“The love one has for other believers will demonstrate the fact that one is indwelt by God” (Akin, 1, 2, 3 John, p. 182).

Daniel Akin wrote an excellent commentary on how Christians must make God’s invisible love known to the world. However, once I got to this sentence about 1 John 4:12, I started to wonder how he came to this further conclusion. 1 John 4:12 says, “No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.” Does loving others really prove that we are saved? What does John mean when he uses the word “abide,” and how does that change how we think and act? This is a topic that has really fascinated me recently and has impacted my life personally. I can’t wait to dig in and show you what I have learned over the past few months.

When John uses the word “abide,” he uses the original Greek word, menō (μένω). Other possible English translations are “to remain,” “to stay,” or “to reside.” John 14:17 captures this when Jesus teaches, “the Spirit of truth…you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you” (John 14:17). The Holy Spirit abides in us as believers. He stays in us. He influences our actions and promises to be with us in the good and the bad, in our faithfulness and sin. We will talk later about how we are to abide in Christ, but the Holy Spirit sets the perfect example of abiding because He will never leave us nor forsake us.

John 15 is the turning point for this word that John loves so much. Before John 15, the apostle John usually uses “abide” when Jesus is talking to unbelievers. For example, John 6:56 uses the word about the bread of life. Jesus explains that whoever “eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in me.” In other words, whoever believes in Jesus abides in Him. This is a one-time event resulting from simply accepting Jesus’ gift of eternal life. Alternatively, in John 15 and into 1 John, the apostle John commands the disciples and other believers to abide in Him. No longer is Jesus using “abide” as a message to unbelievers but as a critical teaching to people who have already accepted the Gospel.

One major reason for this is because of the audience. Jesus speaks to His disciples in John 15, and John writes to “my little children” in 1, 2, and 3 John. Both recipients have already accepted Jesus as their Savior. After a quick look at John 15, you can see that Jesus calls His disciples “branches.” Jesus’ command to abide is not a prerequisite to becoming a branch but a command for current branches to follow. In John’s epistles, he refers to his recipients as “brothers,” “little children,” and “beloved” countless times. These are hardly terms to use for an unbeliever! Since both Jesus and John were teaching to a group of believers, we can safely conclude that abiding is not a test to prove salvation but a call to a deeper walk with Christ. Let’s continue to look at how this plays out in the Christian life.

As believers, Scripture urges us to abide in many things. The Word of God should abide in us according to John 15:7. In that verse, Jesus also tells us to abide in Him. I cannot discuss 1 John 2:24 thoroughly in this article, but it encourages believers to abide in their assurance of salvation. One area that I do want to focus on here is the encouragement to abide in God’s love.

John 15:9-10 states:

Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

Yes, I know that we have heard that Jesus loves us. However, do we abide in this truth?

Do we write this down and dwell on it? Read those two verses one more time. Write them on a note card. Jesus loves us with the perfect love He received from His Father. 1 John 3:16-18 continues Jesus’ teaching. We remember John 3:16 for good reason, but do we remember 1 John 3:16? “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” When we abide in Jesus’ love, that He sacrificed Himself for us, love flows into our actions. This is not some truth to guilt us into serving others. Rather, we can joyfully remain in God’s love and let that influence our actions.

This brings us back to 1 John 4:12, just one chapter after 1 John 3:16: “If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.” When we love one another, it shows that we have been abiding in God and letting His love abide in us. Rather than serving as an indicator of salvation, a loving heart reveals what we are dwelling on and allows God’s love to be shown through His children. I hope this article gave you a clearer understanding of John’s writings when he uses the word “abide.” Remember, theology is useless if it only stops in our heads. Abide in God’s love, dwell in it as often as possible, and let it naturally flow into your life and actions.

Send your questions or comments to Gabe.