Abiding in Christ: A Study on John 15:1-8 (Verse 7)

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will 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.
 
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Verse 6 - If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 

Jesus says again that we need to remain in Him. We have to understand how important this is. We cannot expect God to answer our prayers if we are not abiding in His Son. God isn't satisfied with a little visit now and then. CEO (Christmas and Easter Only) "Christians" are not going to cut it. But then again, those who go to church and Sunday school and Bible studies regularly aren't necessarily abiding in Christ either. (Although, I think it's more likely than someone who doesn't make that same effort.) What matters is your heart and the fruit. By that I mean, if you are truly abiding in Christ, then your heart is going to change. And that change is going to affect how you live your life.

It's easy to say, "I'm a Christian." It's a lot harder to prove it.

Not only does Jesus say we have to remain in Him, but His words also need to remain in us. I think you can interpret "my words" as both the actual words Jesus spoke to His disciples and the Bible in its entirety. 

I am reminded of the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:  When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” 

I think this is a great example of the differences between merely hearing the word and allowing it to fully penetrate your heart. When we read the Bible with the intention of understanding it and being more like Christ, that is when it starts to abide in us.

James 1:21 says, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

God's word surely does not dwell in our hearts if we are not changed by it. If we can read the Bible and not be compelled to be more like Jesus, then we've missed the point.

The next part of the verse is a little more difficult to understand. Jesus says that if we abide in Him and His words in us, He will give us whatever we ask. It's difficult especially in light of "unanswered" prayers. We know that God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours. And He knows what is best for us. Also, in other verses, Jesus says, "Whatever you ask in my name..." So, even though He doesn't say that here, I believe that when we pray, we always have to do so according to the will of the Father. If the word truly lives in our hearts, then we're going to ask things according to His will. And if we ask according to God's will, He is going to answer our prayers.