The Marks of a Disciple - Luke 14.24-33
Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple
I suppose it is reasonable to expect one’s employer to supply some type of job description. Indeed, for any relationship to work well the roles and expectations of the participating parties must be clearly defined. What is true in the general warp and woof of life’s relationships is also true of the Christian’s experience with God. Christ’s expectation for his followers are plainly defined in Scripture. The Bible variously describes Christians as believers, children of God, saints, or disciples. What it means to be a disciple of Christ has been the subject of numerous works that undertake the topic with considerable detail (e.g. A. B. Bruce, The Training of the Twelve). However, the gospels succinctly identify several characteristics of the true disciple. Certainly, the importance of being a disciple cannot be denied, in as much as Jesus commanded his own apostles to make disciples in every nation (Matthew 28.19-20; cp. Mark 16.15; Luke 24.49; John 20.21; Acts 1.8). Moreover, in addition to the twelve who were called to be apostles, there are numerous references to those who followed Jesus as being his disciples. Exactly how Jesus defines being a disciple is the subject of this brief discourse.
Fundamentally, being a disciple refers anyone who follows Jesus and adheres to His teaching. Jesus modeled a lifestyle for his disciples to emulate. He also instructed them both privately and publicly on their deportment and the content of the gospel (John 13.12-17; Mark 9.2-13; Matthew 5-7). The disciples in their turn followed Jesus’ example for those whom they discipled. For example, Paul frequently mentions to his readers that they ought to follow his example: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4.8-9; cp. 2 Timothy; cp. 4.8-9). There is a wonderful example of the success of this in the writings of the church fathers. In an introductory note to Clement of Alexandria we read of how the apostolic instruction to “love one another” was passed on from John the Apostle to Ignatius and Polycarp to Clement (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. II). Jesus’ upper room discourse (John 14-16) contains practical instruction for all believers. Of course, Jesus taught the disciples about holiness, prayer, forgiveness, mercy, suffering, perseverance, evangelism, judgment, pastoral duties and more – the full breadth of which is beyond the scope of this overview. However, as a means of introducing the New Testament theme of discipleship it may be worth reviewing the seven occasions where Jesus makes specific reference to what he means when he says my disciples.
PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST - Luke 14.26
Jesus calls men and women to himself; he does not rally them to a cause. Even a cursory grasp of New Testament Christology makes it plain why this must be so. Jesus is God incarnate, the mediator of the new covenant, through whom the wrath of God is propitiated and God’s elect are saved. There can be no eternal delight independent of an exaltation and exultation of the Lord Jesus Christ. God finds delight in himself and in his Son (John 17.1-5); no true child of his can do otherwise. Thus, the Son by virtue of his person must take precedent over every other relationship. John Piper writes: “We were created for the contemplation and enjoyment of God! Anything less than this would be idolatry toward him and disappointment for us. God is the most glorious of all beings. Not to love him and delight in him is a great loss to us and insults him” (Piper, The Pleasures of God, p. 38). Consequently, it is not enough to admire, respect or esteem the things Jesus stands for; you must love him and this you cannot do without the Holy Spirit who sheds the love of God abroad in your heart (Romans 5.5). In his devotional classic, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers wrote, “Whenever the Holy Ghost sees a chance of glorifying Jesus, he will take your heart, your nerves, your whole personality, and simply make you blaze and glow with devotion to Jesus Christ.” The love for the Lord Jesus Christ is such that by comparison love for family begins to pale (cp. Matthew 10.34-37; Genesis 29.30).
DEATH TO SELF – Luke 14.27
There is a natural bridge that links the exaltation of Christ with self-abasement. It is impossible to laud the Lord Jesus Christ and at the same time be self-promoting. Jesus described himself as a servant (Mark 10.45; cp. Mark 9.35; John 15.20) and any who would serve him cannot presume to be greater than he. The Christian lives to serve God (Luke 4.8; Romans 1.9); he is not free to advance his own cause (whatever that might be). He has happily given his life in service to God (Galatians 2.19; Colossians 3.3-6; Philippians 2.3-8). Nonetheless it is not love of duty which obliges one to take up his cross, but love for Jesus which inwardly motivates him (Galatians 2.20; John 14.23). Neither is he loved by Jesus because he takes up his cross. Rather, it is the very love of God that compels him to die to himself (Colossians 3.3; cp. 1 John 3.16). The cross then is not an unbearable hardship (Matthew 11.29; Philippians 4.13; 2 Corinthians 12.9; Colossians 1.11; Isaiah 40.29); quite to the contrary, it is a joyful identity with Christ (Philippians 1.15-30; 1 Peter 4.12-13). The cross is as central to the Christian doctrine of salvation as it is central to the believer’s lifestyle. It is the supreme expression of God’s love for his glory. The atonement for mankind’s sin through the death of his Son vindicates God’s glory (Isaiah 52.13–53.12; Acts 2.23; John 17.1-5). It is Jesus’ love for the Father that motivates him to embrace the cross and in his death, the conflict between God’s love for his glory and his love for sinners is resolved (cf. Piper, p. 164). By taking up his cross the believer identifies with the God-glorifying work of Christ (Galatians 6.14).
