Abiding in God
Last week we spoke about those who limp between two opinions, and today we speak about a similar topic, which is steadfastness in the Lord… how a person abides in God, and God in the person. The Lord said, “Abide in Me, and I in you” (Jn 15:4).
Abiding in God
The Lord said, “Abide in Me and I in you” (Jn 15:4),
and He gave an example of the branch abiding in the vine. This branch that abides in the vine is as though it is a part of it, not separated from it nor distant. Its sap and nectar flow within it, and it is nourished by them. It becomes one with it…
Without this abiding, a person’s spiritual life ends…
Like the branch that does not abide in the vine: “They gather them and throw them outside, and they wither, and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”
And abiding in the Lord Christ is abiding in His love…
In this the Lord says, “Abide in My love” (Jn 15:9). And the Apostle says, “God is love. He who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16).
The person who abides in Christ is a firm person who is not shaken.
His love never falls, no matter what obstacles exist—they cannot shake him. Therefore, the Apostle says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor 15:58).
There are people who do not abide in the Lord because of the environment or surroundings or external circumstances. But the firm people remain steadfast regardless of the reasons around them.
Our father Noah—his entire surrounding environment was very sinful, to the point that God flooded the whole world. But Noah remained steadfast in the Lord, even if it meant worshipping God alone.
Our fathers the martyrs and confessors—neither all the forces of temptation nor torture could shake or weaken them, and they remained steadfast in their faith. And for this, the Apostle Paul says:
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?… Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:35–39).
The person who abides in the love of God—no power can shake him.
But the one who excuses himself with external reasons is a weak person, because the external reasons were able to shake him. The strong does not shake…
Therefore Christ gave us the example of the house built on the rock, of which the Lord said that the rains fell, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on that house, and it did not fall because it was founded on the rock (Mt 7:25).
For this reason, the Lord says: “Abide in Me and I in you.”
It is not enough to know Christ; you must abide in Him.
And abide forever. For there are people who began the path with Christ and did not continue. Or they began in the Spirit and finished in the flesh. They were not steadfast. An example is the angel of the church of Ephesus who endured and had patience and labored for the Lord’s name and did not grow weary, but the Lord finally says to him:
“I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Rev 2).
Demas, the helper of the Apostle Paul in the missionary work, could not remain steadfast. Paul says about him, “Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world.”… There are people of this type—they leave their love for God, love the present world, and leave Paul and the ministry. But you, be steadfast and immovable…
The twelve disciples of Christ were praised by the Lord, saying:
“You are those who have continued with Me in My trials” (Lk 22:28).
He said this to them because many others did not remain with Him. Among them were those who went back and no longer walked with Him when He spoke about eating His Body and drinking His Blood (Jn 6:66), to the point that He said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life!”…
Among the steadfast also are the children of the beloved John, to whom he says in his first epistle: “I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one” (1 Jn 2:14).
Christ wants His children to be strong, steadfast, and victorious continually. These steadfast ones know their goal, and they fix their eyes on this goal. They do not sway between two paths, nor limp between two opinions. Rather as it was said of Christ, “He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem”…
This steadfast person—his goal is clear before him, and his path is clear before him. He does not rethink nor hesitate.
When the Lord Christ spoke about the last days, He perhaps also meant this steadfastness. For He said that in the last days Satan would be released a little from his prison to deceive the nations, and the great apostasy would occur, and if possible, even the elect would be deceived. But out of God’s mercy, He will shorten those days, for if they were not shortened, no one would be saved (Mt 24:22)… Serious words that require steadfastness.
The Church must establish her children strongly in the faith, so that when Satan is released from his prison and the days of apostasy come, the Church remains steadfast.
For in those days Satan will work with all power, with signs and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception in those who perish (2 Thess 2:9–10).
And as Christ said to His disciples: Satan is about to sift you… “Therefore, be steadfast and immovable.”
There are people who do not remain steadfast because their nature is hesitation or instability, or because their nature is weak and lacking firmness…
They are people who cannot endure resistance for a long time… One of them might resist sin for a day, or two, or several days, or months… then he grows weary and surrenders. He is not steadfast; his nature is not firm, not strong… or hesitant and unstable—never remaining in one state… failing quickly, despairing quickly, and returning quickly…
The Lord wants us to be steadfast always, therefore He said:
“He who endures to the end shall be saved” (Mt 24:13).
“…to the end” because spiritual life is not for a day or two, nor temporary exercises. Rather it is life—the entire lifetime. A person endures in it until the last moment. He who endures to the end is undoubtedly a steadfast person.
In the parable of the sower there are examples of steadfastness and lack of steadfastness.
There was seed that grew a little, but the thorns surrounded it and choked it. There was seed that had no root in the ground—its roots did not extend into the depths, so it quickly withered. There were seeds that did not remain: either because of external reasons or because the soil was not fit.
Good soil must produce good fruit. Bad fruit comes from bad soil.
Autumn winds do not shake the strong oak tree; they only drop the dry, dead leaves.
They cannot drop the steadfast branches nor even the green leaves, for in them is life that can resist loss. In the history of Bolshevism, when they said to Patriarch Sergius, “Bolshevism has destroyed Christianity,” he answered with his marvelous, deep expression:
“Bolshevism did not destroy Christianity, but it purified Christianity from nominal Christians.”…
“The dead fish are the ones that float on the surface of the water. But the living strong fish plow through the waves and resist the current.”
If we read the history of the Church, we would see mighty examples of the steadfast—
Those who overcame all the torture and cruelty of Nero and Diocletian and other human beasts. And who also overcame the doubts of philosophies and all opposing views, “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”…
But you—be steadfast and pay no attention to the wars of the devils.
It is possible that Satan may wage all his wars against you: he fights you with thoughts, fights you with desires, fights you with temptations, fights you with money, fame, pride; fights you with visible wars and others invisible; quick battles and others long-term… Yet in all this, he has no authority over you; for you have been given authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and all the power of the enemy… Therefore abide in the wars and be of strong heart…
The person who succeeds in the battle of steadfastness is the one who has made his goal God alone, and has no other goals except God.
He is the one who loves God for His own sake, not for His gifts. For the one who loves God’s gifts—if these gifts decrease, his relationship with God is shaken. If he fails an exam, or if a sick person of his is not healed, or if he falls into a trial, then his faith is shaken and he grows weary…
There are other factors the Holy Bible sets for abiding in God; we try to present them before us to derive the spiritual principles necessary for steadfastness in the Lord.
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Among the elements necessary for steadfastness is partaking of the Body and Blood of the Lord, for He says: “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him” (Jn 6:56).
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Among the means of steadfastness also is keeping the commandments and proper spiritual conduct. For the Lord says, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love” (Jn 15:10).
And as the Apostle John said about the Lord: “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 Jn 2:6). - An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – in Al-Keraza Magazine – Sixth Year (Issue Eight), 21-2-1975 A.D.
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