“I am the vine, you are the branches; if you abide in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” John 15:5.
If you are a Christian, saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, you have been supernaturally born again by the power of the Holy Spirit and you abide in Christ. A Christian is a living branch connected to the Vine. This is a Biblical metaphor of the Christian’s life in Christ. Jesus Christ is the “true vine” and God the Father “is the vinedresser” (John 15:1).
What does Jesus mean to “abide in Me?” First, a Christian has union with Christ. This means Jesus Christ dwells within you through the Holy Spirit and you abide (live, remain, dwell) in Him (Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 3:16). Second, since Christ dwells within you and has given you spiritual life, you are given God’s love to love Christ and others. When you are born again in Christ, God gives you His supernatural love (agape) through the Holy Spirit. Listen to Romans 5:5, where Paul writes about God’s love that is given to the believing Christian:
“God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” Romans 5:5.
Third, since you love Christ, you “hunger and thirst” after things of God and you live to obey God’s Word (Matthew 5:6). Christians know they need food to live physically, but more importantly, they know and understand they need God’s Word to live and grow spiritually.
“You know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every Word that comes from the mouth of God” Deuteronomy 8:3.
A Christian loves Jesus and loves to obey the Words of Jesus, God’s Word. This is a defining mark of a Christian. A person who says they love Jesus but lives a lifestyle disobeying Jesus Christ and His Word is deceived and not a disciple of Jesus at all. Listen to the words of Jesus:
“If you abide in my Word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” John 8:31-32.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, the Holy Spirit of truth” John 14:15-17.
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love” John 15:10.
And finally, to abide in Christ means God’s Word abides (lives, remains, dwells) in the Christian’s life, and in this way, the Christian is pruned (cleansed) by God through His Word by the power of the Holy Spirit.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you…By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” John 15:7-8.
The abiding life in Christ leads to a life of bearing fruit – supernatural fruit of the Holy Spirit – given to us by God. This is also a mark of a Christian. Listen to R.C. Sproul from his commentary on John:
“Jesus introduced that rich word abide, which has to do with remaining close to Him. Jesus declared that our productivity, our fruitfulness, is directly linked to our abiding in Him. As Christians, we will bear fruit, but it will vary in degree. The closer we stay to Christ, the more fruit we will bear. The more we wander out from the center and neglect the means of grace that He has given to us, the less fruit we will produce” (R.C. Sproul, St. Andrews Commentary on John, p. 288).
Beloved, this is the life of a Christian – abiding in Christ and bearing much fruit! “If you abide in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” John 15:5.
May God bless you with His grace, love, and truth!