1 John 2:24 24Let what you yourselves have heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.
The emphatic you yourselves marks John’s readers as different from the “liars” of the previous verses. One of the keywords of John’s writings is repeated three times in this verse, indicating the importance of the relationship of faith built on the foundation of proper understanding of the person and work of Jesus. Remain (menō) can be translated in different ways: abide, live, dwell, or inhabit. In a more metaphorical way, as John uses it, it represents a relationship of deep communion and personal awareness that comes in knowing someone. This type of relationship is developed over time and is built on the solid foundation of getting to know what the other person thinks and how that person responds in various situations.
What John’s readers heard from the beginning was the confession of Jesus as the divine Son of God and Lord over creation. Jesus is the Incarnate Word that became flesh (John 1:1-14; 1 John 1:1-4). This confession is more than a statement one makes with one’s mouth. It represents the decision of faith and purposeful obedience to Jesus’ commands. This awareness, mindset, and decision for the direction of one’s life brings one into a relationship with both the Son and the Father. God leaves the choice to us. Will we accept this message and experience it in our lives?
Abiding in the Son and Father expresses one of the most profound ideas in the Christian faith. It is a type of mysticism, but not like any other mysticism of the world’s religions. It is not a matter of passively emptying our minds so that nothing remains. To the contrary, it involves changing our thinking, removing the control of the world, and filling our minds with the things of God. But this is an active mysticism that engages the mind in obedience to Jesus’ commands and employs the body in acts of love. Abiding in the Triune God should compel us to service in the world and not retreat from it. It is a rejection of the world’s control and influence while embracing the world’s needs. We are “in the world but not of the world” (John 17:16). We are out in the world making a difference but not influenced by its views and values. The reason for this mission is that we are connected to a different power source and have found a new identity. Our value system is determined by a new relationship.