“And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.“
I John 3:24 KJV
Jesus loves us whether or not we obey His Word. However, in John 15:10 He said, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”
To abide means “to remain in one place or state; to continue.” If we abide in Christ’s love, we live our lives in a continual state of love, which is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). We love God. We love our neighbors. We love our friends. And we even love our enemies.
Luke 6:27 says, “But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you.”
That is also a commandment of God. And when we choose to honor God by obeying His Word and keeping His commandments, He allows us to abide in His love.
To dwell means “to live as a resident; to reside.” To “dwell in him” and to allow Christ to dwell in us is to permeate our very existence with Christ; Everything in life revolves around our Savior. His Word. His commandments. His will.
In John 14:23, Jesus said, “…If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
An abode is a dwelling place; a place where one resides. Is there anything greater than knowing that God Almighty, the Creator of all the universe, knows you personally and wants to reside with you?
Romans 5:5 says, “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
Because of God’s love, He has given His Spirit to His children that we might love others as He loves us. He has also given us commandments – divine rules – to live by. By obeying God’s commandments, we show Him that we love Him.
I John 5:3 says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” Grievous means to cause grief or suffering. God’s commandments were not intended to bring us hardship but to develop godly character and make us more like Him. So those individuals who keep God’s commandments dwell in Christ and Christ dwells in them.
I John 4:13 says, “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.”