INTRODUCTION: It’s been said that “imitation is the best form of flattery” – that is to say, that which is esteemed is copied. And on a purely human level, we can and often do copy one another because we see something worthy in someone, something commendable, something we feel should get propagated.
Yet when it comes to the Christian life, while of all people who ever lived, none comes close to the life and heart of Christ Jesus, we cannot imitate Him by our own power or efforts! We need the Holy Spirit (hence one of the primary reasons for the necessity of spiritual rebirth) in order to imitate Christ. Apostle Paul encouraged the Corinthian church to imitate his example as he himself imitated Christ’s own (1 COR 4:16; 11:1).
And it’s a joy to our LORD to see our petitions for Him to enable us in following Him! We need to be intentional in our cultivating the life of Christ in us with all that the LORD has provided us with, and this brings us to JOHN 15!
JOHN 15:1
"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Notice that here Christ refers to Himself as “the true vine”, as opposed to a false one, or an unproductive one?
Who else is referred to as a vineyard in Scripture?
ISAIAH 5:1-4
1 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a very fruitful hill. 2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones and planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst and also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes. 3 "And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard. 4 What more could have been done to My vineyard That I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, Did it bring forth wild grapes?
I believe this is GOD the Father speaking to His “Well-beloved” His only begotten Son, the LORD Jesus. We know that the vineyard referred to in this chapter is Israel (vs. 7), and it was because Israel was not upright in heart before the LORD, that the beginnings of apostasy had taken root that the LORD sent Isaiah the Prophet to them, and warn of coming judgment.
How long did GOD warn Israel and plead with them to turn back to Him? More than 150 years!
So then when the Son of Abraham, the Son of David (MATT 1:1), Y’shua Mashiach (Jesus Christ) came, He did always those things that pleased the Father and indeed brought forth an abundance of the very best of spiritual fruit – and He continues to do so today, through His body, the church!
While Israel proved fruitless and faithless, despite all that the LORD did for His people (vs.3-4), the LORD Jesus was ever and always faithful to the Father’s will. Whereas Israel the nation failed, He Who came from Israel, the descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, of the tribe of Judah, of the House of David was a righteous success in every way!
Grape vines serve very little purpose other than to produce grapes. The wood of the vine isn’t suitable to carve into furnishings or useful tools like other wood is. It doesn’t produce much heat at all when burned. The vine’s sole purpose is to produce fruit!
So it is for us as the saints of GOD.
JOHN 15:2-3
"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. 3 "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
What does “fruit” refer to here? I’ve heard this verse used in many studies and sermons for evangelistic purposes – that bearing fruit means leading souls to Christ. And that most certainly is a proper application, but it isn’t the only one.
There is of course “the fruits of repentance” (MATT 3:8; LUKE 3:8) that starts our spiritual journey in Christ.
When we consider how our sinful lives have been an offense, and deeply hurtful to our Creator, but that He loved us still, so much so that He sent His own Beloved, the only begotten Son to suffer the punishment for our sins on our behalf, this can cause us great sorrow of heart: godly sorrow, which should lead a person to repentance (a change of mind: concerning what? Our attitude towards sin, our view of GOD and of Christ, the nature of Calvary’s Cross, etc.).
2 CORINTHIANS 7:10We must be careful to point out that repentance doesn’t save anyone. The act of repentance doesn’t add to the work of Calvary’s Cross and the atonement purchased there by the blood of the LAMB.
For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
Repentance is a prior work and heart attitude towards GOD that “leads to salvation”. Is there any other way that leads to repentance? Without the fruits of repentance, what happens?
MATTHEW 3:8-10We see “fruits worthy of repentance” and the warning that every tree that doesn’t bear “good fruit” is cut down and thrown into the fire. Can we associate that “fruit worthy of repentance” with “good fruit”? Repentance isn’t the only good fruit, certainly, but it’s of course included in the cornucopia!
8 "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 "and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
What else can be inferred to by “fruit”? Certainly the fruit of the Spirit (GAL 5:22-23).
As stated in GENESIS all life produces after its own kind. This is true in the spiritual as well. Those who are born of Christ’s Spirit will produce fruit of the same kind as the LORD. In fact, if you take that passage in GALATIANS and insert the name of JESUS, it fits like a glove. The same with 1 COR 13:4-8; replace “love” with “JESUS” and you have the personality profile of the Prince of Peace!
So in producing the fruit of the Spirit, a disciple of Christ is growing in Christ-likeness.
And then of course there is the propagation of salvation as we share the Gospel and others come into the kingdom of GOD, born of Christ’s Spirit, ergo, “fruit” produced.
The LORD Jesus stated here in JOHN 15:2, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away…”
Some translations render the Greek word aiero to mean “to cut off, or to chop” which is not a proper interpretation of this Greek word. First of all, we must remember that we are talking about the [grape] vine, and vine dressers understand that no branch is going to produce fruit lying in the dirt.
You can see vineyards with sturdy strings binding the branch up and away from the ground, securely fastened to the vine. The Greek word aiero means to “take up, to lift, to take away [from the dirt].
