In John 15:1-8, we read Jesus's teaching on the True Vine. This would have been very understandable to His listeners because grape growing was quite common in Israel. Jesus contrasted Himself, the True Vine, to Israel, who was called the vine that produced wild grapes because of their rebellion (Isaiah 5:1-7).
The Vinedresser And The Vine
Jesus tells us that He is the vine while His Father is the Vinedresser. The job of the Vinedresser was to make sure that the grape vines produced an abundance of good quality grapes. This job was a daily one of pruning and cultivating. The grape vine is where the branches are produced and the branches are the part of the plant that bear fruit.
The Importance Of Abiding In The Vine
There is no fruit without the vine. The branch must remain, or abide, in the vine to produce fruit. The branch doesn't immediately produce fruit; it gains nutrients from the vine before it can do so. Interestingly, the word most often used in this passage is "abide." 1 John 3:24 says that if we abide in Him we will be obedient to Him and that His Spirit will live in us.
Abiding Causes Growth
Grape vines, if left unattended and unpruned, will grow into a wild, messy bush that grows little fruit. The first year of a new plant's life is dedicated to building up stores of nutrients and fruit is normally not produced until the plant is three year's old. This tells us something about our lives in Christ.
The Role Of God's Word
The nutrients that we receive come from the Word of God. The first thing we should do in our Christian walk is to saturate ourselves with the Word of God. It is here that we go to understand who God is, what He expects from us, and who our strength is. Then we are able to produce good fruit and do His will. Being nourished by the vine is the only way to live a successful Christian life. (Psalm 1:2-3 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Fruit Comes From Abiding
We can't take fruit and tape it to an oak tree to make it be a fruit tree. The fruit that comes from the vine is natural. It doesn't have to think about becoming fruit—it just does. This happens because it remains on the vine. Our vine, our source, must always be Christ. Anything else will not be able to produce good fruit.
Difference Between Christian And Non-Christian Fruit
Our fruit will be our love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. But you may ask, what about non-Christians who show these same traits? Certainly, non-Christians can be loving and kind, they can be peaceful and patient, they can show gentleness and self-control. So, if this is true, what is the difference between their good characteristics and ours? (Galatians 5:22-23, Matthew 7:16-20)
Purpose Of Christian Fruit
Our fruit is solely for the purpose of feeding others. The grape is only useful when it is for the enjoyment of others. In our case, we can produce nothing good—only God who lives in us can do that (John 15:5). Our fruit exists to do the will of God. Its purpose is to advance the kingdom of God on earth. It is to glorify God (John 15:8).
Faking It
We can pose as Christians by going to church, doing good, and even showing love and joy. But if we are not abiding in Christ, then none of it is real. In fact, we can begin to believe that our own goodness is what makes us worthy of God. It can make us judgmental towards those who aren't as good as we think we are (Ephesians 2:8-9 and Matthew 7:21-23). The fakeness of all of those good deeds is often shown in times of crisis. How do we respond in bad times?
Challenges Of Abiding
Abiding in Christ means submitting to the Vinedresser, which may be literally painful. We may have to suffer loss, but most certainly we will have to suffer the loss of ourselves. It hurts to take up our cross and follow Him. We may lose friends, family, our jobs, perhaps even our lives. Abiding means change. The branches must be pruned to produce more or better fruit. Are we open to change in our lives and in our church? Do we need to get rid of certain things in our life and bring in something new? (Romans 12:1-2)
The Power Of Abiding In Prayer
When God's words abide in us, then when we ask God for things they will be done (John 15:7). This is because the more we understand who God is—not just intellectually but in our hearts—the more the things we ask of Him will be His will (1 John 5:14-15). What if our whole congregation, our entire church prayed the will of God?
Nourished By The Vine
Even with just a small amount of nutrients, a grapevine can produce fruit. But with proper care and nourishment, it can produce a bountiful crop of delicious fruit. Our nourishment as Christians comes from our Savior. Do we read His words? Do we speak with Him in prayer? Do seek His will? How much are we being nourished? (2 Peter 3:18, 1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Discernment Of Gifts And Talents
Often, you will see Christians running around trying to do it all. They teach, they sing, they do outreach, they volunteer, they visit the sick—all of which are good things—but each of us has God given talents. The closer we are to the Lord, the easier it will be for us to see where those talents should be used. Ask yourself, "What gifts has God blessed me with that I can best use for others?". Just because we aren't doing it all doesn't mean we aren't being fruitful. (1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12:4-8)
Bear Fruit
Our righteousness can only come from faith, and faith comes by hearing the word of God (Philippians 3:9). Our fruit will naturally be produced when we realize that it is the Holy Spirit, and not ourselves, that is transforming us into new creatures (Galatians 5:22-23). Our life comes from Him. "For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:36). Everything that exists comes from God, who sustains our world and everything exists for His purposes. As Paul says in Romans, "to whom be glory forever". Let us give glory to God by abiding in Him and bearing the fruit He has called us to produce.
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