The True Vine
John 15:1-7

I am the true vine - John 15:1

In this parable or allegory, Jesus describes Himself as "the true vine" and those who have become His disciples as "the branches." By remaining attached to Him as the Source of life, they produce fruit. God is the gardener who takes care of the branches in order that they may bear fruit (John 15:2,8). God expects all of us to bear fruit.

Every branch - John 15:2

Jesus speaks of two categories of branches: fruitless and fruitful.

1. The branches that cease to bear fruit are those who no longer have the life in them that comes from enduring faith in and love for Christ. These branches the Father takes away, i.e., He separates them from vital union with Christ (Matthew 3:10). When they stop abiding in Christ, God then judges and rejects them (John 15:6).
   
   
2. The branches that bear fruit are those who have life in them because of their enduring faith in and love for Christ (see Works Of The Flesh And Fruit Of The Spirit). These branches the Father prunes in order that they might become more fruitful. That is, He removes from their lives anything that diverts or hinders the vital life-flow of Christ into them. The fruit is the quality of Christian character that brings glory to God through life and witness (Matthew 3:8; 7:20; Romans 6:22; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:9; Philemon 1:11).
   
   

Abide in me - John 15:4

After a person believes in Christ and is forgiven, he receives eternal life and the power to abide in Christ. Given that power, the believer must then accept that responsibility in salvation and abide in Christ. The Greek word meno means to continue, remain, abide, or dwell. Just as the branch has life only as long as the life of the vine flows into it, so the believer has Christ's life only as long as Christ's life flows into him through his abiding in Christ.

The conditions by which we abide in Christ are:

1. keeping God's Word continually before our memories and minds and making it the guide of our actions (John 15:7);
   
   
2. maintaining, the habit of constant close commu­nion with Christ in order to draw strength and grace from Him (John 15:7);
   
   
3. obeying His commandments, abiding in His love (John 15:10), and loving one another (John 15:12,17);
   
   
4. keeping our lives clean through the Word, resisting all sin, and yielding to the direction of the Holy Spirit (John 15:3; 17:17; Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 5:26; I Peter 1:22).
   
   

He is cast forth as a branch - John 15:6

The parable of the vine and branches makes it unmistakably clear that Christ did not believe "once in the vine, always in the vine." Rather, in this parable Jesus gave His disciples a solemn but loving warning that it is indeed possible for true believers to ultimately abandon faith, turn their backs on Jesus, fail to abide in Him, and thus to be cast into the everlasting fire of hell (John 15:6).

1. We have here the foundational principle governing the saving relationship of Christ and the believer, namely, that it is never a static relationship based solely on a past decision or experience. Rather, it is a progressive relationship as Christ dwells in the believer and shares with him His divine life. (John 17:3; Col. 3:4; I John 5:11-13).
   
   
2. In summary, three important truths are taught in this parable,
   
   
   1. The responsibility of abiding in Christ is placed upon the disciples (John 15:4). This is our response to God's prior gift of divine life and power given at conversion,
      
      
   2. Abiding in Christ results in Jesus' continued in­dwelling (John 15:4), fruitfulness of the disciple (John 15:5), success in prayer (John 15:7), and fullness of joy (John 15:11);
      
      
   3. The consequences of failure to abide in Christ are fruitiessness (John 15:4-5), removal from Christ, and destruction (John 15:2,6).
      
      

Ask what ye will - John 15:7

The secret of answered prayer is abiding in Christ. The nearer we live to Christ through meditation and study of the Scriptures and communion with Him, the more our prayers will be in line with the nature and words of Christ, and hence, the more effectual our prayers will be.(John 14:13; 15:4; Psalm 66:18; see Effective Prayer).