outcome for our lives is being with Him.

This explains how I’ve come to discover that true freedom and flourishing aren’t found in independence; instead, they are found in being attached to that which I am most dependent on. Christ.

When we come to know Jesus, we’re grafted into His family. Grafting is the process by which a gardener joins a branch to a new one, allowing them to share the same life. They are made one. Spiritually, that’s what happens to us. We were cut off from God, but when we’re joined to Christ, His life begins to flow through us. We become part of something greater than ourselves. 

Now that you’ve come to Jesus. Don’t go back to where you were before, or try to prove your worthiness of being there in the first place. Don’t “individualize” your faith. It’s not just “you and Jesus.” It’s you in Him, and He in you, growing together in the body of Christ. You can’t do it on your own. We are one in Christ, and that’s where we’re meant to stay…to abide–forever. 

In the English language, to abide can mean both to “dwell, continue, or remain,” and also to “obey.” 

So simply put, abiding produces abiding. AKA remaining produces obeying. Remain in His love and His word, and let everything grow from it:

Love, joy, peace. Patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

A branch apart from the vine can do nothing. It’s just a branch. But in The Vine? All things are possible.

So, whatever keeps you from loving God more, do less of it. And whatever stirs your affection for God. Do more of it. This is how you remain. 

Written by Blake Stanley