Abiding in the Vine - John 15:1-11

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 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. I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and [that] your joy might be full. -- John 15:1-11, KJV, emphasis mine

First of all, it's clear here that Jesus is talking about believers in the whole passage. After all, he says "every branch in me" and you can't be in Him and not in Him. So let's get that much over with and move on. We're not talking about salvation, we're talking about sanctification, and the bearing of fruit.

What sort of fruit will we be bearing? The fruit of the Spirit, which is listed over and over again throughout the New Testament, by more than one author. Although evangelism could be considered a fruit, I don't think it's the fruit that Jesus is talking about.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

Jesus is the only vine wherein we can be grafted; all others are imitations and will not cause us to bear the fruit of His Spirit. Jesus is the vine through which we receive the life-giving sap of the Holy Spirit, and God the Father tends the vineyard.

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Every member of Christ that doesn't bring forth fruit of the Spirit is taken away from the place of fruit-bearing. Whether that be taken out of life, taken out of the ministry, whichever, God will not be mocked of His children especially. Even the branches that bare fruit must be purged (cleansed) in order that they can bear more fruit. No one in the vine gets out of being cleansed in some way, because the purpose of the vine is to bear fruit.

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

We are cleansed, or purged, by the Words of Christ. The Spirit is going to bring to remembrance the truth in order to cleanse us.

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. I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Jesus reiterates: the only way we are going to bear fruit is by abiding in Him. Period. Abide in Him, and you will bring forth the fruit of the Spirit. Don't abide in Him, and you won't.

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned.

Again, Jesus warns of the consequences of not abiding in the vine. The branch withers without fellowship in Christ, and men easily gather us up and burn us with false doctrine when we do not abide in Him.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

A powerful promise from Christ -- if we abide in Him and are filled with His Words, our prayers will be answered.

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

God is glorified when we bear the fruit of the Spirit.

As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

How do you abide in the vine? Keep His commandments. Pretty straightforward, huh? You remain in life-giving fellowship with Christ by obedience. Just as you don't remain in a close relationship with your parents or your boss if you routinely disobey their orders, you will not remain in fellowship with Christ if you persist in disobeying Him. If you want to bear the fruit of the Spirit, you are going to have to obey the commands He gives you.

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and [that] your joy might be full.

Jesus told us these things, not to scare us, but to give us instruction that would keep us safe and give us joy.