Taking a Closer Look at Abiding in 1 John 2:6

      What does it mean to abide in the Lord?  For me this has been ongoing.   I like 1 Corinthians 1:30  because it presents an astounding fact about  this:  Of God are you IN Christ Jesus.  And based on that, we should stay there, but we’re probably more out than we’re in.  One time at a conference I heard a brother talk about abiding in an unusual way that made most of the audience chuckle.  He stretched the word out to show how long our being out of the Lord looked like, and the ins were really short at first, and then gradually the outs grew shorter and the ins longer sounding.   

   As I’ve been reading the Life-Study of 1 John, I’ve been learning about  abiding because John speaks extensively on this truth in his First Epistle.  Sometimes I’ve had  to read some of the paragraphs a few times just to let the truth soak in. Today I took notes from my reading to help me focus on it.  

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk even as that One walked.  1 John 2:6

   In chapter 16 and on page 138 Witness Lee gives a clear explanation on  abiding:

To be in Christ is the start of the Christian life.  That was God’s doing once for all (1 Cor 1:30).  To abide in him is the continuation of the Christian life.  This is our responsibility in our daily walk, a walk which is a copy of Christ’s walk on earth (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of 1 John. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1983, Print). 

   In chapter 23 where he speaks a lot on how the anointing teaches us to abide in the Lord, he gives the Greek meaning for abide on page 201:  The Greek word translated “abide” is meno, a word that means to stay (in a given place, state, relation, or expectancy);  hence, abide, remain, and dwell.   In chapter 16 he explains on page 136-138 what this abiding looks like because people should be able to tell that we are dwelling in God by our living.  He says that because we have Christ living within us, we not only have Christ’s life but also His holy nature.  And because of that there are certain things that we cannot do.   

I enjoy listening to live excerpts and the commentary on these Life-Studies on the  Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee while I'm cooking, cleaning, and typing.   

Other Posts on 1, 2, 3 John and Jude:

What Does the Greek Word for Fellowship Mean in 1 John 1:3?
What Does 1 John 1:8 Show Us About Sin?
The Promise in 1 John 1:9
What is the Anointing in 1 John 2:27?
Taking a Closer Look at Abiding in 1 John 2:26
God's Love in 1 John 4 Seen in the Life of John Newton
What is the Key to Overcoming in 1 John 5:4?
Touching Account From Church History on the Apostle John