WORSHIP – Matthew 26.18
Worshipping God is the priority in life: it is not the great commission, nor seeking legislation to abolish abortion on demand; it is not eradicating evil in politics, nor eliminating poverty, or attending to the infirmed. These are good, even great things, but they are less important than worship. Worship is the activity spoken of by the psalmist when he commands the reader to delight oneself in the LORD (Psalm 37.4). Worship takes precedence over all other matters because the person one is, is reflected in what he does. Said another way: action or service never leads to worship - but real worship always leads to service. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your mind heart and soul ... and the second is like the first: to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22.37-38). There is a logical and natural progression to these commandments.
STEWARDSHIP – Luke 14.33
In the business world people are advised to diversify their investments as a precaution against a volatile market. In matters of business this makes sense, in matters of faith it is fatal. In matters of faith there is no secondary course of action. Jesus is the only option. Everything you have must be invested in him. Jesus lays claim to your life because he made reparation for your sins by his sacrifice (Romans 3.21-26; Ephesians 1.7). There is no other means whereby a person might be saved (Acts 4.12) and there is no other path to enlightenment (Matthew 7.13-14). A man asked Jesus the question: What must I do to get eternal life? In addition to obeying the commandments, Jesus said, you must sell all you and have give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come and follow me (Matthew 19.16-21). Though he believed Jesus to be a great rabbi, he was unwilling to exchange his great wealth for life as a disciple of an itinerant teacher with no visible means of support. Regardless of one’s societal status, Jesus’ call presents everyone with essentially the same dilemma: to live by faith in Christ beyond himself. That is, to live with vision, courage and resolution: in short, to do that which cannot be done except by the grace of God. God works in the lives of the meek and humble (Matthew 5.3; James 4.10; I Peter 5.5-6; Philippians 2.3; Proverbs 27.19). If anyone determines to do only what he knows he can do, he will always fall short of his potential in Christ. Read the account of Zacchaeus in Luke 19.10. Zacchaeus and the unnamed man both had great wealth. Each had sought an interview with Jesus. Jesus responded to both men and they were given the opportunity to forsake their wealth and become a disciple, but only Zacchaeus responded: For many are invited, but few are chosen (Matthew 22.14).
AUTHORITY OF CHRIST'S WORD - John 8.31
The authority of Scripture resides in its Divine authorship. What is true of the Old and New Testaments is also true of the word of Christ. Jesus said, If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Regarding Scripture Peter writes: And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts … (2 Peter 1.19-21). The whole counsel of God as it pertains to his glory, man’s salvation, his faith, and his life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence, may be deduced from it. Many Christians confuse “holding on to Jesus” with obeying his teaching. They believe it is important to have a “deep devotional life” but not necessarily one that is grounded in a rational belief in biblical doctrine. Indeed, Christian bookstores are glutted with devotional material but there is a paucity of theological and doctrinal literature. The Bible, rather than being the lens though which the “pop-Christian” formulates his worldview, becomes a source for religious sound bites to support the latest Christian fad. I am certainly not advocating a mere adherence to Biblical doctrines without an accompanying devotion to Christ. Indeed, one can scarcely be called Christian when one’s only claim to faith is that he or she has not denied the creeds of the church. There is nothing to be said for the person who professes faith in Christ yet fails to be filled with a passion for his glory. The heart of the believer who delights in the Lord has already begun his flight toward heaven.
