All this ease of fully abiding in Christ like a vine, and the Holy Spirit will simply produce His fruit in our lives effortlessly, doesn’t mean we’re off the hook for our part. Jesus doesn’t force us to abide (or remain) in Him.
Abiding is kind of like riding a horse. The horse will be moving, and its movement is dynamic, requiring a person’s coordination and effort to remain on its back and to work with the horse. It’s not like sitting on a chair which is static. A chair just sits there, and you sit on it. It doesn’t go anywhere or do anything. Hold that thought.
A pastor I know sent out a “Friday Update” in which he had this statement:
Mike’s Friday update: “After following Christ for ten years, many fail to see much change. Why? Because all they’ve done is repeat ‘year one’ ten times. Spiritual growth requires more discipline and sacrifice than most expect (or are willing to give). Reading the New Testament – e.g., 1 Cor. 9:27 –suggests that our options are limited. We face the pain of the disciplines we choose (prayer, sacrifice, etc.) or we live in the malaise of spiritual immaturity.”
There is engagement as a whole body activity in riding a horse. Not so with riding a chair. Is your spiritual growth a repeating of ‘year one’, more like riding a chair?
With a horse (abiding like riding), we have a living animal and in the Body of Christ we have a living organism called the Church, even in our prior vine and branches analogy. With a chair, it’s just an object. Are you interacting with the organic living church or content to sit in a pew or a chair and just go through the motions?
With a horse, it takes balance, skill, coordination, and accepting of risk of life to interact, remaining a rider instead of a faller or someone who never even tries. With a chair, even a mannequin can sit on a chair. Living is not required. Even if one were to name that mannequin “Christian”…it’s still not alive by name alone.
Riding a horse can also have a purpose of work or pleasure. Not with a chair. Sitting on a chair is a passive, stable activity focused on comfort or utility which is the sole purpose of a chair. Repeating ‘year one’ of spiritual life ten times is a stable, reliable activity, but it’s one missing out on life’s exciting purpose and fruit-bearing to God’s glory.
“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:9-10)
Abiding is like riding, with effort and skill and living with purpose. Interacting with a living organism–the Church! When you’re abiding like riding, it is a fruit-bearing life.