In John 15 when Christ says "abide in me..." should we see that as Law or Gospel? | Ask Theocast

Hi, this is Jon, and today I'm answering Aaron's question. He asked, in John 15, when Christ says, abide in me, should we see this as law or gospel? And that's a great question. I think we can feel like it's law because it sounds like a command to do something, to abide.

Abiding in Christ as Rest Rather Than Self-Effort

And when we've heard some people interpret this passage, they mean to say that abiding is two particular actions, which is reading your Bible and praying, and that those lead to abiding. Abide literally means to rest in, to reside, to live within, so we abide in a home.

And I think what, in this context, Jesus is dealing with his disciples in the upper room. It's the last words he's giving them before he goes to the garden and he's going to be crucified. And there he's completing all of his teaching.

He's told them that he is the door, that he is the good shepherd, meaning that the entry into the father, into the relationship with the father, comes through Jesus Christ. And that he is the one that, he's the good shepherd.

He's the one that leads them. And he's, in his entire ministry, he's been pushing all of his followers, those who are listening to him, that faith in him is the way in which we enter into this relationship and have our sins forgiven.

I've come to seek and to save that which is lost. I've not come to the righteous, but the unrighteous. I've not come to the healthy, but the sick. To what? To restore them. In this verse, in this context of John 15, Jesus says that if we abide in him, he will produce in us good works.

The New Covenant Promise of a Changed Heart

Abiding in that context has to be seen in everything that Christ has said. And that being trusting Christ to be sufficient, to not only to be our savior, but also our sustainer and the one who will produce in us the good works is the promise of the new covenant that our heart of stone will be pulled out, our heart of flesh will be put in us.

And Paul literally uses the same language when he says, if we walk by the spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. I think that is the same picture, a different way of saying abiding in Christ.

So if we live every day, trusting in the promises of Christ that we have been adopted, we have been set free, we've been cleansed, there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ, meaning that we are trusting in Christ to be the sufficient substitute in our place.

Abiding as a Command of Faith, Not Law

That I think is what he's meaning. It's not necessarily the command of action as it is a command of faith. That if we trust in Christ, that all of our beings is not trusting in our righteousness, is not trusting in the law, our obedience to the law, but we are trusting in Christ's righteousness.

We're trusting in his obedience. We're trusting in him being our substitute on the cross instead of us paying for our sins, resting in that, trusting in that, living in that reality. That's what it means to abide.

So I would say it's a good news. It's a gospel. It's a come, come unto me. All you are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Come abide, come rest inside of me and my works and my accomplishments. I think that's what he means.

Comfort in Christ's Finished Work

So it's a great question. That passage should lead us to comfort, to know that it is God is the one who's doing the work and we rest in that and that God works through us through the power of the spirit as we rest and abide in Christ.

Hopefully that was helpful. Keep sending us your questions.