Abiding in Christ as the Vine

In John 15 Christ speaks of the vine and its branches, where he is the vine and the disciples are the branches. Most of us are familiar with that figure, which emphasizes that faith is union with Christ. But there is another aspect of the figure that receives less attention: Jesus calls us to “abide” in him. A branch that abides in the vine remains connected to the vine. Apply the illustration to the reality: to abide in Christ is to stay in union with him, to remain in communion with him, to...