Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
John 6:56
How do you define the Christian life? My definition is as follows: the essence and totality of the Christian life is to abide in Jesus and for Him to abide in us. What does that mean? It means that we’re in Him and He’s in us. Nothing more and nothing less!
As mentioned before, Jesus used eating and drinking as a metaphor for believing. Those necessities indicate dependence. Why do you think God decided to have faith as the only condition for salvation? I believe the answer is simple: faith doesn’t look to itself. It isn’t man-centered. Rather, it looks to Jesus for everything and finds satisfaction in Him alone.
He said: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). We’re invited to come, eat, and drink, experiencing deep satisfaction. When we eat His flesh and drink His blood—believe in who He is and what He has accomplished and obtained—we abide in Him and He abides in us.
That reality is seen throughout the New Testament. Salvation is defined as being in Christ. For example: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). John wrote: “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11). Being “in his Son” is both a work of God and a life of faith.
In Corinthians we see that it’s God’s work: “And because of him [the Father] you are in Christ Jesus . . .” (1 Cor. 1:30). In Romans we read how we were grafted into Christ (see Rom. 11:17). This work of God is evidenced by our faith.
Ultimately, our abiding in Jesus and Him abiding in us are one and the same. Jesus gave the perfect illustration: “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” (John 15:5).
While it’s the Father who has united us to Jesus, we have an essential part in order to abide in Him. We are to daily live in the reality of His perfect righteousness (His flesh) and all-sufficient sacrifice (His blood). As we do so, we abide in Him and will experience His life within us. Indeed, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).
Jan Blonk
The Devotional Writer
www.amazon.com/author/janblonk
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