John 15:7

John 15:7. If ye abide in me, and my sayings abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. The sudden departure in this verse from the figure which our Lord had been employing is worthy of notice. A somewhat similar departure occurs at John 15:3, and in both cases it takes place in connection with a reference to the ‘word' or ‘sayings' of Jesus: these belong to living men. The thought that the ‘sayings' of Jesus abide in us as the condition of blessedness is fundamentally the same as that expressed previously in John 15:3, ‘because of the word;' the mode in which the word works is now more fully brought out. Still more worthy of notice is the fact that, in the latter part of the verse, where the asking is spoken of, the words ‘in My name' do not occur; but in their place we find, ‘If ye abide in Me, and My sayings abide in you.' This strikingly illustrates what we have already endeavoured to bring out, that ‘in My name ' implies a union with Jesus by faith, resting on a knowledge of and adherence to the revelation that He has given. The asking spoken of must be understood not in a general sense, but with a special reference to bearing fruit. Were this not the case the verse would be quite isolated.