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JOHN 15
Subject of the passage
Having emerged from the upper room, the Lord Jesus and His eleven remaining apostles make their way towards the Mount of Olives. Chapters 13 and 14 concerned matters when believers come together, but the next two have to do with how to deal with the outside world, so it is fitting that they should be spoken outside the confines of the upper room.
Often Jewish houses had a vine or a fig tree trained over the outside walls. To dwell “every man under his vine and under his fig tree”, 1 Kings 4:25; Micah 4:4, was an expression denoting peace, security and prosperity. Nathaniel was “under the fig tree” when the Lord saw him, John 1:48. It was quite possible that the house the Lord and His apostles were leaving had a vine trained over it, and this provided the illustration of the teaching about to be given.
In this chapter the Lord bases His teaching on the characteristics of a grapevine, which had been used in the Old Testament as a symbol of Israel. Now, however, the vine is Himself, and believers are the branches, and the husbandman or vine-dresser is God the Father, rather than God as God of Israel.
Structure of the passage
| (a) | Verse 1 | The vine and the vinedresser |
| (b) | Verse 2a | The vine and the taking away of a branch |
| (c) | Verse 2b,3 | The vine and the purging of the branches |
| (d) | Verses 4-6 | The vine and the abiding of the branches |
| (e) | Verses 7-11 | The vine and the joy of the vintage |
| (f) | Verses 12-17 | The vine and the love of believers |
| (g) | Verses 18-27 | The vine and the hatred of the world |
(a) Verse 1
The vine and the vinedresser
15:1
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
I am the true vine- by using the word “true” the Lord was declaring that the features that are found in a vine are truly found in Him. He is also indicating that the vine of the Old Testament, the nation of Israel, was being superseded. He had described Himself as the True Bread. The allusion being to the manna, the bread that came down from heaven for Israel in the wilderness. That was real bread, it was not illusory, but it was not the final expression. That final expression was found in Christ, so He calls Himself the True Bread, the ultimate reality of which the manna was an anticipation. It is the same with Him as the True Vine.
Several Old Testament writers use the figure of a vine to describe Israel. The psalmist wrote, “Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.” Psalm 80:8-10. This is Israel, brought out of Egypt, and planted in the land of Canaan. He continues, “She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river”, describing the way the kingdom was expanded under David and Solomon until the furthest bounds of the land promised to Abraham were reached. But the psalmist is perplexed, and asks, “Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her? The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.” The Gentiles have overrun the land, and the dividing hedge between them and the nation has been broken down, and the land and the nation have been spoiled.
There follows a plea from the psalmist on behalf of the nation, “Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself. It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.” The word he uses for branch here in the expression “the branch that thou madest strong for thyself”, is “ben”, meaning son, and would refer to Judah, the son of Jacob chosen to be the kingly tribe. Clearly Judah has failed, for the tribe was taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar. The answer to this failure lies in the one spoken of next. “Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.”
The Lord Jesus, who sprang out of Judah, is currently at the right hand of God, for as Peter pointed out on the day of Pentecost, the one who is the fruit of the loins of David according to the flesh, has been exalted by the right hand of God’s power, Acts 2:29-35. He is the one who has been made strong for God, (for the right hand of God’s power has exalted Him), to bring about the restoration of Israel, to God’s glory.
The psalmist then anticipates the words of the remnant of Israel in a day to come, pledging to not go back from the worship of God as their forbears had done, but, quickened with eternal life as they believe on the Messiah, they promise to call upon God’s name henceforth. They will say, “So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.” Psalm 80:8-19.
Isaiah speaks in similar terms, but he emphasises the work that God had put in to produce grapes from His vineyard, but it had brought forth wild grapes. He wrote, “Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.” Isaiah 5:1-7. It is interesting that these words are a song, and they are addressed to one who is Isaiah’s beloved, whom he calls his wellbeloved. The result of the careful tending of this vineyard should have been an abundant harvest, with a vintage causing great songs of rejoicing. Sadly, it was not so, and the prophet has to describe the way that the hedge of the vineyard was broken down, and the vineyard was destroyed by outsiders, meaning that the Gentiles would overrun the nation, and take it captive.
It was not that the vine had no potential to produce fruit, for Jeremiah records God’s words, “Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then are ye turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? Jeremiah 2:21,. A noble vine was one of a stock which would yield purple grapes, the richest variety.
So the vine that God had planted had degenerated into a wild plant, and Hosea records of Israel that it had become “an empty vine”, and “he bringeth forth fruit unto himself”, Hosea 10:1. This being the case, God replaced it with His Son, His well-beloved, who will bring forth fruit to His glory. Christ has all the features that ideally should be seen in a vine, especially one that the Lord has planted. The degenerate vine is represented by Judas, (who has the same name as Judah, God’s “pleasant plant”, Isaiah 5:7), who will soon commit suicide. The nation had committed suicide by forsaking God in Old Testament times, so that Hosea exclaimed, “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself”, Hosea 13:9. It would do so again by crucifying its Messiah. It is interesting to notice in this connection the way in which Matthew places the suicide of Judas immediately after the condemnation of the Lord Jesus by the Sanhedrin, Matthew 27:1-5. We read, “Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw he was condemned…went and hanged himself”. Thus Matthew links the condemnation of Christ and the suicide of Judas. The nation had committed suicide by condemning Him, and Judas becomes their representative. The men of Judah were God’s pleasant plant in His vineyard, (and Judas was probably the only apostle from Judah’s territory, being from Kerioth), but like Judah, Judas became a degenerate vine.
There are two main words translated “true” in the New Testament. One means to be true to fact, actual. The other one, which is used in the expression “I am the true vine” means real and ideal. So it is undeniable that Israel was suitably depicted under the figure of a vine, and certain features of a vine and a vineyard were seen in the nation. The nation failed, however, and will need to be brought back by their Messiah. But He is the vine in another sense, for in this present age God is uniting believers to Him as branches are united to a vine, and since He is the “Ideal Vine”, He will never degenerate or be trodden underfoot.
And my Father is the husbandman- so His position as true vine does not mean He is independent of His Father. He had grown up before God as a tender plant, and was a root out of a dry ground, Isaiah 53:2. There was nothing in Israel that could cause Him to flourish. But flourish He did, by living by His Father, John 6:57, and His Father supporting Him. He had the promise “I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son”, Hebrews 1:5, and so it came to pass. He lived a life of complete dependence on His Father, and His Father responded by giving Him every support. In this He is the supreme example to His people, the branches in the vine. They too must depend wholly on the Father.
