John 15:7

Here the second use of "abide" is obviously in view, namely, its use as a synonym for fellowship rather than salvation. Jesus addressed His believing disciples and told them what would happen if they did abide in Him. He had already explained that believers may or may not abide in Him (John 15:3-5). Not only do abiding disciples bear much fruit (John 15:5), but they also receive what they ask God for in prayer.

This verse has also been a stumbling block to some sincere Christians. It appears to be a blanket promise to grant any request the disciple may offer. Really it is a blanket promise to grant any request that an abiding disciple may offer. An abiding disciple will ask only those things that are in harmony with or subject to God’s will, as Jesus did. The wishes of abiding disciples are the same as Jesus’ wishes. To ask anything else would make the praying believer a non-abiding disciple.

Putting this revelation together with what Jesus said earlier, we can see that abiding disciples pray in Jesus’ name, and praying in Jesus’ name requires abiding in Christ (John 14:13-14). [Note: See Thomas L. Constable, Talking to God: What the Bible Teaches about Prayer, pp. 175-76.] Perhaps we can understand better now what Jesus meant when He said earlier that He wanted His disciples to experience the same unity with Himself that He enjoyed with His Father (John 14:20-21).

"To remain in Christ and to allow his words to remain in oneself means a conscious acceptance of the authority of his word and a constant contact with him by prayer." [Note: Tenney, "John," p. 152.]