This is what happens with “every branch that is in [Christ]” – that is, everyone who is born of Christ’s Spirit, who is a member of the church and the family of GOD. They aren’t cut off – but if they are wallowing in the world (pictured here as the earth) Christ will do what He must in order to “bind” us to Himself – keeping us on “a short leash” as it were. But there are also those “cords of love” wherein the LORD binds us close to His magnificent Heart (HOS 11:4)!
Also in verse 2: “…and every branch that bears fruit He prunes…” This is also an incorrect translation because pruning suggests slicing away undesirable elements. The Greek word used here is kathairo which means to purge or to cleanse (we get the word catharsis from this).
Dirty branches don’t bring forth much fruit so the vinedresser ties it up, suspending it from the dirt and then washes it so it will bear more fruit.
Are we sure that what Christ states here implies washing and not cutting off? Reading verse three makes it clear: “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”
Cleansing (not cutting) is expressed by a function of the Holy Word in EPH 5:26. Is there a place where cutting is applicable for the LORD in dealing with His saints? Certainly, but that isn’t what’s addressed in JOHN 15.
Cutting off is seen in the spiritual circumcision of the saint (ROM 2:29; 6:6; EPH 4:22; PHIL 3:3; COL 2:11; 3:8-9). Also, when confronting sin in a pre-salvific state, we are admonished to cut it out of our life (MATT 5:29-30; the Greek word used here is not kathairo but ekkopto – “to cut down or cut out”).
We’ve often heard the expression, “cleanliness is next to godliness” but this is not referring to hygiene but to holiness. A vessel unto honor and suitable for the LORD’s use is a clean vessel:
2 TIMOTHY 2:21We are washed clean of our sin judicially by the blood of Christ (REV 1:5), and we are likewise washed from sin in a practical sense by the Word of GOD (EPH 5:26).
Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
JOHN 15:4-5
4 "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. 5 "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.
This is a two-way relationship, as most relationships are; both participants are necessary and must be engaged in order for it to work. Christ being the initiating participant is the One Who abides in us.
As far as fruit bearing is concerned is it possible for Christ to abide in us, but we’re not abiding in Him, can we expect to produce fruit? No one is a child of GOD without the Spirit of GOD dwelling in them (1 COR 12:3; GAL 4:6; 1 JOHN 4:2-3). There does seem to be an emphasis of abiding in Christ (vs.4), even though in vs. 5 it specifies that both are necessary.
We know Christ abides in us, those who are His children via the spiritual rebirth (1 JOHN 3:24; 4:13; JOHN 1:12-13), and it’s as we also abide in Him that we “bear much fruit”. So the question some might ask is, what does it mean to abide in Christ? This is part and parcel to being His disciple! And so, what does being a disciple require?
It requires having a love for Christ that is supreme, above any and all other loves we have in life (LUKE 14:26), and bearing the cross, which is death to self, dying to sin, letting the will of GOD rule the heart (LUKE 14:27; MATT 16:24; GAL 2:20-21). It’s very much like what John the Baptist said, “He must increase, I must decrease”.
MATTHEW 16:24-25Christ experienced death on the Cross, and then resurrection life from the tomb. And as we bear our Cross – this instrument of death that little by little frees us from our sin nature (that we die to; ROMANS 6), making room for the new nature to grow and flourish, we experience resurrection life – that “abundant life” (JOHN 10:10b) that the LORD promised us, which is found not in circumstances but in our Savior!
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
What else is required as a disciple of Christ?
JOHN 8:31-32And how do we abide in His Word? That involves reading the Bible (NEH 8:2-3,8,18), learning the Bible (2 TIM 3:14), studying (2 TIM 2:15), knowing (2 TIM 3:15) and practicing the Bible (JOSH 1:8; MATT 7:24-25), meditating on and loving the Bible (PSA 119:97), and reverencing the Bible (like GOD does; PSA 138:2).
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Fruit bearing (the result of abiding) is a mark of a true disciple. As mentioned previously, fruit bearing is allowing the nature of JESUS to grow in your heart, mind, desires and deeds, affections and actions.
The world is searching to the point of exhaustion (and some have quit, having become cynical, unbelieving and hardened against any truth that such things are possible) for love, peace, joy, integrity, etc. All of these are found in abundance in the Person of Christ as well as those who “bear much fruit”.
That will inevitably draw attention to the fruit-bearing saint in two ways: such a manifestation of Christ-like character will earn the disciple persecution, but it will also provide opportunity to share the Gospel with those who are drawn to the Spirit of GOD in us! It was no different for our LORD Himself, right (LUKE 23:31; JOHN 15:21-25)?
“…without Me you can do nothing.”
There are few things more frustrating for the Christian than trying to live the Christian life by their own power. It typically devolves over a course of time into a legalistic, rule-keeping, artificial righteousness that is what we call “Pharisaism”. They sneer at the grace and the love of GOD (“sloppy agape”) and exalt in what’s perceived in their own life as godliness (“I don’t smoke, I don’t go to movies, I don’t read books, I don’t associate with sinners, I go to every church function, and do all sorts of work for the church, I share the Gospel with people more than anyone I know”, etc., etc.).