(b) Verse 2
The vine and the taking away of a branch
15:2
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 branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away- this verse has caused much disquiet amongst believers, for many have suggested that a branch that does not bear any fruit is here said to be cut off from the vine, and the burning of verse 6 happens to it. The idea of some, therefore, is that since the branch is in the vine, and therefore should be looked on as a believer, it is possible for a true believer to lose his salvation if he is not apparently fruitful. This is definitely not the teaching of Scripture. We could say at the outset that if this were the situation here, would it not be made clear what not bearing fruit is? There is no definition of unfruitfulness to assess ourselves by in this grave matter of the risk of being cut off. This in itself would caution us against rushing to conclusions.
Special note on eternal security
Many believers have anxious thoughts at times as to whether they are truly Christians. This can be as a result of listening to preachers who exhort their audience to examine themselves on this question. It is indeed a good exercise to do this, but it needs to be done in accordance with Scripture. If done otherwise, merely trusting to feelings or experiences, there is a danger that the soul will be cast down and depressed even further than it may have been before. In this way a healthy spiritual exercise degenerates into obsession with self.
Many true believers are confident that they were “once saved”. They doubt, however, whether they are “always saved”. This situation can come about for several reasons. Some honestly think it arrogant to be sure of heaven. Others have misinterpreted and misapplied passages of Scripture which deal with those who only profess faith, and are not genuine. Still others are conditioned to look to personal experiences for assurance. When these experiences fail to come up to their expectations, then anxious fears arise.
The root cause of these anxieties is an over-occupation with self, instead of occupation with the Saviour; a failure to turn from looking within and around, to looking above and beyond. If what follows can help anxious souls to a calm appreciation of the sufficiency of the person and work of Christ, to God’s glory, then they will have achieved their object.
The Scriptures would indicate to us that there are various sorts of faith, and we need to be aware of these differences, for they are of vital importance.
Incorrect faith
This is the sort of faith that they have who trust in themselves that they are righteous, as the Lord Jesus indicated in Luke 18:9. Faith in works, “church” attendance, or the words of a minister of religion, whether over a cradle or over a coffin; these are the things that some sinners believe in. Such people are not eternally secure, for they are not saved.
Insincere faith
The sort of “faith” that is professed for the sake of advantage, perhaps to please Christian parents, friends, or even the electorate in the case of politicians. Such people are not saved. It is with the heart that man believeth unto righteousness, Romans 10:10. The heart, morally considered, is the centre of man’s being, from which everything else issues, Proverbs 4:23.
Impulsive faith
In the parable of the sower as recorded by Luke, the Lord explains that “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.” Luke 8:13. It is those who receive the word with gladness, but who wilt under the heat of trial and testing, who only have temporary faith.
We might think that to “receive the word with gladness” is a good thing. If, however, it denotes that there has been no genuine repentance, and only a belief about Christ, rather than an earnest belief in Him, then such faith is only for a while, and is valueless. It is true that on the day of Pentecost “Then they that gladly received his word were baptised: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” Acts 2:41. It is important to notice, however, before dismissing these people as temporary believers, that verse 37 records that they had already been pricked in their heart. Clearly the sin of crucifying their Messiah had come home to them with force, and they had repented.
Incomplete faith
John 2:23-25 reads as follows: “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.” He who knew the hearts of men was aware that they believed on him only as a miracle-worker. It was passover time, and the religious excitement of the people was at fever pitch. At the original passover, God had done great works through Moses. Was this Jesus of Nazareth another great man of God like him? Because the people were in this frame of mind, He did not trust himself to them. Their faith was an incomplete faith, and needed further light to become saving faith. It was not enough to believe that Jesus was a holy man of God, that He was able to work miracles, perhaps by the power of prayer, and that He was an able teacher and a fine example.
Important faith
The Lord Jesus is too concerned about the welfare of the souls of men to leave them to think of Him only as one able to perform miracles. He went on to explain, therefore, in His conversation with Nicodemus as recorded in John 3:1-21, that the faith that saves is faith in a crucified Saviour. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:14-16. It is as one lifted up upon a cross that we must believe on Him. The reference to the serpent lifted up in the wilderness gives the clue to the meaning of the lifting up of Christ. It was because of Israel’s sin and rebellion that God provided the remedy of the serpent lifted up, Numbers 21:4-9. And it was because of the sin and rebellion of the whole world that the Lord Jesus needed to die upon the cross to deal with sins. Faith in a crucified Saviour results in everlasting life for the one exercising it. Such is the sure promise of the Saviour Himself. Those who believe like this are eternally secure.
Faith and repentance
True faith, then, is neither partial nor temporary. It involves the receiving of the Word of God without reserve, not seeking to escape from its convicting power. When a sinner realises not only that his state is hopeless and dangerous, but also that Christ is able to give full salvation through His work upon the cross, and then commits himself to Him with true repentance for sin, real faith is in evidence.
It is to such persons that the Scriptural doctrine of the eternal security of the true believer can come with all its comforting assurance. In considering this doctrine, we shall think of it in connection with the sovereignty of God, the will of God, the unity of the Godhead, the Spirit of God, the present position of Christ and His people, and then finally, the purpose of God.
Eternal security and the sovereignty of God
We have already alluded to the promise of eternal life to those who believe in the only begotten Son of God, whom God has given at Calvary. It is through the death of the Son of God upon the cross that eternal life is gained by those who look to Him in faith.
In His words recorded in John 17:2,3, the Lord Jesus contrasted men in the flesh, with all their frailty and mortality, with those who have eternal life. Clearly, then, there is a marked difference between natural life and eternal life. Natural life, which gives us the ability to know natural things by natural senses, is the result of being born into the family of Adam. Eternal life, on the other hand, gives us the ability to know Divine things, and comes through being born of God.
John 1:12,13 makes it very clear that the will of man cannot effect the new birth; it is solely God’s doing. We read of “them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God”. Neither Christian parentage, religious ceremony, self-will, or the will of others, are of any avail to bring it to pass.
On the other hand, verse 12 also makes clear that man has the responsibility to receive the Lord Jesus by faith, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” God is sovereign. That means He reigns on His own, with none to dictate to Him. In the exercise of His sovereignty He has decreed that only those who willingly believe in His Son shall be blessed with eternal life.
