Abide in Christ —The Vine and the Branch
While teaching His disciples, Jesus revealed the intimate relationship believers share with Him. As He spoke, He showed the heavenly Father’s role in deepening our enjoyment of abiding in Christ.
John 15:1 NKJV I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
John 15:4 NKJV 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.
John 15:5 NKJV 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.
John 15:7-8 NKJV 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.
Our Lord was presenting the possibility of our abiding in Him.
He was talking about grapes and the vine, but He was referring to His relationship with the church. Jesus said: “I am the True Vine.” He is the genuine vine and source of life.
Jesus said, “God the Father is the Vinedresser.”
The Vinedresser keeps of the vineyard. The Father is working to produce life and increase fruit from your connection with Christ. He is the One who planted and cares for the Vine. He is the One who prunes and purges. He cleans and protects the Vine and the Branches.
The Church will never die because the Father is taking care of it.
We are branches that are connected to the Lord Jesus Christ. In the vineyard, the branches are the focus of the Vinedresser’s efforts. Branches are supported and held up so that they will have every possibility to abundantly produce fruit. Each branch is judged on the basis of how they relate to the True Vine. They are either unfruitful (vs 2) or fruitful (vs 2-3) branches of the true Vine. They are either unattached (vs. 4-6) or attached (vs. 7-8) branches of the true Vine.
God wants you to produce fruit that is a testimony of your connection with Jesus.
The fruit from your life is a living testimony of Christ and everything that He is to you.
Psalm 1:3 NKJV The Righteous “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.”
Fruit is the natural product from your connection with the Lord Jesus Christ. Fruit bearing represents a thought, attitude, or action that God values because it glorifies Him.
John 15:8 NKJV By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
John 15:2-8 lists four stages of fruit bearing.
- No fruit, vs. 2
- Fruit, vs. 2
- More fruit, vs 2
- Much fruit, vs. 5
God the Father is glorified when you bear much fruit.
2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
God the Father is watching over you to assure that the fruit you bear is a testimony of Christ. He desires fruitfulness in every area of your life and in everything you do. This fruit relates to people being added to the kingdom, Romans 1:13. Fruitfulness is to righteousness and eternal life, Romans 6:21-23. Bearing fruit is Christian character, the fruit of the Spirit. That is full love, overflowing joy, peace that overcomes, patience that endures, kindness in action, a life of virtue, faith that prevails, gentleness of heart and strength of spirit, Galatians 5:22-23.
When we bear fruit, God gets all the glory.
Bearing fruit demonstrates our greatest personal potential and fulfillment. God is actively working in you to cause you to really produce much fruit. He wants every branch on the Vine to bear fruit to the highest degree.
Jesus gave specific conditions for bearing fruit in your life.
- In John 15:3, He said we are clean by the Word that is spoken to us. The Heavenly Father cleanses and purges us by His Word. His Word cleanses our thoughts, attitude, motives, behavior, passion, and will.
- To bear fruit, we must abide in Christ, vs 5.
- To bear fruit, we must be obedient to Christ, vs 10,12.
If we are to bear fruit, we must be cleansed, abide in Christ and be obedient to Him. This represents an indispensable vital connection to Christ. If we are going to have a fruit-filled life, we must abide in Him. From what Jesus said, the only true purpose for the branch is bearing fruit. Without fruit, the branch is good for nothing. We must be vitally united to Christ, and bear fruit. If we are a fruitless branch, the Lord will have us removed and cast into the fire and to be burned.
What does it mean to abide in Christ and to bear fruit?
When we abide in Christ, there is a constant renewal and cleansing that is a result of the Word of God and the work of the Father. When we abide in Christ, we enjoy a conscious awareness of His presence and anointing.
We know that He is working inside of us. When we abide in Christ, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from sin. When we are abiding in Christ, we know that we are saved and cleansed.
When we abide in Him, we have confidence that we will not be ashamed at His coming, 1 John 2:28. When we abide in Him, we keep His commandments and His Spirit works in us, (1 John 3:34, 4:13). Abiding in Him produces love, unity, and a bond of fellowship with other believers, John 17:21-23; 1 John 4:16, 20.
You need to know that the Father in heaven is the Vinedresser and that His is attentive to everything that happens with the Vine and the branches.
As a result of the Father’s care, there is a judgment that is related with the Vine.
Jesus said, “The unfruitful branches are taken away.”
He was referring to attached branches. They are different from the unattached branches, vs 4-6. Jesus said they are “IN ME,” but they bear no fruit. They look healthy, but they bear no fruit. They have had some organic relationship with Him and began to bud and sprout. They heard the Word and may have been productive at some point. They grew into branches, heard the Word, and were open to some degree of the Holy Spirit’s work. They once had faith and trusted in Him.
At one time they were capable of bearing fruit, but they became unfruitful.
It is an undeniable fact that they were in the Vine, but Christ no longer has an impact on their life. They do not draw enough from Christ to sustain life and as a result they do not bear fruit. The Lord said: “They cannot continue in the Vine!” (Matthew 24:13; 13:13). God is serious about this and is prepared to cut them off. They are unfruitful and predisposed to abandon the faith, 1 John 2:19. We should take this warning seriously.
God is going to “take away” unfruitful branches.
This is a severe warning to everyone who has received grace and salvation.
If there is such a great judgment upon not bearing fruit, then how do we bear fruit?
Fruit bearing is directly related to abiding in Christ and the active surrender to the Father’s touch. Fruit bearing fully depends on current persistent relationship with Christ. We must have the active work of the Vinedresser in our lives.
Horticulturist say, “the Vinedresser constantly prunes the vines and removes dead and broken wood, and branches that produced last year’s fruit. Grapes are only borne on one-year-old branches.”
If you want to bear fruit, you must abide close to the heart of the vine. No one bears fruit apart from Jesus Christ. The life and fruit of the branch is a direct result of abiding in Christ. By abiding in Christ, the Holy Spirit of life flows through the believer. In Christ, there is purpose, significance and life. In Christ, there is resurrection quickening life.
How can you bear more fruit?
John 15:2 “Every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”
Pruning is not pleasant because the Vinedresser comes and removes everything that hinders fruit production. God will do what is necessary in you to encourage fruitfulness. He will cut off things that hinder and cleanse and refine. He will encourage a fuller and deeper connection with Jesus Christ. We must allow God to work freely in our lives. God the Father will not only prune away what hinders fruitfulness, He will flood you with the Holy Spirit and soak you with His presence. Will you surrender to the Father’s work in your life?