“…to know the Lord, He must stay with us, and we must spend time with Him. In this vein, Jesus said, “Abide in me and I in you” (John 15:4). The Greek word “abide” refers to staying in the same place, condition, hope, or relationship…When the Lord dwells in our hearts, and when we reside in His, then we can bear abundant fruit for Him (John 15:4). Yet, this mutual indwelling is also the way that we can know Him with spiritual perception. Abiding is not a one-time or sporadic activity. It is a continuous state that fosters our growth in the knowledge of Christ. Such development requires that we spend time with Christ in prayer and devotion. The more we “perceive” Christ in this way, the more precious our moments with Christ are to us. Therefore, let us set aside time with the Lord each day that we might receive the blessings of getting to know Him as He stays with us.” (Fr. Basil)
“Mankind, into whom God breathed the spirit of life, is now intimately united to God, for God has taken the flesh of man permanently upon Himself. Our physical existence is united to God’s own being. As we meditate upon our physical existence, we understand that God has bestowed great honor on us – an incredible dignity! As if taking on our flesh were not enough, the apostle reminds us that Christ has “given us of His Spirit” (1 John 4:13). The Holy Spirit dwells in us and within the healing environment we call the Church, enabling us to know “that we abide in [Christ], and He in us” (vs. 13). Jesus Christ manifested His divinity in Jordan when He was baptized. He comes to us in the blessed waters of our own baptism, and in the mystery of holy communion. He even bore our flesh on the Cross, defeating death. How do we know this? “It is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth” (vs. 5:6).” (Dynamis 3/3/2021)
“The Greek philosopher, Socrates, famously said, “Know thyself.” Apart from Christ, such an effort would likely yield something less than the true self (though it certainly might raise many good questions). Christ does not say, “Know thyself.” Instead, He teaches us to know God (as He has revealed Himself in Christ). The reality of self-knowledge comes over time, I believe, with prayer, with worship, with a faithful abiding in the commandments of Christ, and through the practice of thanksgiving. In that straightforward pursuit of God, we slowly set aside our pretensions, our fears, our delusions – all that distracts us from knowing Christ. Over time, we allow Him to tell us the story of ourselves. It is a love story that began before we were formed in the womb and will continue without end.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“I write this to you about those who would deceive you; but the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that any one should teach you; as His anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie, just as it has taught you, abide in Him (1 Jn 2.20–29)…Knowledge of God, indeed knowledge itself, according to the scriptures and the saints, is not mere “knowledge about,” the abstract knowledge of information and rational propositions, devoid of living experience. Knowledge is primarily and essentially an existential union, a cleaving together of the spiritual man and the object of his knowledge.” (Fr. Thomas Hopko)
“To abide in this vine [John 15:1] is to abide in Christ and His Church. The figure of the vine and the branches shows (1) our union with Christ is intimate and real; (2) life flows from the vine to the branches—abiding in Christ is dynamic and vitalizing; and (3) the fruit we bear is both good works and mission…” (Orthodox Study Bible, John 15:1-6)
“The whole idea of abiding in Christ while He abides in us is...spiritual or even mystical. Abide is best understood as “remain with.” God doesn’t come and go in our lives. He carries on a permanent relationship with us because He is always there for us and in us. We sense His presence primarily through the work of the Holy Spirit, whose role it is to stand beside us and comfort us. It happens in our hearts and minds and is largely invisible. Yet, it is also what most accurately describes the most important aspect of our day-to-day life as Christians. As we abide in Christ, He nourishes us spiritually the same way a vine gives nourishment to its branches (John 15:16).” (Foundation Study Bible, 1 John 3:24)
“As if taking on our flesh were not enough, the apostle reminds us that Christ has “given us of His Spirit” (1 John 4:13). The Holy Spirit dwells in us and within the healing environment we call the Church, enabling us to know “that we abide in [Christ], and He in us.” (Dynamis 2/7/2018)
“He who abides in Him ought to himself also walk just as He walked (1 John 2:6) - abides in Him. Abiding is habitual obedience. It has the idea of settling down in Christ or resting in Him. It is evidenced by a life modeled after Christ.” (Foundation Study Bible, 1 John 2:6)
“We are God’s vineyard, charged with bearing fruit and offering “the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Heb 13:15). We are to abide in Him…To abide in Christ involves not only mental assent to the doctrine of the Incarnation. It is a sacramental union with Him, effected in baptism and nourished in the Eucharist." (OCPM 12/29/2017, Orthodox Study Bible, 1 John 2:24-27)
“Since God will not abide in man, or in our society against our will, we are permitted to live godlessly. It is His will that we invite Him under the roof of our soul, and into our cities - He will not barge in without an invitation…” (Fr. Vladimir Berzonsky)