Those who are born of God, then, are amongst His children, and share His life. One of the reasons the Lord Jesus came was to manifest this life in the world of men. As the apostle John wrote, “the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us”, 1 John 1:2. He has this life because He is equal with the Father, whereas believers have this life because God has graciously granted it to them.
Just as those who are born naturally cannot be “unborn”, so those who are born of God are His children for ever. Since their new birth is the result of the exercise of His sovereign will, and God never changes His mind, then their position in His family is secure, and secure for ever. The life He gives is eternal life, and the word translated “eternal” is used in Romans 16:26 of “the everlasting God”, so it cannot mean anything less than enduring for ever.
When speaking to Nicodemus, the Lord Jesus compared the workings of the Spirit of God to the wind, which “bloweth where it listeth”, John 3:8. Man may be able to harness the power of the wind, but he cannot control the way it blows. Whilst we may judge the direction of the wind in relation to our position, we do not know where the wind started to blow from originally. The same is true of its ultimate destination, for it may veer after it has passed us, and so completely change direction. Solomon spoke of the circuits of the wind, Ecclesiastes 1:6. Such are the inexplicable workings of the Spirit of God. We may not know the primary source of the influence for good that He brings upon us, nor may we know what other purpose may be served by that influence after it has touched us, but all is under the supreme and Divine control of the Spirit of God.
“So is every one that is born of the Spirit” means “such is the situation with regard to those born of the Spirit”. They could not influence the start of the process, could not control its exercise, nor could they alter His will, and the direction of that will. Since the power, effect, origin and result of the working of the Spirit is totally beyond human control, the Lord is clearly placing the new birth totally outside of the realm of the natural man. And since entry into the kingdom of God depends on the new birth, reaching that kingdom is also totally outside of the power of the natural man. Those who are born of God, then, are His children because He willed it. But God does not change, so His will regarding them will never alter, so they are safe and secure for ever.
Eternal security and the will of God
“I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst,” John 6:35. These words are part of Christ’s explanation of the doctrine behind the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. Just as manna had come down for Israel in the wilderness, so Christ has come down to earth as the Bread of God to give life to the world. When He came, however, the people said “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?” John 6:42. They saw Him, but did not realise who He was. This was like the response of the people of Israel when the manna was given, for “they wist not what it was”, Exodus 16:15.
The total inability of the natural man to appreciate the person of Christ, and to realise that He is worthy of trust, does not frustrate God’s purpose. The Father will ensure that there are those who come to Christ, as they are drawn to Him by the teaching of the Scriptures. Those who hear, and learn from the Father through His Word, are sure to come. His words were, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me;” John 6:37, and, “It is written in the prophets And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.” John 6:45.
The Saviour makes a firm promise to those who come to Him, for He said, “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out,” John 6:37. The Lord looks upon those who come to Him in genuine faith as a gift from His Father. Is it conceivable that He would refuse such a gift?
The Son of God came down from heaven expressly to do the Father’s will. His words were, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.” John 6:38,39. That will, then, involves keeping those who have been entrusted to Him, and extends to the resurrection of the bodies of His people. If Christ was concerned about fragments of loaves, and instructed His disciples to gather them up “that nothing be lost”, verse 12, then how much more will He be concerned about the bodies of His people. They, too, shall be gathered up again, for He is determined to lose nothing of that gift His Father has given Him.
Eternal security and the unity of God
John 10 contains the teaching of the Lord Jesus regarding His relationship to His people under the figure of a shepherd and his flock. In verse 11 the Lord makes one of the “I am” statements in John’s gospel, saying, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” He adds nothing, in this instance, to His plain statement. Elsewhere in John where we find other “I am” statements, there is a certain responsibility placed upon others, such as to believe, to come, or to follow. Here, the total responsibility rests upon the Saviour Himself, and since He is the good shepherd, we may rely absolutely upon what He does.
The foundation of blessing and security for the flock is the giving up of the life of the shepherd as His own willing act, in obedience to the will of His Father. This in itself should be enough to reassure His people of His devoted care for them. He goes further, however, and rests their security upon another basis, even that of His Deity. He has spoken of those who are enemies of the flock, and now shows that He and His Father are united in their care and protection of that flock.
The flock of God has many enemies. First, in John 10:5, there is the stranger, “And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” He represents those who bring “strange doctrines” Hebrews 13:9. Even little children in the family of God recognise those who teach error that dishonours their Saviour, and who seek to seduce them, 1 John 2:18-27. Then there are thieves and robbers, verses 8,10, who come not but for “to steal and to kill, and to destroy.” These picture those who “spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ”, Colossians 2:8. A further enemy is the hireling, verse 12, whose only interest in the sheep is personal gain, or as Peter graphically puts it, “filthy lucre”, I Peter 5:2. Finally there is the wolf, verse 12 again, which comes to catch and scatter the sheep. The apostle Paul warned of men who, like “grievous wolves”, will stop at nothing to disrupt and spoil the flock of God, Acts 20:29.
The Good Shepherd is more than a match for all these enemies. His voice is so attractive to His sheep that they have no wish to follow a stranger. He gives life, and that abundantly, in contrast to the stealing, killing and destroying of the robbers. He gives His life for the sheep, and this shows Him to be no hireling, who would do the opposite, and give the sheep for his life. And He gives His word that the wolf will never succeed in snatching His sheep from His hand. His statement is clear, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” verse 28.
The confidence of believers in Israel was expressed by the psalmist in the words “and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.” Psalm 95:7. The reason they give for their confidence is significant, “For he is our God.” This, too, is the confidence of the Christian, for the shepherd heart of the God of Israel has been manifested to perfection by His Son, who is equal with God.
Having explained in John 10:28 that none can pluck the sheep out of His hand, (echoing the mention of “hand” in Psalm 95:7), the Good Shepherd then reinforces the truth with His statement, “My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.” John 10:29,30. The Father is greater than the enemies of the flock as well, so the sheep are doubly, divinely, secure.
The Jews understood perfectly well the implications of the statement, “I and my Father are one”, for we read they immediately took up stones to stone Him, saying, “For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God”. It is nothing less than a claim to Deity, and coming as it does in the context of the safety of the sheep, is the strongest possible assurance of their complete security. If it is possible to sever the persons of the Godhead from one another, then it is possible to sever Christ’s sheep from Him and His Father. To sever the persons of the Godhead, however, demands a power superior to Divine power, which does not and cannot exist. The Godhead is safe, and just as safe are the sheep.
