“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me” (John 15:4).
Introduction
We owe our existence in the garden of God to the Vine that the Husbandman planted. We are expected to remain connected to the Vine if we are to continue receiving the sustenance needed for growth. This “abiding” means that a believer must remain in constant union with Christ, but what if a branch does not choose to abide? Some may ague against any actual falling, but to do so negates the necessity and the meaning of abiding in Christ. Is it not amazing that so many Christians want Jesus to abide constantly in them, but they dismiss the need of abiding in Him?
Our union with Christ
This union with the Lord began the moment we became a “new creature” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and took the first step on the pathway called “newness of life” (Romans 6:4). At that point we removed ourselves from the world and promised to trust and obey Him for the rest of our lives. Through the new birth we became God’s children. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14). We speak of Jesus being in us and we in Him, a sacred union with our Saviour.
This parable of the Vine reveals something of the foundation of that union, and the consequences of not maintaining it. Just as the vine feeds the branches in the natural plant, so too does Christ supply us with all that is needed to produce good fruit. As soon as any branch is disconnected from the vine it cannot produce any fruit, but instead is useless and dying. Failing to observe Christ’s intended meaning here is self-deception at its worst.
The word “in” refers to more than simply being a member of a church, for it expresses the truth that we are literally part of the work of God in Christ. We have His life, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Such a union is almost as close as that shared by the Godhead, “At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you” (John 14:20). This union is maintained by the Holy Spirit in those that truly love, serve and obey the Lord. “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21).
Except
The above thoughts are qualified by the use of the word “except” (unless). The word carries with it a condition. The condition has already been expressed by the Lord, therefore life and fruitfulness can only be maintained as long as we remain in Christ. If this is not the intended meaning, then we have to assume Christ was mistaken and the branch can produce fruit all by itself. Such a notion is as ridiculous in the spiritual as it is in the natural. Plainly stated, there must be unbroken union between the Vine and the branches. “Keeping up of this vital connection is made essential to continued fruitfulness” (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown). There is no value to the exhortation if a believer can exist as a child of God outside of Christ. Just as Jacob with the angel, so we must cling to Christ if we are to continue in the blessing. “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me” (Genesis 32:26).
There are many who have removed themselves from Christ but remain in the church. They spend a lifetime struggling to produce the same fruit they see in those who are in union with their Lord. What they may produce is simply an imitation of the true, and it is brought about through good works rather than a natural outcome of being united with Christ. This can all change the moment they allow God to work a miracle and graft them back into the Vine.
There are others who are still attached, but barely. They are clinging on for dear life. They want the joys of Heaven, but still long after the world. Sooner or later these branches will fall from the vine too. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” (Matthew 6:24-25). “Those who abide not in Christ, though they may flourish for awhile in outward profession, yet come to nothing” (Matthew Henry). Yet the gardener can completely unite the branch to the vine again. It need not perish and suffer total removal; instead it can experience life and fruitfulness to its fullest once again. “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent” (Revelation 2:5).
The word “except” is given for us to understand that there is no exception to the rule in the Lord’s teaching. He does not modify His word to fit a person’s unscriptural view of salvation, commitment or holiness. “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). None can produce fruit that glorifies God except those who constantly, unceasingly, unreservedly and completely abide in Christ. This does not take will power, but it is an act of the will, for it requires wholehearted devotion. “With my whole heart have I sought thee” (Psalm 119:10). It goes without saying that it will take wholeheartedness to abide in Christ. “thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” (Mark 12:30).
Conclusion
We cannot plant ourselves in God’s vineyard; we cannot connect ourselves to the Vine; we cannot bear fruit by ourselves; therefore it is totally the work of God in us. “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1). Nevertheless we cannot avoid the plain and simple teaching of the text; we must constantly and wholeheartedly abide in Christ if we are to continue receiving His life and produce fruit. If our “life is hid with Christ in God” then we cannot expect His life to be fruitless and barren (Colossians 3:3). The Vine bears fruit through the branches, the fruit being the observable sign of its fertility and life. Branches full of fruit glories the Husbandman. Does not the lack of fruit suggest the exact opposite? Abiding in Christ is the answer to any desire to backslide or any possibility of falling away. “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23).
© 31/3/2010