LOVE FOR THE BRETHERN – John 13.34-35
Jesus said that the world would know who his disciples were by the love they had for one another: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Of course, there is nothing new about love, but loving as Jesus loved is new. The popular rule had been the golden rule: “Do to others as they do to you.” However, Jesus’ command to love just as he loved is based on a sacrificial and self-abnegating love for others (cp. Luke 6.27-36; Romans 12.1-2). The apostle John was called the “beloved disciple.” He mentions love some 90 times in his Gospel and his three epistles. Note a few of his comments in chapters three and four of his first letter:
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure (3.1-3).
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth (3.16-18).
And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us (3.23).
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us (4.7-12).
John is certainly not alone in his affirmation that love is at the heart of the Christian’s character. In one of the most well-known texts of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13, Paul defines the disciplines of love: Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. I say that love is a discipline because each of these attributes is an act of the will. Love is not merely an emotional slough into which one falls and then has trouble extricating himself. Moreover, in 1 Corinthians 14 Paul follows his instructions about love by telling his readers to pursue the law of love. It ought to be the goal and practice of every believer to be like Christ in this matter. Love is not meant to be easy; it is often sacrificial, demanding and frequently demonstrated at great person risk.
SPIRITUAL REPRODUCTION - John 15.8
Finally, in John’s discourse on abiding in the vine (John 15.1-16) Jesus characterizes the vitality of the believer’s relationship with the Father as being evidenced by his productivity. The clear teaching of this passage is that all Christians are fruitful in some manner or other, and that this fruitfulness results from abiding in Christ. This fruitfulness is utterly dependent on being in the vine. There is no life outside of that relationship. The branch without the vine has no life of its own. The question often asked is, what is the fruit of the believer’s life?
Some argue, based on verse eight, that it is spiritual reproduction; others suggest it is the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5.22). But a plain reading of the text leads us to understand that it is Christ who is reproduced in the believer and that is the fruit of which he speaks. It is not one aspect of the Christian life over another. This is accomplished through a life-giving dependence of abiding in him and in turn he abides in the believer. It is not passive. It requires an exercise of the spiritual disciplines. Abiding in Christ results in sharing his joy (John 15.11), his peace (John 14.27), a sacrificial love for the others (John 15.12), and a gospel witness (John 15.16, 27). Whatever else may be a product of abiding in Christ, these things are consistently evident.
It is clear that Jesus wants His disciples to succeed in the task to which He has called them and so assures them that if they remain focused on the fundamentals of their relationship they only need to ask for what they are lacking and it will be given to them (16.24 cp. James 4.2-3). The Christian succeeds as a disciple because he delights in bringing glory to the Son and to the Father. He does this by continuing to propagate the gospel that has been entrusted to him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (John 17.3). Jesus glorified the Father on earth by accomplishing the work that was given to him and we do the same. The work of the disciple is this: that the world may know that the Father sent the Son so that the world may believe in him and have eternal life (cp. John 17.6-23).
Fundamentally, being a disciple refers anyone who follows Jesus and adheres to His teaching. Jesus modeled a lifestyle for his disciples to emulate. He also instructed them both privately and publicly on their deportment and the content of the gospel (John 13.12-17; Mark 9.2-13; Matthew 5-7). The disciples in their turn followed Jesus’ example for those whom they discipled. For example, Paul frequently mentions to his readers that they ought to follow his example: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4.8-9; cp. 2 Timothy; cp. 4.8-9). There is a wonderful example of the success of this in the writings of the church fathers. In an introductory note to Clement of Alexandria we read of how the apostolic instruction to “love one another” was passed on from John the Apostle to Ignatius and Polycarp to Clement (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. II). Jesus’ upper room discourse (John 14-16) contains practical instruction for all believers. Of course, Jesus taught the disciples about holiness, prayer, forgiveness, mercy, suffering, perseverance, evangelism, judgment, pastoral duties and more – the full breadth of which is beyond the scope of this overview. However, as a means of introducing the New Testament theme of discipleship it may be worth reviewing the seven occasions where Jesus makes specific reference to what he means when he says my disciples.
PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST - Luke 14.26
Jesus calls men and women to himself; he does not rally them to a cause. Even a cursory grasp of New Testament Christology makes it plain why this must be so. Jesus is God incarnate, the mediator of the new covenant, through whom the wrath of God is propitiated and God’s elect are saved. There can be no eternal delight independent of an exaltation and exultation of the Lord Jesus Christ. God finds delight in himself and in his Son (John 17.1-5); no true child of his can do otherwise. Thus, the Son by virtue of his person must take precedent over every other relationship. John Piper writes: “We were created for the contemplation and enjoyment of God! Anything less than this would be idolatry toward him and disappointment for us. God is the most glorious of all beings. Not to love him and delight in him is a great loss to us and insults him” (Piper, The Pleasures of God, p. 38). Consequently, it is not enough to admire, respect or esteem the things Jesus stands for; you must love him and this you cannot do without the Holy Spirit who sheds the love of God abroad in your heart (Romans 5.5). In his devotional classic, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers wrote, “Whenever the Holy Ghost sees a chance of glorifying Jesus, he will take your heart, your nerves, your whole personality, and simply make you blaze and glow with devotion to Jesus Christ.” The love for the Lord Jesus Christ is such that by comparison love for family begins to pale (cp. Matthew 10.34-37; Genesis 29.30).
DEATH TO SELF – Luke 14.27
There is a natural bridge that links the exaltation of Christ with self-abasement. It is impossible to laud the Lord Jesus Christ and at the same time be self-promoting. Jesus described himself as a servant (Mark 10.45; cp. Mark 9.35; John 15.20) and any who would serve him cannot presume to be greater than he. The Christian lives to serve God (Luke 4.8; Romans 1.9); he is not free to advance his own cause (whatever that might be). He has happily given his life in service to God (Galatians 2.19; Colossians 3.3-6; Philippians 2.3-8). Nonetheless it is not love of duty which obliges one to take up his cross, but love for Jesus which inwardly motivates him (Galatians 2.20; John 14.23). Neither is he loved by Jesus because he takes up his cross. Rather, it is the very love of God that compels him to die to himself (Colossians 3.3; cp. 1 John 3.16). The cross then is not an unbearable hardship (Matthew 11.29; Philippians 4.13; 2 Corinthians 12.9; Colossians 1.11; Isaiah 40.29); quite to the contrary, it is a joyful identity with Christ (Philippians 1.15-30; 1 Peter 4.12-13). The cross is as central to the Christian doctrine of salvation as it is central to the believer’s lifestyle. It is the supreme expression of God’s love for his glory. The atonement for mankind’s sin through the death of his Son vindicates God’s glory (Isaiah 52.13–53.12; Acts 2.23; John 17.1-5). It is Jesus’ love for the Father that motivates him to embrace the cross and in his death, the conflict between God’s love for his glory and his love for sinners is resolved (cf. Piper, p. 164). By taking up his cross the believer identifies with the God-glorifying work of Christ (Galatians 6.14).
WORSHIP – Matthew 26.18
Worshipping God is the priority in life: it is not the great commission, nor seeking legislation to abolish abortion on demand; it is not eradicating evil in politics, nor eliminating poverty, or attending to the infirmed. These are good, even great things, but they are less important than worship. Worship is the activity spoken of by the psalmist when he commands the reader to delight oneself in the LORD (Psalm 37.4). Worship takes precedence over all other matters because the person one is, is reflected in what he does. Said another way: action or service never leads to worship - but real worship always leads to service. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your mind heart and soul ... and the second is like the first: to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22.37-38). There is a logical and natural progression to these commandments.
STEWARDSHIP – Luke 14.33
In the business world people are advised to diversify their investments as a precaution against a volatile market. In matters of business this makes sense, in matters of faith it is fatal. In matters of faith there is no secondary course of action. Jesus is the only option. Everything you have must be invested in him. Jesus lays claim to your life because he made reparation for your sins by his sacrifice (Romans 3.21-26; Ephesians 1.7). There is no other means whereby a person might be saved (Acts 4.12) and there is no other path to enlightenment (Matthew 7.13-14). A man asked Jesus the question: What must I do to get eternal life? In addition to obeying the commandments, Jesus said, you must sell all you and have give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come and follow me (Matthew 19.16-21). Though he believed Jesus to be a great rabbi, he was unwilling to exchange his great wealth for life as a disciple of an itinerant teacher with no visible means of support. Regardless of one’s societal status, Jesus’ call presents everyone with essentially the same dilemma: to live by faith in Christ beyond himself. That is, to live with vision, courage and resolution: in short, to do that which cannot be done except by the grace of God. God works in the lives of the meek and humble (Matthew 5.3; James 4.10; I Peter 5.5-6; Philippians 2.3; Proverbs 27.19). If anyone determines to do only what he knows he can do, he will always fall short of his potential in Christ. Read the account of Zacchaeus in Luke 19.10. Zacchaeus and the unnamed man both had great wealth. Each had sought an interview with Jesus. Jesus responded to both men and they were given the opportunity to forsake their wealth and become a disciple, but only Zacchaeus responded: For many are invited, but few are chosen (Matthew 22.14).