Eternal security and the Holy Spirit
Just as it is true that the unity between the Father and the Son is a guarantee of the safety of the believer, so the other person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, is involved in this too.
One of the distinctive features of this present age is the fact that every believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This was not the situation before the Lord Jesus was glorified, as John 7:39 makes clear, “(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” Of course it is true that men of Old Testament times had been empowered by the Holy Spirit for specific tasks, but now that Christ is glorified in heaven, He is given in a new way.
When preparing His own for His departure to heaven, the Lord spoke of the Spirit as dwelling with them already, John 14:17. This was true because the Lord, full of the Spirit Himself, was personally with them, and in that sense the Spirit was alongside of them. His promise for the future, however, was that His personal presence would be made good to them by the Spirit of God indwelling them.
Especially relevant to our present consideration is the statement of the Lord to His own, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever,” John 14:16. Note it is not “who shall abide”, but “that he may abide”. So it is not only that the Spirit would abide in the future in a new way, but also that the very purpose for which the Spirit is given is to abide for ever.
Every true believer has the Spirit of God within. Romans 8:9 is very clear on this point, “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his.” His abiding presence is not in virtue of anything the believer has done, but solely because of God’s grace. The question of the apostle in Galatians 3:2, “Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” can receive only one answer, namely, “by the hearing of faith.” The presence of the Spirit of God within the believer is therefore due to the grace of God entirely; He is neither earned nor merited.
One aspect of this indwelling which is particularly relevant to the subject of eternal security is presented to us in Ephesians 4:30. There the apostle speaks of being sealed by the Holy Spirit of God. Just as a document is sealed for security, so God has sealed His people by giving them His Spirit. This sealing is “unto the day of redemption.” One day the bodies of the saints shall be redeemed from all traces of contact with this old creation. The sealing, however, is not simply “until” that day, but “unto” it. When the sealing is done, (and Ephesians 1:13,14 makes clear that this is when faith is exercised), the redemption is already in view as far as God is concerned. The sealing bridges the interval between initial faith and final redemption. Once the sealing is done, the redemption is certain. As far as God is concerned the deed is done, and this should settle the matter for the believing heart.
Eternal security and association with Christ
The second chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians opens with sinners dead in trespasses and sins, walking according to this world, dominated by Satan himself, walking in lust and self-will, and facing the prospect of God’s wrath. This is not security, but vulnerability! But then we are taught that in the purpose of God the position He has given to Christ is shared by all who are united to Him in faith. It does not matter whether they were Jews or Gentiles before, those who know God’s rich salvation are together in a place of safety in Christ.
Introduce God and His mercy into a situation, and everything changes. His mighty salvation is detailed for us, and the apostle takes us stage by stage through the process. Were sinners dead? So once was Christ, for He died for our sins, but God quickened Him, and quickened believers together with Him. That which was true on the resurrection morning comes into effect for the believer as soon as initial belief takes place, as far as God is concerned. Moreover, Christ has not only been raised from the grave, but has been given heavenly glory, and believers are associated with Him in this too. And were sinners walking according to the prince of the power of the air? Christ has defeated that foe, and been exalted above all principality and power, Ephesians 1:21. Linked with Him in His exaltation, His people are safe from the Evil One’s grasp. Finally, the ultimate triumph, for instead of being associated with this present world-system, believers are now involved in God’s plan, even to the extent of being seated in heavenly places in Christ. His place is their place. He occupies it by merit, they by Divine grace. Formerly they could only expect God’s wrath in the future, but now in the ages to come they shall be the show-piece of God’s grace and kindness.
With these glorious truths on the page of Holy Scripture, what believer will doubt his security? The believer is as secure as Christ is, for there is a vital and Divinely-made link between them both.
Eternal security and the purpose of God
In his heart the apostle Paul was persuaded of the truth of the believer’s security, and was filled with confidence as he penned the closing verses of Romans chapter 8. Wherein lay his confidence? In the purpose of God. Note his words, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”, Romans 8:28-39. As far as God’s purpose is concerned, those whom He has called by the gospel, and justified by the blood of Christ, are already glorified. So certain is the believer’s future glory, that God speaks of it as if it has already happened. That glory involves being conformed to the image of His Son.
Again, what gave the apostle confidence was the fact that God had given His Son at Calvary, not sparing Him any of the sufferings which dealing with sins entailed. This is the sure pledge, writes the apostle, that God will freely give all things, and this includes the glory of heaven. It is elementary mathematics that the whole is greater than the part. If nothing could stop God giving the greatest gift, under the worst circumstances, then there is nothing that will stop Him giving lesser things. And amongst these is a place in heaven for His people.
The apostle confidently challenges any to successfully bring an accusation against God’s elect people. The only one who has a right to do this is God Himself, but far from accusing His people He has justified them. The only one who has the right to sit in judgement and condemn God’s people, is the very one who died for the sins that merit judgement; who rose again to prove those sins were dealt with; who is in the place of supreme authority at God’s right hand; and who constantly intercedes for them before His Father, to safeguard them from the accusations of the Devil.
The conclusion of the matter
We have reviewed some of the passages of Scripture which tell of the total and eternal security of true believers. Born again by the will of God, the God who does not change His mind, their position in the family is settled. Drawn to Christ by the teaching of the Scriptures, they have found a ready welcome, and the assurance that they will never be rejected. Part of Christ’s flock, and therefore protected by the persons of the Godhead in united defence against every wily foe. Indwelt by God’s Spirit, and that for ever, sealed as His until the day of final redemption. Linked to Christ in His unassailable and glorious position at God’s right hand. Involved in God’s purpose which can never be frustrated, and defended from every attempt of the Adversary to accuse. Well might all God’s people join with the apostle as he rejoices in the triumphs of God’s grace, knowing that nothing shall be able to separate us from Him.
With these things in mind we may return to the phrase “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away”, knowing that whatever the “taking away” of the unfruitful branches means, it cannot mean loss of salvation.
