John 15, remaining in Christ, communion with Jesus, prayer, dependence, intimacy, and spiritual formation flowing from abiding.
Can a Christian Abide in Christ Without Feeling Spiritually Close to Him?
Yes. A Christian can continue abiding in Christ during a season when Christ does not feel emotionally near. Abiding depends on a real relationship of trust, Word, prayer, obedience, and…
Read the complete guide →Can a Christian Hear God Apart From Scripture?
Christians should distinguish between God’s unique, authoritative revelation in Scripture and the many ordinary ways He may guide His people through the Spirit’s work, wisdom, conscience, providence, counsel, and—in some…
Read the complete guide →Can a Lack of Visible Progress Mean a Christian Is Not Abiding?
A lack of visible progress can be a reason for honest self-examination, but it does not automatically mean a Christian is not abiding in Christ. Spiritual growth can be slow,…
Read the complete guide →Can a True Christian Fail to Abide Faithfully for a Season?
Yes. A true Christian can pass through a season of serious weakness, disobedience, distraction, fear, or spiritual drift. Scripture gives sobering examples of believers who failed badly and were restored.…
Read the complete guide →Can God Guide Christians Through Scripture Without Giving New Revelation?
Yes. Christians can be genuinely guided through Scripture without claiming that God is giving new revelation equal to the Bible. Scripture can shape judgment, expose motives, establish moral boundaries, renew…
Read the complete guide →Can Outward Obedience Exist Without Genuine Communion With Christ?
Yes. Outward obedience can exist without genuine communion with Christ. People can conform externally for reputation, fear, habit, culture, family pressure, self-righteousness, or desire for control. Scripture repeatedly warns that…
Read the complete guide →Can Repeated Sin Coexist With Genuine Abiding in Christ?
Repeated sin can be present in the life of a genuine Christian who is still growing, struggling, confessing, and fighting. But a settled, defended practice of sin that rejects repentance…
Read the complete guide →Can Seasons of Spiritual Dryness Coexist With Genuine Faith?
Yes. Seasons of spiritual dryness can coexist with genuine faith. A believer may feel little emotional warmth, struggle to concentrate in prayer, experience grief or exhaustion, or feel that God…
Read the complete guide →Can Serving in Church Become a Substitute for Abiding in Christ?
Yes. Serving in church can become a substitute for abiding in Christ when the activity gives a person spiritual identity, emotional reward, or a sense of righteousness while personal dependence…
Read the complete guide →Can Short Prayers Throughout the Day Help a Christian Remain in Christ?
Yes. Short prayers throughout the day can help a Christian remain consciously dependent on Christ, especially when they become honest responses to real situations rather than empty repetitions. They do…
Read the complete guide →Can Someone Claim to Love Jesus While Persistently Resisting His Commands?
A person can certainly say that he or she loves Jesus while persistently resisting His commands, but the New Testament teaches that such a claim should be examined seriously. Jesus…
Read the complete guide →Does Abiding in Christ Determine Salvation or Reveal the Reality of Faith?
Abiding in Christ should not be treated as a meritorious work by which a person earns salvation. At the same time, the New Testament does not treat perseverance, obedience, and…
Read the complete guide →Does Abiding in Christ Require Constant Devotional Activity Throughout the Day?
No. Abiding in Christ does not require a Christian to spend every waking minute reading the Bible, speaking a prayer, listening to worship music, or performing some other explicitly devotional…
Read the complete guide →Does Abiding in Christ Require Special Spiritual Experiences?
No. Abiding in Christ does not require special or extraordinary spiritual experiences. Jesus describes abiding through continuing dependence on Him, His words remaining in the disciple, prayer, obedience, love, joy,…
Read the complete guide →Does Abiding Require Constant Conscious Awareness of Jesus?
No. Abiding in Christ does not require a believer to maintain uninterrupted, conscious mental focus on Jesus every second of the day. Abiding is a continuing relationship of dependence, trust,…
Read the complete guide →Does Delayed Obedience Affect a Believer’s Enjoyment of Communion With Christ?
Yes. Knowingly delaying a clear act of obedience can diminish a believer’s enjoyment and openness in communion with Christ, because the disciple is resisting the very Lord whose fellowship he…
Read the complete guide →Does John 15:6 Teach That a Christian Can Lose Salvation?
John 15:6 clearly teaches that not abiding in Christ ends in judgment, but Christians disagree about whether the verse specifically teaches that a genuinely regenerated believer can lose salvation. The…
Read the complete guide →Does John 15:7 Promise That Every Prayer Request Will Be Granted?
John 15:7 is a sweeping promise, but it is not an unconditional guarantee that every desire a Christian can imagine will be granted exactly as requested. Jesus says, “If you…
Read the complete guide →Does More Christian Activity Always Mean More Spiritual Fruit?
No. More Christian activity does not always mean more spiritual fruit. Activity can express genuine fruit, but it can also be driven by fear, pride, habit, comparison, avoidance, or the…
Read the complete guide →Does Pruning in John 15 Always Mean Suffering?
No. Pruning in John 15 can involve painful experiences, but the image should not be reduced to a simple formula in which pruning always equals suffering. Jesus’ emphasis is the…
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