The Gospel in Words: 'Abide'

"Abide in me, and I in you." (John 15:4)"Abide" has a number of definitions and senses and is used in a number of different ways in the scriptures. In the senses we will write about today, abide means to remain or to stay without going away; to stay habitually in a place; to remain in residence, to reside, to dwell. It can also mean to continue or persist in some state or action; to continue in existence, endure, to stand firm or sure, to remain steadfast. In a slightly different sense, abide can mean to await submissively or patiently (Oxford English Dictionary).The root of the word abide means to trust or persuade. In that sense, abide means to await trustingly (The Roots of English). Some other words that come from the same root are faith, affidavit, confide and fidelity.Among the most beautiful uses of abide are some found in St. John. The Savior teaches "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness" (John 12:46). Also, "if you love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive … but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" (John 14:15-17).Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught the concept of "Abide in Me" in April 2004 general conference. "Christ said, 'I am the true vine, and … ye are the branches.' 'Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.' 'Abide in me' is an understandable and beautiful enough concept in the elegant English of the King James Bible, but 'abide' is not a word we use much anymore. So I gained even more appreciation for this admonition from the Lord when I was introduced to the translation of this passage in another language. In Spanish that familiar phrase is rendered 'permaneced en mi.' Like the English verb 'abide,' permanecer means 'to remain, to stay,' but even gringos like me can hear the root cognate there of 'permanence.' The sense of this then is 'to stay — but stay forever.'Come, but come to remain. Come with conviction and endurance. Come permanently, for your sake and the sake of all the generations who must follow you, and we will help each other to be strong to the very end."The Savior also taught "he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).Joseph A. Cannon is editor of the Deseret News.