It would be profitable to inform ourselves of the main features of the growing of grapes, for the Lord is using a true-to-life illustration to put over His doctrine. There is a collection of manuscripts called the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, dated around AD 280, in which features of ancient life were detailed. Parchment No. 1631 is a contract for labour in a vineyard. It begins with the post-harvest pruning of the vines, and states that management of the vineyard began with “pruning, transport of leaves, throwing them outside the mud walls”. Following this the workers were committed to “planting as many vine-stems as are necessary, digging, hoeing round the vines and surrounding them with trenches”. The planting of stems refers to reproduction of grape-vines, and this would be done during dormancy, using materials taken from the plants during pruning. We shall think of this in connection with verse 4. The contract continues, “the remaining operations after those mentioned above, consisting of breaking up of the ground, picking off shoots, keeping the vines well tended, disposition of them, removal of shoots, needful thinning of foliage”.
Another source of information is found in the writings of Pliny. He wrote in his ‘Natural History’: “Thus there are two kinds of main branches; the shoot which comes out of the timber and promises fruit for the next year is called a leafy shoot or else, when it is above the scar (caused by tying the branch to the trellis), a fruit-bearing shoot, whereas the other kind of shoot that springs from a year-old branch is always a fruit-bearer. There is also left underneath the cross-bar a shoot called the keeper- this is a young branch not longer than three buds, which will provide wood next year if the vine’s luxurious growth has used itself up- and another shoot next to it, the size of a wart, called the pilferer is also left, in case the keeper-shoot should fail”. Pliny also wrote that after harvest the fruiting branches are cut off, for they are not needed next year.
So it becomes clear that the vine-dresser leaves branches that do not bear fruit, for they are for next year’s fruit-bearing. To cut them off would be to not have a harvest the following year. The branches that are cut off are those that have fruited in the year just past, and which need to be replaced by the newer branches that have been developing during the year.
During the Spring pruning, the number of fruiting buds is regulated so that on the one hand the plant is not exhausted and so fails to produce large grapes, and on the other does not produce too much leafy growth. Succulent twigs, and dead and diseased wood are also removed at this time. In the Autumn pruning, unwanted branches, and all the leaves would be removed.
We can see from this that branches that are not bearing fruit are not necessarily cut off. As the disciples made their way to the Mount of Olives, they would perhaps pass through the vineyards that were said to clothe its lower slopes. They would note that there were four different kinds of branches. First, there were branches that would not produce fruit that year, but would do so the next year. Second, there were branches that showed every sign of fruiting that year, for the blossoms hung thick upon them. Third, there were branches that were clearly past their fruiting years, and needed to be cut off to make way for younger branches. Fourth, there were branches that showed signs of disease and withering, and they also would need to be cut off to prevent the whole tree becoming diseased. It is clear then that a branch, during its life-span, would come into categories one to three, whereas some would be found in category four from an early stage. The Lord selects a characteristic from each of these stages of growth to illustrate His doctrine, but we should not conclude that any individual believer is necessarily going to be found in all of those states during his lifetime.
So to return to the branches that are taken away. The Greek verb used is “airo”, which means “to lift or take up or away”, and is translated in the following ways and frequencies in the Authorised Version of the New Testament:
Bear, 3x; bear up, 2x; carry, 1x; lift up, 4x; loose, 1x; put away, 1x; remove, 2x; take, 25x; take away 25x; take up, 32x; away with, 5x.
Of these 101 occurrences, only two can be said to involve judgement. These two are as follows: “Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”, Matthew 22:13. And “knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be”, Matthew 24:39.
So we can see that the overwhelming use of the word is to simply lift or carry. For example, after John the Baptist had been beheaded, we read “And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus”, Matthew 14:12. Or after the feeding of the five thousand, “and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full”, Matthew 14:20.
So if the taking away is a lifting up, what is it a lifting up from? Here we must remember that a vine is not a fruit tree like an apple or pear, with a trunk and upright branches; it is a scrambler, like a clematis or a wisteria. In the wild, it relies on other shrubs to give it support. If it is cultivated, however, it must be artificially supported. And this was what was done, for the vine-dresser would train it along a trellis framework. This would allow air to circulate around the plant, and facilitate the ripening of the grapes. If this was not done, the branches as they hung near or on the ground would put down aerial roots and begin to draw their nutrients from the soil and not from the vine stock. This is what is envisaged in this figure the Lord is using. When He speaks of a branch “that beareth not fruit” He means a branch that is not a fruit-bearing branch because it is not old enough, and which is in danger of not being fruitful in the future because instead of drawing the sap from the vine, it is drawing from the earth. This will compromise its future fruit-bearing potential, for it will form a plant of its own right if left, and will not be wholly of the vine. The branch is taken away from relying on the soil, to relying on the vine. So the taking away refers to the taking away from being in contact with the soil.
A consideration of the prayer of the Lord Jesus to His Father as recorded in John 17 will help us here. He described the apostles, (and they represent all believers in this), as having been given to Him by His Father “out of the world”, verse 6. “Thine they were”, says He, “and thou gavest them me”. They were the Father’s, in Divine purpose, and now that they had believed His word, they had been given to the Son. But even though they have been given to the Son they remain the possession of the Father, for, as He said, “All mine are thine, and mine are thine”, verse 10; they belong equally to the Father and the Son. However, He was leaving the world, and was concerned for His own as they lived in an unholy world. So it is that He appeals to His Father as “Holy Father”, that He would keep those He had given Him “through thine own name”, that is His own personal name of Holy Father. The very holiness of God is to be the sanctifying environment in which they live.
He went further, and asked that the Father would actively keep them from the evil in the world, verse 15. How would He do this? We learn the answer in verse 17, when He says, “Sanctify them through thy truth: Thy word is truth”. So having separated believers from the world in principle by taking them out of it and giving them to His Son, the Father continues His sanctifying work by the application of the truth of His holiness as found in His word. A leading theme of New Testament doctrine is that believers are separate from the world, and as they react positively and appropriately to that teaching they are practically and progressively sanctified. Or to return to the figure of the vine, they are lifted up from contact with the world. To draw resources from the world is to act contrary to the truth that believers are not of the world.
An example of this sanctifying word is found in the words of the apostle Peter, “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy”, 1 Peter 1:14-16. So the very holiness of God our Father is the incentive to live a life of holiness.
So coming back to John 15, we are learning that the Father, the vine-dresser, initially associates His people with Christ the vine, because they share His life, just as the branches share the life of the main stem. But He also sanctifies them constantly, as the truth of their differentness to the world is impressed upon them. They have been cut off from Adam’s world, so if they live lives consistent with this fact, they will be holy unto God.
