What Does 1 John 2:6 Mean?

the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

1 John 2:6(NASB)

Verse of the Day

The ultimate fruit of the Spirit towards which all Christians are pressing is to be like Christ in His humanity - to live as He did, in total dependence upon His heavenly Father. To walk as He did.. in spirit and in truth - to do only those things that He heard from the Father. To live as God desires us to live is to learn in all things to rejoice and say: My bread is to do the will of My Father - so that no matter what we face in life we can say with Jesus.. Thy will not mine be done.

We are first called to abide in Christ for He is our heavenly Vine and we are the branches. It is only as we draw our life from the one Who is the true and living Vine that we can say and do those things that are pleasing to the Father. Jesus is the one and only life-giving Artery by Whom our new born-again life is energised.

God knows the importance of our abiding in Christ.. for without Him we can do nothing. Without His life flowing through us we are powerless to do anything that is of eternal value to the glory of God. And so before we can walk in His ways by faith.. and respond to His call to walk in spirit and truth - we are to abide in Him and He in us.

Every believer is positioned in Christ and we are all a part of His Body and accepted in the Beloved. Our salvation is by grace through faith in Him, but not every Christian abides in Christ.. which results in a carnal walk, a fleshly lifestyle and a wasted life that is influenced by the old sin nature rather than being enlivened by the new life in Christ.

A Christian that fails to abide in Christ becomes a worldly believer.. who lives a barren, unfruitful life and is of little value in the greater plans and purposes of God. Every Christian knows that we are called to 'abide in Christ'.. and the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as Jesus walked. Sadly not all Christians walk in spirit and truth but instead they live a barren, fleshly existence.

It is only as we abide in Him, rest in His love; trust His word and look to Him in all things that we can walk in His ways and bring forth much fruit to His praise and glory. It is only as we abide in Christ that we can walk as Jesus did. He lived his life looking to the Father moment by moment just as we are called to keep our eye looking to Jesus - the Author and Finisher of our faith

The beauty of the inner abiding in Christ as we surrender to His will, reflect on His word and hearken to the inner guidance of His Holy Spirit is that we will walk in His way - and receive the power to live as He lived. As we abide in Him we will be empowered by His Spirit to walk as He walked and become an outward expression of the indwelling Spirit of Christ.

Although He was fully God, Jesus was also fully Man and we are called to be like Christ in His humanity - walking humbly before God. If we are walking as Jesus walked, in humbleness of heart.. in spirit and in truth .. we will only say and do those things that we hear from HIM, which will only be achieved as we first abide in Him and He in us..

My Prayer

Heavenly Father, how wonderful to know that Christ's example is one that we can all follow - and that if we long to walk as He walked, in dependence on You... only saying and doing those things that are pleasing in Your sight.. we too need to abide in Christ so that His life may empower us to bring forth much fruit to Your praise and glory, AMEN

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