Free Bible Software: Wordsearch.com

I just downloaded a free book for my Wordsearch account. It is the Holman Treasury of Key Bible words. By the way, the basic Wordsearch program is free and comes with a lot of free books you can download. These books would fill a room and cost a great amount, but can be at your fingertips for nothing.

WORDSEARCH.COM

This is the first one and I really liked how it breaks it all out.

Abide

Greek expression: menō

Pronunciation: MEHN oh

Strong’s Number: <G3306>

In our fast-paced society, who has the time to stay put or sit around? But that is exactly what Jesus commands his followers to do in order to be productive: “Abide in Me, and I in you” (John 15:4, nkjv). In Christ’s well-known vine illustration in John 15:1-8, Jesus tells believers “to stay put”—“don’t go anywhere.” The Greek word here is menō. It means “to abide,” “to remain,” or “to stay.”

According to Jesus’ illustration, each branch—that is, each believer—has been positioned in the vine—that is, Christ. Jesus orders each branch to “remain” in union with him, not to “attain” that union. In John 15:4, the Greek word for “abide” is an imperative (Gk. meinate). It is constative; it encompasses the entire act of abiding and views the act as a single event. Then, in the following verse (John 15:5), the Lord uses present tense verbs to describe the continual activity involved in maintaining this “organic” union with Christ. Each branch that continues to remain in the vine will keep on bearing fruit (John 15:5). Some commentators say that the fruit is new converts; while others assert it is “the fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22). The devotional writer, Andrew Murray, says “the essential idea of fruit is that it is the silent natural restful produce of our inner life.” This fruit is the practical expression of the indwelling Holy Spirit in our lives. This should attract others to Christ.

Each branch that does not continue to abide in the vine is cut off from the vine (John 15:6). What did Jesus mean by that statement? When Israel failed to be a profitable fruit-bearing vine, when it didn’t yield the good fruit of righteousness, God said He would destroy that vine (see Ps. 80:8-16; Isa. 5:5-7; Ezek. 15:2-7; 19:10-14). Yet such destruction did not mean eternal perdition for all Israelites; it meant a withdrawal of God’s blessing so that a remnant of Israelites would seek the Lord again. On the positive side, Jesus assures His disciples of the fruitfulness of each branch that continues to abide in Him—the vine.

Key Verses

John 15:4-7, 9-10; 1 John 2:24, 27-28

But since abiding in the vine can be so subjective, Jesus quickly defines what He means by abiding in the vine. Abiding in the vine means abiding in God’s Word and keeping Jesus’ commands (John 15:7, 10; see also 1 John 2:6). Every believer who remains in Jesus, who is careful to learn from God’s Word and to obey His commands, will be fruitful (John 15:7-10). It is God’s design that believers should live in union with His Son and become fruitful—that is, express the effect of their union with Jesus in their daily lives. This is what glorifies the Father—a changed heart and a changed life.

Holman Treasury of Key Bible Words: 200 Greek and 200 Hebrew Words Defined and Explained.