5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” – John 15:5 NIV
On his eightieth birthday, John Quincy Adams was walking slowly along a Boston street. A friend asked him "How is John Quincy Adams today?"
The former president replied graciously, "Thank you, John Quincy Adams is well, sir, quite well, I thank you. But the house in which he lives at present is becoming dilapidated. It is tottering upon the foundations. Time and the seasons have nearly destroyed it. Its roof is pretty well worn out, its walls are shattered, and it trembles with every wind. The old tenement is becoming almost uninhabitable, and I think John Quincy Adams will have to move out of it soon; but he himself is quite well, sir, quite well."
Even though our old man is decaying, our new man is being renewed day by day. How is this possible? By “abiding in the Vine.”
The word, “abide” means “to remain.” It pictures that salvation has already taken place (1 John 2:19). People do not first abide in Jesus and then receive salvation, but they instead receive salvation first and then as a result they will abide in the Lord (the Vine).
We can safely conclude this: The abiding believer is the only legitimate believer. There is none else. Any believer who does not abide in the Vine is not a legitimate one. This is the reason for Jesus’ potent remarks in verse 6: If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
It is crucial that as believers we understand who is who. Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches. The branch does not live for the Vine, but the Vine lives its life “through” the branches. Whatever is in the Vine will manifest itself through its branches. This is called “fruit.” If Christians want to be fruitful, then living for the Lord is not enough. But allowing the Lord to live through you will produce the necessary fruit which will be manifested through the branch.
This is why the connection between the branch and the Vine is so necessary. If you cut off a branch from the Vine and put it in the middle of your yard hoping it will produce fruit, you will be very disappointed. A branch disconnected from the Vine will die. But if all the branches were disconnected from the Vine, the Vine itself would still continue to grow. Why? Because the life and health of the Vine is not determined on its branches, but more realistically, the branches are very dependent on the Vine for its life and health.
Therefore, the key to understanding this passage by Jesus is to remember this:
Jesus Abides in us
We Abide in Jesus
Jesus lives His life through us
We then have fruitful lives.
For a more critical observation to behold, notice in the first part of verse 2, you see the first level of fruit bearing: “bear fruit.” Then as you move down to the end of verse 2, you see a second level of fruit bearing: “more fruit.” When you get to verse 5, we come across the third level of fruit bearing: “much fruit.”
What is the difference? What makes this third level of fruit bearing different than the first two? What is the deciding factor? It is not only that the branches “abides in the Vine,” but also that the “Vine abides in the branches” (“I in you” – v. 4; “I in him” – v. 5).
Why is this significant? Because although a Christian who is living a carnal life can still said to be “abiding in the Vine,” that does not mean that Jesus is “abiding in him.” Now I am not saying that Jesus leaves the believer, no that’s not what the bible teaches. What I am saying is this: Abiding also has the idea of being at home with. When we have going sin in our lives, Jesus is surely not at home in our hearts. Oh, yes, He is still living there, but not comfortably. He is grieved (Eph. 4:30). But when He is comfortable living within our lives and thus also abiding in us, then that’s when the “much fruit” will be produced.
So here is the key for “much fruit” bearing:
We Abide in Christ
Christ Abide in us
Fruit bearing and more fruit can occur in the lives of nominal Christians. But “much fruit” bearing only occurs in the lives of those whom Jesus also abides in as well. This is where Jesus lives His life through me without any interference whatsoever. I am totally consecrated to Him and now He can live His life through me to bear the necessary fruit that will bring glory – not to the branch, but to the Vine!
