In John 15:1-8 Jesus uses a vineyard
metaphor to teach about His reciprocal relationship with believers and the
fruit this relationship must produce:
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every
branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes,
that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean
because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in
you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you, unless you abide in Me."
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much
fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If
anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and
they gather them and throw them
into the fire, and they are burned. If
you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and
it shall be done for you. By this My Father is
glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."
Jesus
is the vine, believers are the vine branches, and Father God is the vinedresser,
the one who prunes, trains, and cultivates the branches. Branches (believers)
that do not bear fruit are “taken away” (i.e., cut off from the vine) and
branches that bear fruit are pruned in order to bear more fruit. Pruning is a
soft word for what other scripture calls chastening, rebuke, scourging, the
acts of a loving Father in disciplining His children “for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness
... For whom the Lord loves He chastens.” The fruit in this metaphor
we understand from Hebrews is holiness – the holy nature of Christ – brought
forth from within as our new nature… Christlikeness. Fruit bearing is not
just important, fruit bearing is essential, for without holiness – without Christ
formed in us – no one will see God! And, fruit bearing is impossible without
abiding in the vine: Abiding in the vine produces much fruit. When we are cut
off from vital union with Christ it is impossible to bear fruit… and fruitless
branches are destroyed!
Abide, meno
in the Greek, is both a command in the aorist imperative (vs. 4), and a present
participle denoting continuous action (vs. 5). In this passage meno is used in
a relational sense rather than of a place or a state or condition. Used
relationally of the believer to their Lord meno is a command that means “to
remain continually united with Christ, one with Him in heart, mind and will...
and to do it with intensity” (the implied sense of the word). And abiding is
reciprocal, for Christ abides in those who abide in Him... He remains united
with them... with intensity! It is in this understanding the promise of asking
and receiving in verse 7 is given: If we are truly abiding in Christ and His
words are abiding in us, our heart is one with His... His will is our desire,
and we will ask according to His will knowing He hears us… and answers us.
Abide is a powerful concept effectively capturing what it means to “believe” --
to cling to, trust in, and rely upon God -- concepts birthed in abiding. And
abiders “bring forth much fruit” which glorifies and delights Daddy... putting
a twinkle in His eyes...
CHRIST ABIDES IN THOSE WHO ABIDE IN HIM...
(Jn. 15:1-8; Rev. 3:19; Heb. 12:5-10,14; Gal. 4:19, 5:22-23; 1
Jn. 5:14-15)
