In the final hours before his death, Jesus spoke many profound things to his disciples. Of the many discourses we know Jesus gave during that final night, John records one which is unique to his gospel account and tells us a great deal about who Jesus is, who we are in relation to him, and how we are to live as his people.
In John 15, Jesus uses the symbol of a vine with its branches to describe how we are uniquely and vitally connected to him by the power of the Holy Spirit. In verse 4, he says, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” In the following verse, he tells his disciples, “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Those who abide in him are not only those who can bear fruit (who have the ability) but they who actually do bear good fruit (it actually happens)—not apart from him, but because of him. His power not only give us the ability to bear fruit, but it actually causes us to bear that fruit in reality.
Jesus could not be any clearer—we do not have any ability to bear fruit on our own. Just as a branch cut from a tree will never bear fruit and can only wither and die, so we also will not bear fruit if we are not connected with him. Conversely, like a tree gives life to its branches and causes it to bloom with flowers and ultimately bear beautiful and delicious fruit, so our connection with Jesus is the only means by which we can live in a way that is pleasing to God.
Jesus’ teaching in John 15 shows us that we don’t only need his perfect life, sacrificial death, and vindicating resurrection to get into the kingdom in the first place; we also need it every time we get out of bed in the morning, because we have no ability to progress in the Christian life apart from him. The glorious truths of gospel don’t merely save us from judgement and give us a second chance at ‘getting it right this time.’ They also empower us and sustain us each and every day, and they keep us persevering until the very end.
And just as a branch never causes itself to grow, but is instead produced by the tree that grows it, so also we aren’t responsible for our connection with the tree in the first place. He is the one who connects us to himself, he is the one that gives us life, and he is the one who causes us to bear fruit that leads to the glory of God. All of this is from Christ, from beginning to end. May we all rest in those truths today!
All the best,
Luke
