The spiritual concept of “abiding” (in God and God in us) is quite rich. It means to “be here with,” and its Greek origins and scriptural usage also suggest other meanings such as “remain,” “continue,” “endure,” “be present with,” and more. But even as much as we can understand the concept of through word study and through mental faculties, to really get what “abiding” means requires experience. We can talk about abiding in God and vice versa but we can only truly grasp it through direct participation.

In this episode, Faith Journey Foundation board chair and theologian and student of scripture and language, Mark Crego, joins LDF host Dan Wotherspoon in a conversation about abiding, at times as a counter-point to the concept of “presiding.” What leadership type would we respond best to? Their conversation also yields a great way to think about the phrase “endure to the end.”

Mark and Dan also get into certain LDS theological concepts about God’s and our nature that in some ways make it easier to approach this topic than do some other Christian understandings of humanity and the Divine. 

It is a rich discussion. Listen in! 

Link:

“I Corinthians 13: What is Love?” Latter-day Faith, May 2021 (episode with Mark Crego and Dan Wotherspoon)

C.S. Lewis’s analogy, “Imagine Yourself as a Living House”:

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

From Mere Christianity