JESUS, THE TRUE VINE: Abiding in Fruitfulness

“‘I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.’” (‭‭John‬ ‭15:1-8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

This is the seventh and last of the “I AM” statements in John’s Gospel. Jesus declares that He is the True Vine in contrast to Israel that claimed to be God’s vine, yet were a false vine because they were not a fruitful vine. It is through Christ that all the covenant blessings promised to Abraham’s seed are fulfilled.

True followers of Christ are those branches that are vitally connected to Him. Christianity is not the dead branch of religion that may appear good, but has no eternal fruitfulness for there is no real relationship with Jesus. Such branches are destined for the fire. Jesus said that His followers are recognized by their fruit (Matt.7:16-20).

There will be varying degrees of fruitfulness, but there will be genuine fruit (Gal.5:22-23). Our aim is to see increasing fruitfulness and thus to glorify God.

The first essential is a saving connection. The word, “abide” is used eleven times in eleven verses. This is a relationship that comes by faith and is manifested by fruit. You never see a branch on a grape vine straining to produce fruit. It is the connection that makes the difference.  Apart from Christ, you can do nothing (v.5b)—zip, zero, zilch!

The second essential is the pruning action. Jesus is the Vine, but the Father is the Vinedresser. The way branches become productive is by pruning. Good branches are cut back and that makes them produce more fruit rather than more foliage. That it increases is seen in the progression from “fruit” to “more fruit,” (John 15:2), to “much fruit,” (v.5).    

The third essential is the spiritual transformation. This happens as we abide daily in God’s Word until it abides in us and abide in prayer with Him (v.7).  We often have scant and shriveled fruit because we spend little time in hearing from Christ in His Word and conversing with Him in prayer. You cannot expect to be fruitful for Christ in public if you are not faithful with Christ in private.