Chad Coley
The Gospel According To John
The Vine & the Branches
John 15:1 - 3
15 January 2023
Are we fulfilling the purpose for which we were redeemed? True Christians will bear fruit, and the Father is glorified when we do so.
Christ is the source of life. Jesus gives an illustration in John 15 about the vine that gives life to the branches: Christ is the vine, and His disciples are the branches. Israel was to be the conduit of God's salvation to the world, but largely failed to do so. They rejected their Messiah when He came, but still He gives life to those who seek Him.
We see the selective work of God in salvation. The Father is the gardener who prunes fruit-bearing branches, and removes ones that do not. Real believers will produce good works for God, and false believers do not. Just like Judas, God removes them from the wellbeing of the body.
We see the soothing word to the disciples. Christ said that they were pruned clean like a fruiting branch: they were real disciples, but needed the daily cleaning from the stains of the world.