Abide: John 15:4

New International Version (NIV)
4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
4"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

The Message (MSG)
4"Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me.

When I began looking for more information on what it means to "abide" in the Bible, the only verse I could sort of remember was from John 15. And my Bible didn't have a reference for abide because it's NIV. In the NIV, the word is remain. Do you think abide and remain are the same thing?

I love Biblegateway.com. It's never been easier to search for the words you can sort of remember or to compare translations. NIV is my usual, but I like to also check the NASB and the Message, just to see the difference. And the Message is always different! But I like it because it's usually just a different way of looking at things I've heard all my life. Sometimes you just need a fresh perspective.

So are abide and remain and live the same thing? Here are the definitions from dictionary.com.
Abide
1. to remain; continue; stay: Abide with me.
2. to have one's abode; dwell; reside: to abide in a small Scottish village.
3. to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship, etc.; last.
4. to put up with; tolerate; stand: I can't abide dishonesty!
5. to endure, sustain, or withstand without yielding or submitting: to abide a vigorous onslaught.
6. to wait for; await: to abide the coming of the Lord.

Remain:
1. to continue in the same state; continue to be as specified: to remain at peace.
2. to stay behind or in the same place: to remain at home; I'll remain here when you go to the airport.

Live:
1. to have life, as an organism; be alive; be capable of vital functions: all things that live.
2. to continue to have life; remain alive: to live to a ripe old age.
3. to continue in existence, operation, memory, etc.; last: a book that lives in my memory.
4. to maintain or support one's existence; provide for oneself: to live on one's income.
5. to feed or subsist (usually fol. by on or upon): to live on rice and bananas.
6. to dwell or reside (usually fol. by in, at, etc.): to live in a cottage.
7. to pass life in a specified manner: They lived happily ever after.
8. to direct or regulate one's life: to live by the golden rule.
9. to experience or enjoy life to the full

As I look at the defnitions, they are very close, even connected. What I want to know is more about what it means to abide. I don't think it means to remain in the same place, so I'm going to take a look at more of this chapter. Maybe that will give me a better picture.