September 23, 2002
CYBERCOLUMN:
Abiding
___By Berry D. Simpson
___The word "abide" is one of my favorite Bible words because it describes our long-term relationship with God.
___I once did a word study on "abide" and learned it means to take up a permanent residence. It doesn't mean to camp out in the back yard or spend the night on a rollaway bed, but to move in and make your self at home. It means to put your books on the shelf and clothes in the drawers and toothbrush in the glass. I believe it's similar to what the Apostle Paul meant in Ephesians 3 when he wrote; "I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your heart." Abiding means Jesus making himself at home in our heart, permanently, and us making ourselves at home in God, permanently.
___In I John 4, theApostle John linked abiding with the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, with our confession of faith, and most strongly, with love. He wrote:
Berry D. Simpson
___"If we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us."
___"We know that we abide in him and he in us because he has given us his Spirit."
___"Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God."
___"The one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him."
___The pop-culture preachers of our present age tell us that God is already within us—the power of the universe is already inside us—and all we need to do is merely tap into the spiritual forces around us. It is theology based on wishful thinking, not on reality. People listen because they want to believe in their own self-sufficiency rather than on God.
___However, John tells us God doesn't naturally live inside us, but it is possible for him to do so. How do we know when it happens? God gives us the presence of his Holy Spirit in our lives—permanently, forever.
___John's use of the word "abide" is evidence for security of the believer, or as I learned growing up in a Baptist church, once-saved, always-saved. If God, through his Holy Spirit, moves into us to abide, to take up permanent residence, then he is there to stay, no matter what we do. To believe that our salvation is dependent on our performance means that God's Spirit must occasionally move out, or "non-abide" in us, whenever we fail to live up to expectations. I can imagine the Holy Spirit thinking: "That's it! Enough is enough!" and pack his bags and move out. For most of us, he would probably just live out of his suitcase, knowing that he'd be moving out any minute. Then, when we confess our sins and get our lives back in order, he would come back inside. There he'd be, jumping in the door, jumping out the door, jumping in the door, jumping out the door, every time we sin and every time we confess our sins. (Maybe I shouldn't say "our," but just say "my.")
___However, I don't believe it works that way. When he comes to abide in us, he abides to stay. He doesn't jump in and out, but takes up permanent residence.
___If having God abide in us is such a great deal, how do we go about making it happen? Or maybe a more correct way to ask it: How do we allow it to happen? Well, I John 4 says, "Whoever confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him." Not whoever joins God's church, or whoever keepd the rules, or whoever meets some secret criteria … but whoever confesses.
___The word "confess" implies a commitment. If someone confesses to a crime, he is revealing something about himself. He is making a commitment to his past behavior and future behavior. To confess that Jesus is the Son of God is to commit to his right of sovereignty, his place as moral ruler, his position of authority in our life, and his position as Savior (and thus, our position as someone who needs a Savior). If we are willing to make this confession—one-on-one—us and God, then God will abide in us.
___So then, if we confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in us. How can we be sure? (1) Because he has given us his Holy Spirit. (2) Our life will begin to mimic God's love. If God abides in us, his love will be perfected in us (a continual iterative process) … we will love one another with God-type love, and then people will behold and take notice of God because they see our love.
___Berry Simpson, a Sunday School teacher at First Baptist Church in Midland, is a petroleum engineer, writer, runner and member of the city council in Midland.
Get printer-friendly version of this story
Send this story to a friend
News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!/ Signup for FirstLook
