Remain in Christ Word Study
Lesson 1: Greek Background of the Word "Remain"
Over the first part of this year, our church worked through a sermon series on the book of John, and in my personal devotionals, I’ve been working through the book of 1 John in my verse mapping. Both books, written by Jesus’ disciple John, talk a lot about the concept of remaining or abiding in Christ, and I’ve been struck that remaining in Christ is the essence of what it means to live as a Christian.
Remaining in Christ is the essence of what it means to live as a Christian.
This is particularly evident in John 15:4-10:
4 “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”
Over the next several weeks, I want to look at what it means to remain in Christ. We’ll answer several questions:
Lesson 1: What is the Greek background of the word “remain”?
Lesson 7: What are the consequences if we don’t remain in Christ?
Greek Background of Remaining in Christ
In this first lesson, I want to look specifically at the Greek word “meno”, which is the word typically used whenever Scripture refers to remaining in Christ.
This word is translated multiple ways, and we’ll look at these different translations to get a broader understanding of the word.
Throughout this study, any word translated from the Greek word meno will be bolded. Words that could easily be confused with meno due to translation differences will be italicized. All verses are in NIV unless specified.
“Meno” in Remain in Christ
The Greek word meno is translated in many ways, but they all carry a similar meaning when used in the context of remaining in Christ. Sometimes the phrasing isn’t exactly “remain in Christ” or a version of that; in those cases, it is linked to ways we can remain in Christ or the outcome of remaining (or not remaining) in Christ.
Remain
John 15:4: Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
Abide
John 15:4 (ESV): Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
Continue
1 John 2:28: And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
Live
1 John 2:6: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
In the uses of meno above, we get the idea that we must stay connected to Christ. This isn’t just a short-term situation, where we say we believe in Christ but then we go back to our regularly scheduled lives. This is about clinging to Christ long-term, staying connected to him throughout our lives, and allowing him to nourish us and direct our lives.
Other uses of meno are about what we need to do to remain in Christ. You can see some examples in the verses below.
Hold
John 8:31-32: 31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Keep on
Hebrews 13:1: Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.
These verses give us two ways that we can remain in Christ—hold on to Christ’s teachings and keep on loving each other. We’ll look at these more in-depth in the coming lessons.
Other uses of meno are more about the outcome of remaining in Christ, such as in the verses below.
Survive
1 Corinthians 3:10-15: 10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
Endure
John 6:26-27: 26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
Last
John 15:16: You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
What are the outcomes of remaining in Christ? If we remain in Christ, the life that we build will survive and bear fruit for eternity. We’ll look at this concept in lessons 5 and 6 of this study.
If you see any of the above English words used in Scripture, especially in the context of remaining in Christ, you may be looking at a translation of the word meno. However, you also might be looking at a totally different Greek word, or you might come across the word meno in a different context unrelated to remaining in Christ. We’ll look at a few of those instances next.
Word Uses Not Related to Remaining in Christ
In some instances, the Greek word meno is not used in the context of remaining in Christ, and often, words that are translated to one of the English words discussed above do not come from the Greek word meno. This section will look at a few of those key differences in use or translation.
Other Translations of Meno
One common way that the word meno is used in Scripture is “stay”—as in, staying overnight at someone’s house, or staying in town. In these cases, what you are remaining “in” is something other than Christ.
Mark 6:7-11: 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. 8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
Luke 19:5: When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”
Similar English Translations
Just as the Greek word meno can have many translations into English, and it can be used in different contexts, the same English word can come from translating many different Greek words. In the context of this study, the words “live” and “continue” often come from Greek words that are not meno—sometimes even within the same passage.
For example, 1 John 2:6 says,
Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
The first word “live” (bolded) is meno. However, the second word “live” (italicized) is more commonly translated “walk” and is a different Greek word.
Frequently, if you see the word “live” in the context of a life or being alive, it is usually from a different Greek word. For example, the word “lives” in 1 John 2:16 is not from the Greek word meno even though meno is translated “live” in many other places in 1 John.
1 John 2:16: This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
Similarly, John’s use of the word meno in 1 John is translated to “continue” in verses like 1 John 2:28:
“And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.”
However, just a few verses later, we see the English word “continue,” but it comes from a different Greek word:
1 John 3:6: No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
Conclusion
More and more, I’m understanding the importance of going back to the original language of Scripture to help understand Scripture. Some verses or concepts that we may not link together because of differences in translations are linked together in the original language, and some verses or concepts that we may link together because of the English translation may not be linked together in the original language. My goal in this study is to focus specifically on instances of the Greek word meno to help us understand what it means to remain in Christ.