AUTHORITY OF CHRIST'S WORD - John 8.31
The authority of Scripture resides in its Divine authorship. What is true of the Old and New Testaments is also true of the word of Christ. Jesus said, If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Regarding Scripture Peter writes: And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts … (2 Peter 1.19-21). The whole counsel of God as it pertains to his glory, man’s salvation, his faith, and his life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence, may be deduced from it. Many Christians confuse “holding on to Jesus” with obeying his teaching. They believe it is important to have a “deep devotional life” but not necessarily one that is grounded in a rational belief in biblical doctrine. Indeed, Christian bookstores are glutted with devotional material but there is a paucity of theological and doctrinal literature. The Bible, rather than being the lens though which the “pop-Christian” formulates his worldview, becomes a source for religious sound bites to support the latest Christian fad. I am certainly not advocating a mere adherence to Biblical doctrines without an accompanying devotion to Christ. Indeed, one can scarcely be called Christian when one’s only claim to faith is that he or she has not denied the creeds of the church. There is nothing to be said for the person who professes faith in Christ yet fails to be filled with a passion for his glory. The heart of the believer who delights in the Lord has already begun his flight toward heaven.
LOVE FOR THE BRETHERN – John 13.34-35
Jesus said that the world would know who his disciples were by the love they had for one another: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Of course, there is nothing new about love, but loving as Jesus loved is new. The popular rule had been the golden rule: “Do to others as they do to you.” However, Jesus’ command to love just as he loved is based on a sacrificial and self-abnegating love for others (cp. Luke 6.27-36; Romans 12.1-2). The apostle John was called the “beloved disciple.” He mentions love some 90 times in his Gospel and his three epistles. Note a few of his comments in chapters three and four of his first letter:
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure (3.1-3).
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth (3.16-18).
And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us (3.23).
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us (4.7-12).
John is certainly not alone in his affirmation that love is at the heart of the Christian’s character. In one of the most well-known texts of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13, Paul defines the disciplines of love: Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. I say that love is a discipline because each of these attributes is an act of the will. Love is not merely an emotional slough into which one falls and then has trouble extricating himself. Moreover, in 1 Corinthians 14 Paul follows his instructions about love by telling his readers to pursue the law of love. It ought to be the goal and practice of every believer to be like Christ in this matter. Love is not meant to be easy; it is often sacrificial, demanding and frequently demonstrated at great person risk.
SPIRITUAL REPRODUCTION - John 15.8
Finally, in John’s discourse on abiding in the vine (John 15.1-16) Jesus characterizes the vitality of the believer’s relationship with the Father as being evidenced by his productivity. The clear teaching of this passage is that all Christians are fruitful in some manner or other, and that this fruitfulness results from abiding in Christ. This fruitfulness is utterly dependent on being in the vine. There is no life outside of that relationship. The branch without the vine has no life of its own. The question often asked is, what is the fruit of the believer’s life?
Some argue, based on verse eight, that it is spiritual reproduction; others suggest it is the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5.22). But a plain reading of the text leads us to understand that it is Christ who is reproduced in the believer and that is the fruit of which he speaks. It is not one aspect of the Christian life over another. This is accomplished through a life-giving dependence of abiding in him and in turn he abides in the believer. It is not passive. It requires an exercise of the spiritual disciplines. Abiding in Christ results in sharing his joy (John 15.11), his peace (John 14.27), a sacrificial love for the others (John 15.12), and a gospel witness (John 15.16, 27). Whatever else may be a product of abiding in Christ, these things are consistently evident.
It is clear that Jesus wants His disciples to succeed in the task to which He has called them and so assures them that if they remain focused on the fundamentals of their relationship they only need to ask for what they are lacking and it will be given to them (16.24 cp. James 4.2-3). The Christian succeeds as a disciple because he delights in bringing glory to the Son and to the Father. He does this by continuing to propagate the gospel that has been entrusted to him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (John 17.3). Jesus glorified the Father on earth by accomplishing the work that was given to him and we do the same. The work of the disciple is this: that the world may know that the Father sent the Son so that the world may believe in him and have eternal life (cp. John 17.6-23).