To Keep You From Falling Away

"I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.

John 16:1

Jesus continues preparing His disciples for their ministry after His death. He is telling them this so that they will not fall away. The Greek word translated fall away here is skandalizō (σκανδαλίζω) from which our English work scandalize is derived. Jesus doesn't want the disciples to be scandalized, to be entrapped, to be tripped up, to be enticed to sin or apostasy. He wants them to remain faithful. If we want to remain faithful, we should pay careful attention to Jesus words. We should read His word daily, since we may daily encouter things that may tempt us to fall away. We should memorize and meditate and cherish His word in our heart so that we may always draw upon His word when we need it.