"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned."-John 15:5-6
Is abiding in Christ about your devotional life—about how well you are living the Christian life—your prayer, Bible reading, witnessing, generosity, bearing the fruit of the spirit, etc? Or, is it about your identity in Christ—about the simple fact that you are a true Christian? Jesus has done all the work to establish our identity and we never waver in the possession our identity. We all do waver in remembering our identity. This text declares that if a person doesn't abide in Christ, he is cut off and burned up. If abiding in Christ is not about your identity, then how low does God have to lower the standard for you to pass the test of abiding? If you are optimistic that you abide and think that abiding is not about identity, then compared to Jesus how well are you doing at obeying God? You are a failure just like I am. Let's be honest and get over ourselves. From beginning to end Christianity is all about seeing the finished work of Christ.
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