John 15:4–5
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Here are four truths about abiding in Christ as a branch attached to the vine.
1. We draw on Christ for life
He is our life source, the means by which we draw life and vibrancy. This seems simple and clear, yet somehow we regularly think we can find life somewhere else–as if a branch can unplug itself from the vine and go plant itself elsewhere. Jesus is the vine, not just one of many. We are either drawing on him or withering up and dying.
2. We only bear fruit in Christ
This is a promise of our purpose – to bear fruit, like a vine. So this isn’t a matter of gradation (a good life, and then a really fruitful life). It is a matter of either living a life that matters or not. In Christ, to bear fruit is to live a life of purpose–to produce Christ-like results in all we do. This is true for single and married people, entry level employees and executives, parents and those with no kids, Gen Z and boomers. When we abide in Christ the results in our life are fruitful–sweet, good, beneficial, and what we were made for.
3. We are no spiritual good without Christ
It’s easy to take analogies too far, to over apply them. But here, the very last line is the devastating point of this word picture: apart from Jesus we can do nothing. This is sobering because of how easily we don’t depend on Jesus. If we withdraw from our connection to Jesus, our life dries up. We offer the world nothing–no hope, no vibrance, no sweetness.
4. We are abundant in Christ
If we abide in Christ we will bear fruit. And not just some, but much fruit the text tells us. No one who abides in Christ lives a small life with little impact. Some of us are called to public ministry, and some live lives of quiet faithfulness. And in Christ, we all bear much fruit.
I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.