(c) Verse 2b,3
The vine and the purging of the branches
And every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit- not only are there branches that need to be lifted up from association with the earth, there are also other branches that need to be purged, or cleansed. The vine must not be allowed to make more leafy foliage than is necessary, for this will prevent maximum fruitfulness. If it does, the vine-dresser purges it of the surplus. Our Father’s word not only exposes that which is not conducive to fruit-bearing, but also removes it. If we are not ready to do this ourselves, then maybe our Father will apply discipline to us. The writer to the Hebrews exhorted his readers to not despise the chastening of the Lord, for it was “for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness”, Hebrews 12:10. Then he wrote, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” verse 11. So fruit comes to God and profit to us when we submit to the disciplining hand of God, and are exercised about it.
15:3
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you- as they had responded to the sum total of what He had taught them during His years of ministry, the apostles had been cleansed. Gradually their misunderstanding about His person had been removed, and replaced with the truth. All those Jewish notions which were not conducive to Christian fruitfulness had been dealt with, at least in principle. He had told them they were clean in chapter 13, and now He repeats the truth in a slightly different context. There it was the defilement of the world they had been freed from as He had introduced them to His righteous kingdom and its principles. Here the subject is the effect the world has on the believer in distracting him from fruit-bearing by the advancement of self, as represented by the leafy foliage on the vine which contributed nothing, being just a vain show. In chapter 13 the word of Christ was represented by the water, here it is represented by the vine-dresser’s pruning knife.
How necessary is it, therefore, as those who claim to be branches in the vine, to expose our souls constantly to the truth of the Scriptures, which is where His word to us is found nowadays. The word He had spoken to the apostles in now contained in the completed New Testament, for the Spirit has led the writers into all the truth.
(d) Verses 4-6
The vine and the abiding of the branches
15:4
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.
Abide in me, and I in you- if verse 3 is a commentary on the word “purgeth”, then this verse is a commentary on why the branch of verse 2 needed to be lifted up. It was not abiding in the vine, but was relying on the soil beneath. A further feature of vine growing is alluded to here, for vineyard grapes had been grafted. A slip or cutting from a vine that had desirable qualities was grafted onto a rootstock, so that both the stock and the slip shared the same sap. This was a difficult task, for the slip needed to be incorporated in such a way as to allow it to bond with the stem. When this happens today, the grafter will say that it has “taken”, for the slip and the stem have combined and become one, sharing the life of the plant together. In the language here, the slip is now abiding, resting in what the main stem is, happy to share sap with it. This is why the Lord distinguishes in verse 5 between Himself and the branches, for they have been incorporated into Himself, and have no life of their own.
Now lest it be thought that this is putting into the passage what is not there, notice the following fact. The word for branch, “klema”, according to the lexicon means “a tender and flexible branch, especially the shoot of a vine”. Another word for branch used in the New Testament is “klados”, meaning “a young shoot broken off for grafting”. Both words are connected with the verb “klao” meaning “to break”. This would confirm that the tender and flexible branch spoken of in the chapter is one that has been broken off one vine, to become a branch in another, just as the disciples had been broken off from the vine of Israel, to be incorporated into Christ. See the similar figure used in Romans 11:16-24, there of an olive tree, with wild (Gentile) branches grafted into the olive tree of blessing through Abraham, with the exhortation to continue.
Immediately after a branch has been grafted there is a period when it is not known whether it has “taken”, and has started to draw its resources from the main stem. If it does not, it will wither once its own resources have been used up. It cannot survive indefinitely on its own. See also on verse 8. If a grafted shoot does try to survive by its own resources, or that of the earth beneath, it is not drawing from the main stem. It is not in fact abiding in it, even though it appears to be in it and no different to any other of the branches. We might compare the similar idea in the parable of the sower, where the seed that begins to grow in stony soil and appears to be growing, withers after a time, Matthew 13:20,21.
So when the exhortation comes that we should abide in the vine, we are being encouraged to draw our resources from Christ, and not from self or the world. We are to rest in who He is, and the fact that He is in us. We have responsibility put upon us in both parts of the phrase, for there is only one verb. It is not that if we abide in Him He will abide in us. It is that we are to not only abide in Him, but also consciously allow Him to abide in us, and to be comfortable with the fact. This becomes a test of genuineness, discovering whether we are in the vine by profession only, or in reality. It is the same test the apostle Paul applied to the Colossians when he wrote, “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel.” Colossians 1:21,23. The Greek word the apostle used for continue, “epi-meno” is a compound of the verb to abide, which is “meno”. This does not make continuing the basis of the reconciliation, but continuing does demonstrate that reconciliation has taken place.
John also speaks of abiding. (In the following quotation the words “abide”, “remain”, and “continue” all translate the same Greek word “meno”). “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father…and now, little children, abide in him”, 1 John 2:24,28. There is a two-way process here. Just as the sap flows into a branch that has become properly incorporated into the vine, so the words of Christ, that which they had heard from the beginning, find a home in the believer’s heart, and abide there. Furthermore this means that the believer wants that to be the case, and so he can be said to abide in Christ. We abide in Him, He abides in us. But the “I in you” is just as much an exhortation as “abide in me”, for it is possible for the true believer, (that is, one who is abiding in Christ), to also try to draw resources from the world as well. To get the maximum benefit from being in the vine we need to connect only with Him.
Special note on the preaching of the gospel
Many of the problems that occur with regard to being in the vine and abiding in the vine derive from the character and content of the preaching under which a person made a profession. If there is not an emphasis on the person of Christ in the making known of the gospel, but everything revolves around the sinner and his need, (which is admittedly very real), then false impressions will be given, and professions thus obtained might not be genuine.
The Acts of the Apostles serves several purposes. For instance, it provides a link between the ministry of the Lord Jesus as recorded in the four gospels, and the Epistle to the Romans. The Lord was not sent, but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel, whereas Romans is written to Jew and Gentile alike. How the transition from preaching only to Israelites to preaching also to Gentiles took place is shown in the Acts of the Apostles.
Then again, we see in the Acts the way in which the charge given to the apostles was obeyed, for the word from the Lord Jesus was, “ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth”, Acts 1:8.
Yet again, we see in the Acts the various ways in which the Devil sought to frustrate the spread of the gospel, and also the ways in which the apostles dealt with those threats.