You can’t force an apple tree to produce apples. You simply plant the tree in good soil (MATT 13:23) and ensure that it gets enough water (ISA 55:10-11) and sunlight (1 JOHN 1:7), then the apple tree will do what it’s been created to do.
Likewise as we abide in Christ just as that apple tree abides in good ground with all the necessary provisions, we will bear fruit, not manufacture it by our own efforts. Without Christ there is no way the Christian can live the Christian life.
JOHN 15:6
"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.
Now pay close attention because I’m going to be very careful in my observations of these verses!
The LORD refers to His disciples as branches four times in vs. 1-5. In verse 6 however, those who don’t abide in Christ are NOT referred to as “branches”. The LORD states there that those are cast out “as a branch and is withered… and cast into the fire”.
Scripture speaks of tares among the wheat, good fish among the bad, ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing, of false brethren, even false apostles/teachers who like their master shine a false light – these are all liars and deceivers but they look good on the outside and at least for a time.
“As a branch” and not “a branch” has the same idea behind it in my opinion. The LORD stated simply that those who abide in Him will bear fruit. Any branch that doesn’t isn’t a true branch but appears “as a branch”.
The question seems to always crop up – “can you lose your salvation?” And that is an important question to ask! But an even more important question is, “are you genuinely saved to begin with?” This is why we are to examine ourselves and determine if our salvation is genuine or not (2 COR 13:5).
JOHN 15:7
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
To “abide” is to dwell comfortably in the midst of your surroundings; it also means to remain fixed at a specific location – compare a tumbleweed with a Redwood tree. Are we remaining in the place where our roots grow deep in Christ, like the roots of a redwood tree – or are we flitting about, being moved by the distractions, diverse dogmas and demands of a too-busy life?
PSALM 1:2-3As we abide in Christ and let His Word abide in us, effectively transforming our minds (1 THESS 2:13; ROM 12:1-2) by the nature of the Word of Truth in our yielded hearts, we won’t “ask amiss” (JAMES 4:3) in our prayers, but we shall indeed find prosperity in answered prayer because we will pray with godly desires in accordance of GOD’s will (1 JOHN 5:14).
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
Are we comfortable in our trust of GOD’s Word, letting it do what it does in surgically slicing sin from our soul?
JOHN 15:8
"By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Sin has deformed all of GOD’s beautiful, glorious creation with devastating effect. Think about it like this: what if you were an artist, and worked tirelessly for years, building up a magnificent portfolio, producing a vast collection of beautiful paintings and sculpture. Then on the grand opening of your exhibition at your studio, some street thugs crashed the event, spray painting and smashing your work!
How would you feel? Violated? Angry? Broken-hearted? Mourning over the ruin of your work? Now think of this on a universal scale, and not just with the natural world of this planet, but with the vile vandalism of human souls perpetrated by Satan!
But the glory of GOD – His beauty, His artistry, His knowledge and wisdom, His intricacies of design in the macrocosmic and microscopic capacities will one day be restored!
As well as this, His benevolence, His grace, His holiness and His love are being restored incrementally, one heart at a time as souls are brought back to their Creator and Redeemer for salvation and they bear in their being the nature of Christ.
That is what glorifies GOD! Seeing the mark of malignant, miserable sin wiped clean off of the souls of His humanity and indelibly imprinted with the Spirit of GOD that produces the fruit of the Spirit! For our Abba Father to see the resemblance of His beloved Son, JESUS in us, His adopted children who have received the Gospel and become His disciples!
JOHN 15:9-10
9 "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
How astounding this really is! How perfect, how complete, how everlasting, flowing throughout eternity is the love of the Father for His only begotten Son! And that same level of sublime love is what Christ has – FOR YOU! It’s no wonder why we will need glorified bodies in heaven: the intensity of this Almighty Love will be so great that these bodies wouldn’t be able to handle it!
Now, let’s dwell in this love from our LORD Jesus! Let’s be comfortable here and be at home with this love. Like that redwood tree with deepest of roots, let’s abide in this love of Christ and not be moved away from it, “to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season” HEB 11:25). It’s been said that the last days of apostle John on this Earth, his constant refrain to the saints was “Little children, love one another”. This is the command of Christ, which is impossible for us to keep by our own power just as any fruit bearing is impossible without Christ’s Spirit and enabling grace to accomplish.
JOHN 13:34-35And this quality of agape love cannot be imitated by human effort or will. THAT is how people will know that we aren’t the disciples of some religious guru or prophet, but Christ’s disciples Who demonstrated His love unequivocally on Calvary’s cross!
34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
Obeying the commands of our LORD is an evidence of our love for Him – and remembering that He loved us before we loved Him (1 JOHN 4:19), and the love we receive from Him? We pay that forward, to one another, as He commanded!
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