Abiding in Christ - Part One

When we moved into the first home we bought, which was in Para Vista, it came with a well-established fruit tree.  This tree produced fabulous “Million Dollar Peaches”, which we enjoyed seasonally each year.  The tree was so laden with fruit one year that the weight cracked one of its branches without completely severing it.  When the time came for the tree to bear fruit again, I noticed a significant difference in the fruit production on that damaged branch.  It flowered as the rest of the branches and little peaches began to grow, but they never became full-sized, delicious “Million Dollar Peaches”.  They lacked sufficient connection with the source of nutrients and so failed to produce that delightful fruit.

Jesus uses a similar reference to fruit bearing in His farewell discourse with His disciples in John 15.  He declares that He is the true vine and His disciples are the branches, with His Father as the vinedresser.  The main point of this extended metaphor is the necessity of remaining connected to Jesus as the source of all spiritual resources so that His disciples can be fruitful in life and ministry.

THE NECESSITY OF ABIDING IN CHRIST                            John 15:3-5

 

The vine is a common metaphor for Israel in the Old Testament, but is usually pitched negatively expressing Israel’s failure and idolatry.  Here, Jesus is the true vine, not as a replacement for Israel but as a fulfilment of its purpose to produce spiritual fruitfulness. God the Father ensures the vine is fruitful by tending its branches, which are the followers of Christ, both genuine and false.

 

The main point of this extended metaphor is abiding in Christ, which the cleansing of sin makes possible.  Jesus declares that His disciples are “clean because of the word that I have spoken to you” (verse 3).  Earlier, when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, He stated that they were clean, but not all of them, as Judas was present at that time.  The genuine disciples had believed in Jesus, received His word and were completely clean.

 

This new status brought them into a relationship with Jesus, which required ongoing connection to enable fruitfulness (verse 4).  Mutual abiding is necessary because believers cannot bear fruit on their own.  Jesus indwells believers by the Holy Spirit and is constant in His part.  Believers are responsible to abide in Christ, experiencing their union with Him.  This is another way of saying they are fully dependent on Him.

 

Jesus repeats that He is the vine and believers are the branches, being direct in identifying the disciples with Him as those branches, “you” (verse 5).  He affirms again the necessity of mutual abiding and then adds its outcome is much fruit.  A genuine disciple’s fruitfulness grows from “fruit” to “more fruit” to “much fruit”, as abiding in Christ continues.  Stressing the main point, Jesus categorically states, “apart from me you can do nothing.”

 

I think you realise that you can do many things apart from Jesus.  These include coming to church, singing Christian songs, praying, witnessing and reading the Bible, as well as watching Netflix, eating out, playing games and so on.  However, nothing of spiritual, eternal significance will occur unless the activity is the fruit of abiding in Christ.  This will become even more apparent as we consider the next sobering reality.

THE CONSEQUENCE OF NOT ABIDING IN CHRIST          John 15:2a, 6

 

God the Father deals with the branches according to their fruitfulness and Jesus teaches that those branches that do not bear fruit are taken away (verse 2a).  In the same way as a natural vine’s dead branches are cut off, so these ones are removed.  The implication is that these branches are not connected to the vine.

 

Verse 6 specifically refers to them as not abiding in Christ.  They are thrown away and consequently, whatever appearance of life they possessed diminishes in the same way a disconnected branch withers.  These branches are collected and then burned in the fire.

 

Who are these branches?  The best answer is consideration of Judas Iscariot, who experienced intimacy with Jesus but never truly believed in Him.  He was one of the chosen twelve, but for a different purpose, as the one who betrayed Jesus to the religious leaders.  The gospel records identify him as an embezzler, stealing from the common purse (John 12:6).  Judas gave the appearance of a genuine disciple, but sadly was not and suffered the consequence of eternal separation from Jesus.

 

This is a sobering warning for those who connect to the Christian church without abiding in Christ, not being born again of God’s Spirit, and not having Jesus’ indwelling presence.  You cannot abide in Christ if He does not abide in you.  The first step is cleansing through the power of the gospel bringing faith and repentance.

In the next instalment of Abiding in Christ, we will consider its results and expression.  Enjoy a blessed Christmas season, celebrating the coming of Messiah, who makes abiding possible.