CHRIST THE VINE
Consider our Lord’s words from the fifteenth chapter of John’s Gospel: “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” (John 15:1-5).
When Jesus speaks of the intention of God concerning our relationship with him, it always has to do with relationship. Personal relationship. Our goal is described as simply “abiding” in Christ. These words take on tremendous significance when you consider the situation the apostles were in. They were about to be commissioned to take the gospel into the world, yet they were facing the departure of the physical presence of Christ from their midst, back to heaven.
Now, considering the work of the Great Commission—taking the Gospel into all the world (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16)—we must recognize the absolutely overwhelming task at hand. But Jesus has great words of comfort for them in John 13-17 as he prepares to leave the earth. He will be with them. Now notice the order in which he addresses the matter. He does not speak first of “bearing fruit.” That is highly significant.
The most important job in the world, excepting the work of Christ himself, fell to the apostles. They and their helpers would take the good news of Jesus into all the world to make sure that Christ’s saving accomplishments were made known to sinners everywhere. “Bearing fruit” speaks of the work of God. When we do God’s work, in other words, we are bearing fruit. And yet, he does not start with that subject. He starts with the matter of a personal union with himself.
“Abide in me and you will bear fruit.” That order is vitally important. If we miss the correct sequence of truth here, we will not be doing the work of God. Jesus does not start with telling them about the work. He talks about the relationship. “Abide in me. Then the fruit will come.” Our job is not to bear fruit—that’s God’s business. It is to abide in Christ. That is the same as saying our job is not to work for God but to focus on Christ and maintain a personal relationship with him. The works will come then and all the verses in the Bible about doing work for God must be understood in that light. And, if read in context, there is no other way they could be interpreted.
Can people do good things without God? In a relative sense, of course they can. An atheist may raise money for a charitable cause, and many have done so. But something can only be considered “good,” biblically speaking—and this is a message for the atheist and the church people alike—is if it is done through the power of Christ. When he said in verse 5, ”Without me you can do nothing,” what did he mean? He certainly did not mean that absolutely, because there are many things we can do without a personal relationship with Jesus. But there is nothing we can do that will count with God without him.
If one abides in Christ—that is, maintains a personal connectedness to him through focus on him and faith in him—here is the promise “The one who abides in me and I in them will bear much fruit.” Successful work for God depends upon abiding in Jesus Christ. A relationship with him. Which means if you want to be a “worker for the Lord,” stay connected to and focus on him. A branch cannot fail to bear the fruit of a healthy vine. Christ’s promise cannot fail, either.
Dewayne Dunaway
