The Consequences of Not Remaining in Christ
Remain in Christ Word Study, Lesson 7
In the Bible, there’s always two sides to the equation. We’ve spent the last 6 weeks talking about what it means to remain in Christ. But what happens if we don’t remain in Christ? This study would not be complete without addressing this question. Let this lesson serve as a warning that God sends to us so that we are without excuse when we stand before him on judgment day.
Many of the consequences of not remaining in Christ are the opposite of the rewards and blessings we see for remaining in Christ.
Instead of being pruned so we bear more fruit, we will be cut off and thrown away or burned.
Instead of being equipped to do God’s work, we will be able to do nothing.
Instead of God’s word remaining in us, we will not hear God’s voice or have his word dwell in us.
Instead of remaining in God’s love, God’s wrath will remain on us.
Instead of receiving Christ’s kingdom, the kingdom of God will be taken away.
Instead of receiving eternal life, we will receive disaster and death.
We will be cut off and thrown away or burned.
Using the example of the vine and branches, we’ve learned that remaining in Christ is like the branches (us) being connected to the vine (Christ). God (the gardener) prunes the healthy branches so that they will bear more fruit. But if the branch doesn’t bear fruit, which is a sign that it is not remaining in the vine, then God will cut off that branch and throw it away to be burned.
John 15:1-2: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”
John 15:6: “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.”
Matthew 3:8-10: 8 “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
The best thing to do with branches and trees that are dead is to cut them out and destroy them. And that is exactly what God promises to do to those who choose not to remain in him.
We will be able to do nothing.
One of the key tasks of remaining in Christ is doing the work of the Father. If we remain in Christ, we are equipped and supported by God to go and do his work. But if we don’t remain in Christ, the Bible tells us that we will be able to do nothing.
John 15:5: “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.”
Without Christ, without his teachings, and without the Holy Spirit, any work we try to do on behalf of his kingdom will end up with nothing. In fact, we have a lot of people in our world today who claim to be speaking for Christ but have a message that deviates from the essence of Christ’s teachings as found in Scripture. Those people are doing more harm than good for the kingdom of God. The Bible warns us that we need to be on guard so we don’t get fooled by these people.
We will not hear God’s voice or have his word dwell in us.
God has given us many tools to remain in Christ, including Christ’s teachings as contained in Scripture. If God’s word dwells in us, if we meditate on his word and allow it to speak to us and guide how we live our lives, then we will remain in Christ. But if we do not believe in Christ and do not pay attention to his words, then we will not hear the message he has sent.
John 5:37-38: 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent.
The most fundamental requirement for remaining in Christ is to believe in him. That’s one of the key commands God gave to us, and it is the one requirement for entrance into God’s kingdom. If we don’t believe in him, if we can’t be obedient to this one fundamental command for remaining in Christ, then we will not be able to hear God’s voice or hold on to his teachings.
God’s wrath will remain on us.
If we remain in Christ, we will also remain in his love. Love is the force that holds us together—the love between Father and Son and the love between the Father and Son and us. God has a special love for those who believe in his Son. He sees us as his children, and because our sins are covered by the blood of Christ, he sees us as holy and righteous. All of these benefits are wiped away if we do not believe in Jesus, and instead, God’s wrath remains on us because he still sees all our sins.
John 3:36: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
Keep this in mind later as we talk about death. The absence of life is death, and God’s wrath and eternal death are tied closely together.
The kingdom of God will be taken away.
In Matthew 21, Jesus told another parable related to a vineyard. A landowner planted a vineyard, then hired some farmers to take care of it. When it was time for the harvest, he sent his servants to collect some of the fruit. The farmers beat, killed, and stoned the servants. He even sent his son, and the farmers killed the son too. Jesus ends the parable this way:
Matthew 21:43: “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.”
If we aren’t producing fruit in keeping with God’s work in this world, it is a sign that we have not remained in him. In fact, we are working against him. God will not give his kingdom to those who are not doing the work that produces good fruit.
We will receive disaster and death.
The key outcomes of remaining in Christ are that we will bear fruit and receive eternal life. If we do not remain in Christ, we still bear fruit, but it is a different kind of fruit.
Jeremiah 6:19: Hear, you earth:
I am bringing disaster on this people,
the fruit of their schemes,
because they have not listened to my words
and have rejected my law.
If we do not listen to God, if we reject his teachings and his Son, then we will receive the fruit of our actions—disaster. Similarly, if we refuse to follow his command to love each other, instead of receiving eternal life, we will receive death.
1 John 3:14-15: 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
This is not referring to physical death. All of us, believers and unbelievers alike, will have to face physical death. This is talking about spiritual death, the opposite of eternal life. If we are dead spiritually, then we receive the ultimate penalty of eternal separation from Christ, and we will face the most devastating fire of all—hell.
Conclusion
The contrast between those who remain in Christ and those who don’t is clear. Those who remain in Christ, who follow his commands and do his work, will bear fruit that will last and will receive eternal life. In contrast, those who do not remain in Christ will be cut off from God and will receive his wrath, ending in eternal death and separation from God. I know which side I am on. On which side are you?
Karen this study on remaining
has been very good. I liked the lesson on bearing fruit. I want my life to brar much fruit.