"He who says he abides in Him..."
Text: 1 John 2:6
THE TEACHING OF ABIDING
It was the Lord Jesus who taught His disciples the doctrine of “Abiding”. This lesson was carefully recorded in John 15. Three things were noted.
1. “Abide in Me” John 15:4-7
2. “My words abide in you” John 15:7
3. “Abide in My love” John 15:9-10
THE CLAIM OF ABIDING IN CHRIST
The Apostle John dealt with another claim. This one was a claim of abiding in Christ. The following text addresses this claim.
“He who says he abides in Him ought himself
also to walk just as He walked.”
1 John 2:6
1. “He who says he abides in Him”
a) John was dealing with a person who must have known this teaching of Jesus.
b) This person was doing two things:-
i) He was certainly speaking about “abiding in Him (Christ)”.
ii) He was implying that he was truly abiding in Christ.
2. “Ought himself also to walk”
a) John challenged this claim of abiding in Christ.
b) The person who claims knowledge must demonstrate this in his life.
c) Mere words prove nothing!
d) He must prove that he is truly walking in Christ even as he speaks about it.
e) The word “ought” must be noted carefully.
f) The person who speaks about abiding in Christ must of necessity “walk the talk”.
3. “Just as He walked”
a) That would be a great challenge to walk as the Lord Jesus walked.
b) Three things must stand out:-
i) To abide in Christ as He abode in the Father.
ii) To abide in the word as Christ abode in His Father’s word.
iii) To abide in Christ’s love as He abode in His Father’s love.