A disciple is a follower of Christ.  The question is, how do we follow Him?  The answer is by abiding in His Word.  

John 8:31 (ESV)
³¹  So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,

Jesus said this to those who had believed in Him, yet He, being the Son of God, knew that their belief was shallow and that they would not continue to believe.  It did not take long for the tide to turn.  Once Jesus began to teach more truth, they quickly became hostile (vers. 32-59).  Nevertheless, His words in ver. 31 continue to be instructive to us today.  If we want to be true disciples of Christ, we must abide in His word.  There are two ways for us to do this.

First, we must live by His Word.  This should not be a chore for us, but instead, it should be a joy, knowing that the Word of God is the best possible guide we have for living.  The Psalmist tells us that God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.  Notice, he refers to different types of light—one is a low beam and the other is a high beam.  The low beam (a lamp to our feet) is to help us avoid any stumbling blocks or obstacles in our present life.  The High beam (light to our path) warns us of danger that might be ahead.  Either way, the light of God’s Word helps us to navigate life safely.  All we have to do is be smart enough to turn on the light.  We do that by abiding in the words of our Savior.  Jesus called this wise.  

Matthew 7:24-25 (ESV)
²⁴  “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

The second way we abide in the words of Christ is by not adding or taking away from them.  We must avoid transgressing the Word of God.

2 John 1:9 (ESV)
⁹  Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

To go ahead of the teachings of Christ is to fail to stay within its boundaries, not only in our living but also in our teaching others about Christ.  Peter once wrote, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11).  Sadly, adding one’s own opinion to God’s Word has always been a problem for the people of God.  Paul emphasized that he did not do such a thing.  He said, “For we are not as many, which corrupt the Word of God…” (2 Corinthians 2:17).  To corrupt the Word of God is to add a foreign substance to it, and the moment we do that, we are no longer abiding in the Words of Christ.

True disciples stick with the Word of God, both in their living and their teaching.  Early saints did that and had great success.  Luke wrote of them, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine…” (Acts 2:42), and then, “…And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (ver. 47).  We will have success too if we abide in the words of our Savior.  It is the responsibility of everyone who claims to be a disciple of Christ.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.