To Abide in Christ!

"Abiding in Christ" means to stay close to Him, it does not have to do with salvation.

Our position in Christ is secure when we trust Him and become born again. But "abiding" is dependent on our relationship based on our desire to seek Him and obey what He tells us.

We do not return to what we were before He changed us into the new creation, however we can silence the Holy Spirit by our resistance to His voice.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 "…18 Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not extinguish the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt,…"

There are many believers today who only seek God for their own will. They believe in Him and are born again, but are not willing to be trained by Him.

James 4:2-3 "…2 You crave what you do not have. You kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures. "

God is speaking to His children when He gave us the instruction in these passages.

We have children, they will always be our children, but our relationships with them is dependent on their desire to engage with us. Those who show little or no interest in their parents will probably not have a close relationship and even be estranged from them.

God says that He will not hear us if we regard sin in our hearts. We are not going to hear from God if we will not listen to Him. We listen to Him through His Word and promptings from the Holy Spirit.

If we desire and expect to have an abiding relationship with Christ we must seek Him and obey what He tells us.

Revelation 2:3-5 "…3 Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name. 4But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. 5 Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.…"

Again, God is speaking to believers in Christ who are born again and whose salvation is secure.