The Acts is also the Preacher’s Handbook, and gives us insight into the way in which apostles, and others, like Stephen and Philip, presented the gospel. The following thoughts are based on the principles they followed, and will hopefully encourage the practice of preaching in a scriptural way.
The preaching was directed to those who had a certain interest in the things of God
In this case of the preaching on the day of Pentecost, it was “Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven”, Acts 2:5, who were listening. There were those who mocked the speaking in tongues that happened that morning, but Peter is content to reject their mockery, and, by reference to Joel’s prophecy remind them that God’s judgment against sin is a reality, for the great and notable day of the Lord will certainly come. In other words, he left the word of God to do its convicting work in the hearts and consciences of the mockers. Having done this, he repeats his call to the nation to listen, verse 22. In this way he safeguards himself against the charge of disobeying the word of the Lord Jesus when He said, “give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine”, Matthew 7.6.
The preaching was conducted in circumstances and situations conducive to serious thought
It is reasonable to assume that Peter’s address was given in the temple courts, the place where the Lord Jesus often taught, and where it was expected that the things of God would be set out. (At the end of the chapter the believers were found continuing with one accord in the temple, verse 46). Later on, it was the apostle Paul’s constant practice to seek out the Jewish synagogue in a place, and preach there to people who had an interest in Divine things. If, as sometimes happened, he was ejected from the synagogue, he did not stand in the street to harangue the worshippers as they emerged after their devotions, but went to a house nearby, so that if there were those interested in what he had to say, they could easily access the preaching.
This is not retreating in cowardly fashion to meet in a “holy huddle”, but a realistic and spiritual reaction to the situation, whilst still giving men the opportunity to seek the truth. That this was the mind of the Lord is seen in the fact that the large assembly in Corinth was formed as a result, Acts 18:6-11, and even the chief ruler of the synagogue believed on the Lord. And when the same thing happened at Ephesus, “all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks”, Acts 19:8-10. So to teach and preach in a building does not contravene the Lord’s command to go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature, Mark 16:15. Paul was in the world when he preached in the synagogue, or in Justus’ house, or in Tyrannus’ school.
The preaching began with a quotation from the word of God
The verses from Joel that the apostle quoted made up the third chapter of the prophecy of Joel in the Hebrew Bible, although to us they are the end-verses of chapter 2. So the apostle was not averse to citing a large portion of the scriptures. There were no “wonders in heaven above”, and “signs in the earth beneath” on that day, but Peter wanted to warn the mockers about the day of judgment so as to silence them, and then extract two further thoughts from the prophecy, one at the beginning and one at the end. At the beginning Joel speaks of the pouring out of the Spirit, and at the end he declares that “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”. Peter did not omit the intervening verses however, so that those he did use were rooted in the context. His listeners were devout Jews, and would have been quick to criticise any apparent misuse of the holy scriptures they loved and revered. We should beware of giving the impression that we think some portions of scripture are redundant and may be missed out.
The public reading of the scriptures should be done reverently, accurately, and intelligently. They are far more important than anything we may say about them, so they should be given their due and prominent place. The apostle Paul exhorted Timothy to “give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine”, 1 Timothy 4:13. A blessing is promised to those who publicly read the scriptures in the hearing of the people, Revelation 1:3. Attention should be given to the punctuation, and the correct amount of weight given to each word, or else the sense will be lost. The word of God does not need to be dramatised, but it does need to be read in a way that holds the attention.
It is not the preacher’s task to constantly bombard his hearers with anecdotes, personal experiences, or hymn quotes. These may have a limited use when done sparingly, but they are no substitute for the plain teaching of the truth of the word of God. This is what the Spirit uses. Wrote James, “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth”, James 1.18. We should preach to people assuming they are present because they are seeking God, not seeking to be entertained.
The preaching was Christ-centred
The preaching was not sinner-centred. In the opening of his classic treatise on the gospel, the apostle Paul wrote, “the gospel of God … concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord”, Romans 1:1,3. When Philip went down to Samaria he “preached Christ unto them”, Acts 8:5. When he met the eunuch in the desert he “preached unto him Jesus”, verse 35. When Paul was converted “he preached Christ in the synagogue, that he is the Son of God”, Acts 9:20. When some believers from Cyprus and Cyrene came to Antioch, they “spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus”, Acts 11:20. In the synagogue in Thessalonica it was Jesus that Paul preached unto them, that He is Christ, Acts 17:3. In Athens, Paul preached Jesus, and the resurrection, Acts 17:18. In Corinth Paul testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ, Acts 18:5.
We have been given the inspired account of what the apostles actually said when they preached. This, of course, is a great help to preachers. We shall look in vain, however, for any help as to how to appeal effectively to people to get saved. No advice on what emotional levers to pull; or how to coax them “over the line”. The reason why this advice is lacking is simple: there is no need for it.
So the gospel is not a constant appeal to the hearers to believe and get saved, but a setting forth of the truth regarding the person of Christ. In fact the preachers in the book of the Acts never made an appeal; they simply presented facts. The gospel is preached “with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven”, 1 Pet 1:12, so the preacher has the assurance that the Holy Spirit will do His sovereign work of convicting and convincing men. It is not left to human ingenuity or contrivance to try to produce results, for “the wind bloweth where it listeth”, John 3:8.
The apostle Peter had the happy experience of finding that every person in his audience was converted before he had finished his message, Acts 10:44-48. The Holy Spirit had done His work, and Peter did not need to coax his hearers to believe.
Of course the apostle Paul wrote, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men”, 2 Corinthians 5:11, but how did he do it? The word for persuade means “to convince by argument”, so as he expounded the scriptures, the apostle presented valid reasons why people should believe; but it was not his task to coerce them. It is the Spirit’s work to “compel them to come in”, Luke 14:23.
The preaching was instructive
We ought to either learn or re-learn something about the Lord Jesus every time we hear the gospel. It is said of the apostles that “they ceased not to teach and to preach Jesus Christ”, Acts 5:42. So they taught Him before they preached Him. It is not that they preached to sinners and taught the converts. The teaching was part of the presentation of the gospel. After all, this was what the Lord had commanded when He said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations”, Matthew 28:19. Sinners need to know on whom they are believing for salvation.
