Abide in the Vine
Fruits of the Spirit, Part 2
Read Part 1
You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? (Matthew 7:16)
The Bible talks in multiple places about people being known by their fruit. During most of humanity, we don’t have an obvious mark marking us as belonging to Christ or belonging to the Devil, but the way we think, speak, and act does show to whom we belong. The fruits of the Spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (as listed in Galatians 5) are only found in those who have repented and trusted Jesus as savior. We can only produce this good fruit if we abide in the vine, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Abide in the Vine
First lets look at the whole passage relating to abiding in the vine and the fruit that we bear. Then I will break down the passage in order to glean the key points.
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. (John 15:1-16) {emphasis mine}
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:1-2)
Pruning
Part of bearing fruit includes being pruned. When a plant is pruned, unhealthy branches and branches that are in the way (blocking the air and light or rubbing and causing damage) are cut away. Sometimes a plant even has to be moved to a better location with better soil or better light. Sometimes pruning seems brutal when a large number of branches need pruning, but it strengthens the plant and helps it to produce more fruit. In the same way, we need unhealthy habits and ungodly distractions cut away, so we can focus on God and and to serve Him faithfully.
In Jesus’s parable of the sower He explains,
And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (Mark 4:18-19)
The “the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things” need to be pruned away so that we can be fruitful. This pruning is not necessarily enjoyable at the time, but looking back, it is always needful and for our benefit. If our minds are in sync with God’s, we will look with fondness on those hard days and won’t trade them for anything. Those who run from this pruning will miss the benefit. Those who seek this pruning will grow and flourish the most fully.
And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” (Mark 4:29)
In Christ’s Power, Not our Own
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5) {emphasis mine}
So often we try to live Godly lives in our own strength, but we fail miserably. We need to lean on God. We need to read, understand, and embody God’s word, the Bible. We need to pray for the Spirit’s guidance and strength. Sometimes we need to just rest and wait on the Lord. Other times we need to jump in and act in accordance to His will. Whatever the case and whatever the stage of life, we need to lean on God as our strength and our guide “for apart from {Him} you can do nothing.”
If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. (John 15:6)
Even worse, if we have not trusted God as savior, we can not only not produce fruit, we are good for nothing and will ultimately be “cast … into the fire and … burned.” It is so much better to be pruned and grow in Christ in this life, than to follow the easy path in this life and have an eternity of punishment, sorrow, and agony. It isn’t too late to trust Jesus. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
7If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. (John 15:7-8) {emphasis mine}
Abiding in Alignment with God’s Will
It important to keep verse 8 in mind, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” when you read and try to interpret verse 7, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
If you abide in Jesus, your desires and interests should align with His. You should want to do His will and not just your own. This should cause you to wish for things according to His will and not to ask for frivolous things like wealth, power, and prestige. If you are bearing His fruit, you are His disciple. If you are His disciple, you obey Him. If you obey Him, you glorify Him. God isn’t a magic genie in a bottle that you rub when you have a request and then send back to the bottle when you’re done with Him. God is the creator of the universe. He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and holy. He is someone to praise and to obey, not to use and command.
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. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. (John 15:10-11)
When we abide in Jesus, we love His word and submit to His will. We regularly obey His commandments (Unfortunately this doesn’t mean we will never disobey, but it should mean our normal way of life is obedience.) When we obey His commandments we abide in His love. When we abide in His love, we receive joy (one of the fruits of the Spirit). When we abide in Jesus life is good. It isn’t necessarily (or even likely) easy, but it is good because He is good.
What Does Abiding Look Like?
“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:12-13)
In the Gospels, Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment.
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40)
When we have God’s love, we act on it towards God and towards others. When we wholeheartedly love God and His people, we will show love and love is the embodiment of obedience to our God and creator. When we show love to others, we are sharing the image of God, which was created in us. We are image bearers of our awesome God. This is what we were created to do.
No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15)
Abiding Makes Us Useful
God does not need us to complete His will. He choses us to include us and allow us to “help” Him in the same way a parent lets their toddler “help.” Including a toddler in the work that needs to be done almost always makes it harder to complete the task and it tends to be messier. God including us in His work also is messier, but He loves us and working through us helps us to grow in maturity and love for Him and others just as allowing that toddler to “help” actually helps the toddler grow rather than truly helping with the task.
We should truly be in awe of the idea that the creator of the universe, the creator of everything that is including time and space, would lower himself to think of us as friends instead of slaves. This is the ultimate honor and should never be taken for granted.
16You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. (John 15:16) {emphasis mine}
Let’s thank God for choosing us and appointing us to bear fruit. Let’s thank Him that our fruits of the Spirit will remain even after the end of the world.
Read Part 3 (Love)
Trust Jesus.
your sister in Christ,
Christy
FYI, my following posts will beginning going through each of the individual fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5
Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated
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