Abide

The Kingdom of God is best served when we are most abiding in Christ and relying fully on his grace.

I would have rolled my eyes at the simplicity of this three years ago, but sometimes the most beautiful and powerful truths are also the most simple.

I, for the longest time, witnessed a sort of comfortable, cheap grace, maybe even antinomian Christianity. Reacting against that, I sought after a sort of active Christianity that took our duties before God seriously. What I found, again and again, was a style of Christianity that often checked the “by faith alone” theological box while culturally placing works on the highest pedestal. I saw “true” abiding as, effectively, my good works; me working hard to serve God and build His kingdom. 

I recently read a passage from Andrew Murray, and he eloquently corrects this works-centric perspective better than I could. 

Dear souls! how little they know that the abiding in Christ is just meant for the weak, and so beautifully suited to their feebleness. It is not the doing of some great thing, and does not demand that we first lead a very holy and devoted life. No, it is simply weakness entrusting itself to a Mighty One to be kept--the unfaithful one casting self on One who is altogether trustworthy and true. Abiding in Him is not a work that we have to do as the condition for enjoying His salvation, but a consenting to let Him do all for us, and in us, and through us. It is a work He does for us--the fruit and the power of His redeeming love. Our part is simply to yield, to trust, and to wait for what He has engaged to perform.

It is this quiet expectation and confidence, resting on the word of Christ that in Him there is an abiding place prepared, which is so sadly wanting among Christians. They scarce take the time or the trouble to realize that when He says "Abide IN ME," He offers Himself, the Keeper of Israel that slumbers not nor sleeps, with all His power and love, as the living home of the soul, where the mighty influences of His grace will be stronger to keep than all their feebleness to lead astray. The idea they have of grace is this--that their conversion and pardon are God's work, but that now, in gratitude to God, it is their work to live as Christians, and follow Jesus. There is always the thought of a work that has to be done, and even though they pray for help, still the work is theirs. They fail continually, and become hopeless; and the despondency only increases the helplessness. No, wandering one; as it was Jesus who drew you when He spake "Come," so it is Jesus who keeps you when He says "Abide." The grace to come and the grace to abide are alike from Him alone. That word Come, heard, meditated on, accepted, was the cord of love that drew you nigh; that word Abide is even so the band with which He holds you fast and binds you to Himself. Let the soul but take time to listen to the voice of Jesus. "In me," He says, "is thy place--in my almighty arms. It is I who love thee so, who speak Abide in me; surely thou canst trust me." The voice of Jesus entering and dwelling in the soul cannot but call for the response: "Yes, Saviour, in Thee I can, I will abide."

Abide in me: These words are no law of Moses, demanding from the sinful what they cannot perform. They are the command of love, which is ever only a promise in a different shape. Think of this until all feeling of burden and fear and despair pass away, and the first thought that comes as you hear of abiding in Jesus be one of bright and joyous hope: it is for me, I know I shall enjoy it. You are not under the law, with its inexorable Do, but under grace, with its blessed Believe what Christ will do for you. And if the question be asked, "But surely there is something for us to do?" the answer is, "Our doing and working are but the fruit of Christ's work in us." It is when the soul becomes utterly passive, looking and resting on what Christ is to do, that its energies are stirred to their highest activity, and that we work most effectually because we know that He works in us. It is as we see in that word IN ME the mighty energies of love reaching out after us to have us and to hold us, that all the strength of our will is roused to abide in Him.

Now, the idea of abiding and resting in Christ is not a new one nor is it an idea I had forgotten... on paper. Rather, my heart needed reminding. Too often in my life, and I suspect in many others, we check theological boxes while in practice and heart we cultivate false doctrines. 

Friends, I want to be very clear. Cheap grace, easy-believism, antinomian Christianity is a serious error that needs correction and repentance. However, while we rightly strive to honor God in faithful obedience, we must also stay on the narrow path and not veer off into either works salvation doctrines or cultures. This is not as easy as affirming a solid confession or calling yourself “Gospel-centered,” but rather it is a constant struggle to remind ourselves that our works are not the standard, our works do not make us right with God, and our works do not ultimately preserve us. An anxious, strict, shaming culture that on paper affirms salvation by faith alone while at the same time placing heavy burdens on its members to functionally work for their acceptance before the community and before the Lord abandons the Gospel just as fully as the culture that does not rebuke sin, does not teach justice, and does not practice mercy. 

Far too often we have smuggled in different forms of works salvation into our theology. This can be obvious but it can also be very subtle. Do we shift from thinking in terms of being saved by faith alone to being saved by faithfulness alone? Do we redefine the definition of faith to include works, while scripture teaches us that saving faith is apart from works (Romans 3:28)? Is our understanding of law, works, faith, and gospel so fuzzy and pliable that these terms quickly become interchangeable with little regard for important distinctions? Has our worthy desire to teach the Law of God to a largely ignorant Christian culture driven us to novel understandings of justification that stress law and works?

Or perhaps, when discussing theology, you’re very clear and checking all the boxes? Perhaps your theology is neat and tidy, but in practice, your attitude and church culture is so focused on “building the kingdom” or good works that it’s easy to forget how we are saved? Or, perhaps, if someone is not working in the ways you like, you consider him lost? Has failing to affirm a long list of secondary and tertiary issues theological and social issues somehow become part of your list of excommunicable offenses? 

Yes, those who are in Christ will have fruit in keeping with their union with Christ, but the grace that saved us is the grace that keeps us. Anxiously working to prove our salvation to ourselves and to others is not joyfully loving God and loving others. Rather, it’s an attitude of self-abiding that only leads to despair or pride. Not only does failing to abide in Christ lead to believing a false gospel in our hearts, but it also neuters all of our self-powered attempts to build the Kingdom of God.