What does it mean to abide?
If you’ve read John 15, you’ve probably asked this question. Or maybe your translation says “remain” instead of “abide.” What does it mean to “remain” in God?
If we look at this question from a theological standpoint, it honestly seems a bit silly–because God is always with us. You may have heard of God’s omnipresence. This is the idea that God is always everywhere all the time. It’s a mysterious aspect of God’s character. So the instruction of Jesus in John 15:4 is a bit redundant for us, as God is always with us. Jesus even says it himself as we keep reading, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you” (John 15:4, emphasis mine). God is always with us; we obviously remain in him.
Case closed.
Well, no, not really, because if we keep reading Jesus says, “If you do not remain in me” (John 15:6). These words would suggest we do have some responsibility in this whole idea of “abiding.” Sure, God is always with us. There’s far more scriptural evidence for this than we have time to get into today. But are we always with God? This verse might make more sense if we read it as, “If you depart from me” as our created state and the longing of our hearts is to remain. Abiding, then, is less about state or physical proximity as it is about choice.
If you look up the definition for “abide” you’ll see a few descriptions:
- Dwell, or remain. This is more of the physical state; living, staying without fading.
- Accept, more like agreeing with or following. This is where the choice comes in; it’s obedience, respecting without rejecting.
God always remains with us; we choose to remain in him. We choose to dwell with him. We choose to agree with him about who he says we are. This is abiding. In two words, it’s choosing God.
Continuing on in John 15, we learn how to abide or remain. And it’s darn simple:
- “If you remain in me and my words remain in you” (John 15:7)
- “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love” (John 15:10)
Reading the Word of God and then doing what it says is how we answer God’s invitation to remain in him. It’s how we abide.
Simple. Maybe boring. But clear.
But before you are tempted to think I’m telling you to submit blindly to what Scripture says (without proper interpretation this is one of the most dangerous things you could do), hear me clearly: remaining in God or abiding in God is less about what you do and more about your identity. If you are tempted to think otherwise, focus specifically on that second definition of abide. Accept who God made you. Agree with what God says about you. Read and study the Bible to learn who God is, what he says about himself, who you are, and what he says about you. Then, after a few years of reading scripture through this lens (yes, years), you can begin to focus more on the commands.
Don’t skip John 15:7 and begin your journey to abide with John 15:10.
This is a topic I am so passionate about, because it’s so often misunderstood and very much underutilized. I would love to spend hours, days, and even months teaching you more about this beautiful invitation from God. Unfortunately, neither you nor I have time. But I do have three resources that might help you abide.
1. Abide Conference 2025
Cyndi Staudt (walkingthewalkministries.com) and I have teamed up once again to bring a day of abiding to central Florida! Last year’s event was beyond what we could have expected; the “immeasurably more” than all we could ask or imagine that Paul writes about in Ephesians 3.
This year, we’re exploring four invitations of Jesus in the book of John:
- Come and See: Before he asks anything of us, Jesus gently invites us to be with him. Even before we believe, he invites us to dwell in his presence.
- Come and Be Known: Before we trust him, Jesus invites us to be fully known by him. Even before we choose him, he chooses us with love and without shame.
- Come and Rest: Before we know what we need, Jesus leads us with care. Even before we ask, he prepares a place of peace for us.
- Come Out: As we abide in him, Jesus invites us to rise out of the grave of fear, shame, and doubt. Even today, he invites us to a life of freedom, wholeness, and purpose in him.
With powerful teaching, guided group discussion, and creative worship elements, you’ll leave the Abide Conference feeling inspired and equipped with practical steps for your faith journey. Learn more and register for the Abide Conference on September 13.
2. Abide Conference 2024
Can’t come to this year’s conference? Grab the recordings from last year’s event where we dove deep into our identity, the foundation of abiding:
- Be: Who am I? What is my purpose?
- Behold: Who is God? What is the invitation to abide?
- Believe: What is God’s truth about me? How does abiding help me hold on to God’s truth?
- Become: What is my next step? Who is God calling me to become in this season?
Download last year’s audio recordings and listen as many times as you want. Hear from four distinct voices on what it means to abide.
3. guide to abide
The guide to abide is a free 5-day devotional workbook that explores different ways you can connect with God and learn what it means to “abide in Christ.” Each day focuses on a different aspect of a thriving devotional life! Begin by exploring the presence of God, prayer, and worship, setting aside your previous assumptions to think about them in a new way. Then dive into Scripture and Sabbath, and see how these aspects of faith draw you in to dwell with Holy Spirit.
The guide to abide was created as a result of frustration and dissatisfaction in my faith. I heard the way other people talked about intimacy with God and a thriving relationship with Holy Spirit, but I didn’t have that. I was doing all the things I was taught to do in my faith, but something was missing. And even though I had a daily devotional routine, something about it didn’t quite fit me.
I knew there was something more. And I wanted it. If you’ve ever felt this way, this guide to abide is for you. It’s not prescriptive and it won’t solve all your problems, but it’s a great starting point to develop a devotional routine that allows you to connect with God in the way you were created to.
Notice how everything comes back to identity?
That’s the secret of abiding: identity.
You were created to abide, to remain in God’s love and be with God. I promise it’s far more simple than it seems. It’s no trick or divine conspiracy theory. Since Genesis 3, God has been creating more and more ways for us to be with him. It should not be hard to dwell with God; if it is, you may be overthinking it or you may have gotten some really bad advice and it’s time to unlearn it.
Let’s abide together.