After coming to Jesus and choosing to follow him there is another stage of relationship that He calls, “remaining in” Him. Once again it is not automatic. It is entered into by intent…by choice.
John the Apostle is the primary source for the ‘remain in me’ language in the New Testament. The upper room discourse in John 15 is the largest passage on the subject. The focus is on the illustration of the vine and the branches and the importance of the relationship between Jesus and his followers.
Is “remain in me” a warning that suggests that a person can lose their salvation? Remain or else? Does the command to remain in Jesus make the relationship one-sided in that the branch is being required to sustain the connection while the vine is passive? Remain by your own effort?
The old King James English is helpful here. It uses the word abide instead of remain. The meaning of the two words is very close but abide has a much more relational feel to it. It sounds more like the sustaining of a living arrangement or a family unit. Some other combinations that would be close in meaning would be; live in, stay close to, stay connected, and settle in. The intent seems to be the defining of a close life giving relationship that is productive.
The relational connection between Jesus and His followers has an organic basis. It is a life link. The branch can do nothing if it is severed from the vine. It’s source and sustaining host is the vine. So it is with the followers of Jesus. He is essential to us. Nothing of any value or lasting worth can be found outside of him. Life is the vine.
Let me tell you about what one person’s relational connection with Jesus is like. For me, remaining in Jesus is eminently desirable. It is the richest, deepest, most enjoyable relationship I have ever experienced. It is similar to companionship. He is always there. Not that I am always aware of Him. My human limitations don’t permit me to be aware of Him 100% of the time. I can get preoccupied with other people or activities and lose the sense of His presence. But as soon as I ‘surface’ into relational consciousness…He is there.
Many Christian believers speak of their faith in terms of a relationship. You don’t have to listen very long to figure out that what they are describing is not a relationship that is remotely similar to any other relationship. It is far too theoretical…too religiously correct.
It has become fashionable to speak of the Christian life as an intimate personal relationship with Jesus. When that is defined…it is apparent that few if any are actually describing something that resembles a real relationship with another person. Perhaps because it is the invisible God over all, it seems inappropriate to speak of our love for Him in the same kind of language we would use for other relationships. But when we are reluctant to do that, we lose a lot more than we gain.
The God of the Bible is a personal being. Created in His image, we have the capacity to love Him in all the same ways we experience love for each other. This is not a special “religious” relationship. It functions at all the same levels of personality and emotions that any other relationship between two people does. We must first insist that what we are calling a relationship is actually a relationship. Is there a real connection between two people? Second we must learn to talk about our relationship with Jesus in the same language that we use for all of our other relationships.
Getting down to specifics, here are some examples of what I am talking about:
•Jesus genuinely likes me. As Brendan Manning puts it, “Jesus is fond of me!”
There is no sense of him merely putting up with me. He looks forward to our times together as much or more than I do. The miracle of God being able to love all of his human children equally is breathtaking. I can’t understand it but I can enjoy it.
•Jesus knows everything about me and yet He stays. In spite of all the unholy thoughts and deeds he sees, He does not withdraw his affection. He knows that I am like a flower in its absolute dependency on the sun. With out his love I would wither and die…so He stays. Thank God, He stays!
•When I’m with Him, I’m drawn out to be my best. Somehow He brings out the best in me. My mind is sharper. My personality is more vivid. I feel like I’m functioning at a peak capacity level. I was created to live in splendid fellowship with my Lord and Savior. “He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own.”
•He is accessible. I could never expect to have personal contact with the celebrities of this earth. I’ll probably never have a personal conversation with a president of the United States for instance. But, incredibly, the top leader in the entire universe makes himself available whenever I want to be with Him! Availability generates affirmation and affection. I love Him because He first loved me and always will!
•There are deep feelings in real relationships. Loving Jesus, walking with Jesus, and staying close to Jesus all have the warm emotional connection that any love relationship can have. Emotions are measured by language that focuses on closeness or distance. At any given moment we “know” where we are in any specific relationship. Staying close at the heart level is as possible with Jesus as it is in a good marriage or a best friend relationship.