Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 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.1
There is this concept that states the truth will set you free. There is the general concept we are set free, no longer slaves to a sinful nature, that we have a new nature, born again as Jesus said. Also there is this concept of a continued abiding in the truth which sets free. This makes sense, right? If we were changed over night would we need Him? bam! you are new, everything is perfect... God wants a relationship with us, a continuous one. Through this working out of our salvation we learn to abide in him, or to put another way, we learn to walk in the Spirit.
In truth, in our inner being we delight in the laws of God, in truth, in our unglorified body, sin still dwells. Our body and spirit are at war against each other, we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds; we do this by presenting our bodies, where sin lies, a living sacrifice. We then abide in Him, the truth, the word of God, to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Jesus is the Word of God, to abide in Jesus is to abide in His words. John speaks of this moving from a child to a young person in Christ, as knowing God with sins forgiven, to an abiding in the word and enduring, overcoming the enemy. The truth is this is a battle, of the mind, as we work out the inner being, we must believe, put away the old and its thinking, and put on the new by transformation or metamorphosis, the renewal of the mind into that which is true, to that in our inner being. This happens when we abide and endure in the truth.
The Law of Liberty states that if we look into truth like a mirror, it shows our true identity, when we endure in this truth, when we overcome, we are set free in the truth. Set free from the bad thinking of the old mind. We are to have the mind of Christ, to put to death the flesh, as this is our reasonable service or worship of God. This putting on the new is part of spiritual development. If you have ever seen a new believer have the desire to read the Bible, it is because our born again Spirit desires this abiding in the word, as it is bread of life, the living water, it restores our soul, renews our mind. Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”6 One can not endure or overcome if they do not have a strong foundation in Christ, in His love. The awesome thing of abiding in Him is that there is no height, depth, width to His love, it is an eternal, continuing, abiding in Him.
How do we know we are truly his disciples? if we abide in Him,
in His words, and endure in truth we are truly His disciples. This abiding reveals the truth to us and if we endure in this truth we will be set free. This implication is that this abiding in truth sets one free, this is the principle of the Law of Liberty; if we look and endure in truth we will experience liberty. This is what Paul writes of, "but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."7 This word for transformed is metamorphóō (from metá, "with, after, in company with" and morphóō, "changing form in keeping with inner reality") – properly, change from being with. This change is in keeping with inner reality and is in company with Him. We are changed by abiding in him. This change in inner reality comes when we believe, this is justification, "Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you." This change in inner reality is being worked out, "in company with Him," a continuous abiding in him that bears much fruit, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me."
Let It Be Jesus
There is this concept that states the truth will set you free. There is the general concept we are set free, no longer slaves to a sinful nature, that we have a new nature, born again as Jesus said. Also there is this concept of a continued abiding in the truth which sets free. This makes sense, right? If we were changed over night would we need Him? bam! you are new, everything is perfect... God wants a relationship with us, a continuous one. Through this working out of our salvation we learn to abide in him, or to put another way, we learn to walk in the Spirit.In truth, in our inner being we delight in the laws of God, in truth, in our unglorified body, sin still dwells. Our body and spirit are at war against each other, we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds; we do this by presenting our bodies, where sin lies, a living sacrifice. We then abide in Him, the truth, the word of God, to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Jesus is the Word of God, to abide in Jesus is to abide in His words. John speaks of this moving from a child to a young person in Christ, as knowing God with sins forgiven, to an abiding in the word and enduring, overcoming the enemy. The truth is this is a battle, of the mind, as we work out the inner being, we must believe, put away the old and its thinking, and put on the new by transformation or metamorphosis, the renewal of the mind into that which is true, to that in our inner being. This happens when we abide and endure in the truth.
The Law of Liberty states that if we look into truth like a mirror, it shows our true identity, when we endure in this truth, when we overcome, we are set free in the truth. Set free from the bad thinking of the old mind. We are to have the mind of Christ, to put to death the flesh, as this is our reasonable service or worship of God. This putting on the new is part of spiritual development. If you have ever seen a new believer have the desire to read the Bible, it is because our born again Spirit desires this abiding in the word, as it is bread of life, the living water, it restores our soul, renews our mind. Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”6 One can not endure or overcome if they do not have a strong foundation in Christ, in His love. The awesome thing of abiding in Him is that there is no height, depth, width to His love, it is an eternal, continuing, abiding in Him.
How do we know we are truly his disciples? if we abide in Him, in His words, and endure in truth we are truly His disciples. This abiding reveals the truth to us and if we endure in this truth we will be set free. This implication is that this abiding in truth sets one free, this is the principle of the Law of Liberty; if we look and endure in truth we will experience liberty. This is what Paul writes of, "but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."7 This word for transformed is metamorphóō (from metá, "with, after, in company with" and morphóō, "changing form in keeping with inner reality") – properly, change from being with. This change is in keeping with inner reality and is in company with Him. We are changed by abiding in him. This change in inner reality comes when we believe, this is justification, "Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you." This change in inner reality is being worked out, "in company with Him," a continuous abiding in him that bears much fruit, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me."
Let It Be Jesus