We learn how the apostle Paul went about this by the account of his preaching in Thessalonica. For three sabbath days he “reasoned with them out of the scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ”, Acts 17:2,3. So he first of all opened up thoroughly the meaning of the scriptures that spoke of Christ, and then showed that Jesus of Nazareth fulfils those scriptures. As a result of this “some of them believed”. The comparative fewness of Jews who believed does not reflect on the standard of the preaching, or the method used, but simply on the hardness of the hearts of men, over which the preacher has no control.
The gospel hall should be a seat of learning for believer and unbeliever alike. It should be known in the locality as the place where the truth of God is taught.
The preaching was comprehensive
We see this when we notice the range of the apostle Peter’s address at Pentecost. He began by pointing out that the miracle-ministry of Christ was the sign that God approved of Him as a man, Acts 2:22. Then he pointed out that Jesus of Nazareth was the subject of God’s eternal counsel, verse 23. He charged the nation with their sin in handing Christ over to the Gentiles to crucify until He was dead, verse 23. He then announced that God has raised Him from the dead. The implication of these things would not be lost on the intelligence of his hearers. But more than this, God has exalted Him to His very throne, where He waits until His foes will be subdued under Him when He reigns on earth as the son of David.
Having presented the people with these facts, the apostle’s task is over for the moment. He has made known the truth that the Spirit uses, and the result was that they were pricked in their heart as the Spirit convicted them. It is only when they have reached this point, and they ask what they should do, that the apostle makes his appeal to them, not to believe, but to repent. Faith is the expression of a repentant heart, and is valueless if there is no prior repentance.
The preaching consisted of the setting forth of the truth of the word of God
Peter based what he had to say on various passages from the Old Testament, namely Joel 2, Psalm 16, and Psalm 110. He showed how these scriptures were fulfilled in Christ. We in our day have the added resource of the New Testament, and passages relevant to the gospel abound.
In his first epistle the apostle Peter wrote about being born again, “not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever”. Then in support of this he quoted from Isaiah 40 the words, “For all flesh is as grass; and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth for ever”. Then he added, “And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you”, 1 Peter 1:23-25. So the answer for men who are but flesh, and are as frail as grass and its insignificant flower, is the word of God. Men are frail and passing, but the word of God is strong and eternal. If men are to gain life from God they must do so by the agency of His living word. As James wrote, “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures”, James 1:18. It is the preacher’s solemn responsibility, then, to faithfully present the truth of that word. He does not need to be a high-pressure salesman, for it is the Spirit of God who convinces men. Nor does he need to tell emotional stories to try to sway men’s feelings. His duty is to present the unaltered word of God to men.
Notice the order of words in the quote from 1 Peter chapter 1. It is not “and this is the gospel by which the word is preached unto you”, but rather, “this is the word by which the gospel is preached unto you”. This is an important difference. So what is preached is the word, (meaning the scriptures connected with the subject in hand), and the gospel is the expression of the truth of that word in a format which is relevant to sinners. The scriptures are not merely a tool to better present the gospel, perhaps to provide an illustration.
We have an example of this with Philip, who began at the scripture the eunuch was reading, and preached Jesus from it, Acts 8:35. And when Paul went to Corinth he preached that Christ had died, that He was buried, that He was raised, and that He was seen afterwards, but he preached this message as being “according to the scriptures”, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
The preaching was done by Spirit-filled men
The promise of the Lord Jesus to His own was, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me”, Acts 1:8. The preachers were not full of themselves, but of the Spirit. He it was who enabled and encouraged them in their task. Since it is one of the Spirit’s functions to glorify Christ, John 16:14, then all trace of self-advertisement was absent from apostolic preachers, so that as they preached their hearers “saw no man save Jesus only”, Matthew 17:8. All those things that draw attention to the preacher, and draw attention away from Christ, would have been absent. Theirs was a priestly ministry, (such is the force of the word “serve” in Romans 1:9), and they conducted themselves with dignity and gravity. There was no ostentation, whether it be in dress or mannerisms. These were men who were on heaven’s business, and they let nothing of man intrude in their preaching.
Perhaps we under-estimate the impact that the preacher has on his audience. All the time he is before his hearers, they are tending to judge his message by looking at him. If he lacks credibility in some way, then in the eyes of the natural man the gospel loses credibility in like measure. Of course it is the Spirit who works and convicts, but the preacher should do his utmost not to get in the way of that work. He must be on top of his subject without appearing to be a know-all. He must look neat and tidy without being outlandish or ostentatious. He must be confident and bold without being brash. Treat his audience with respect without being patronising. Be polite without compromising. Be faithful yet remembering to be gracious. Be serious without being boring. Earnest without being eccentric. Winsome without being sentimental. Joyful without being jolly. Any display of self will detract from the Man of the message. To quote the apostle’s words, “We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord”, 2 Corinthians 4:5.
The preaching was done by those well-versed in the scriptures
Of course even newly-saved believers may testify in a private capacity, but when it comes to public preaching, a thorough working knowledge of the scriptures is essential. This requires study, and the preacher should expect to study for three hours for every fifteen minutes of message. Those who preach should be prepared for this, and let less important things go.
May we heed the solemn exhortation of Paul to Timothy in the light of the coming of Christ to judge the living and the dead, “preach the word”, 2 Timothy 4:2. And may the word of God “mightily prevail”, Acts 19:20.
We return now to John 15.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine- the production of fruit places a heavy strain on the vine, and good grapes cannot be produced by a branch that is diverting its attention to the earth for support. We must come to an end of ourselves and rely only on Him. He is the main stem, we are only the branches, and have no resources of ourselves. The branches of a tree do not properly have the mechanisms to draw moisture from the soil and transform it into nutritious sap. It is abnormal for branches to have roots.
No more can ye, except ye abide in me- what is true of the vine naturally is true of the believer spiritually. There is no way the believer can produce fruit for God the Husbandman, except by abiding in Christ, sharing His life in practice.
15:5
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.
I am the vine, ye are the branches- it is not so much here that He is the true vine, but that He is the main stem, and believers are only the branches. But they are the branches of this vine by profession, so they will produce fruit that is in line with His character if their profession is real. As the Lord Himself said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” Matthew 7:16. Grapes are the product of the vine “which cheereth God and man”, Judges 9:13, whereas thorns remind God of His curse upon the earth because of Adam’s sin, and therefore represent grief.
He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit- if the previous phrase emphasised the quality of the fruit, (for it is compatible with Him), here the emphasis is on the quantity of fruit. The more fruit we produce the more our Father will be glorified. A vineyard with vines laden with bunches of large purple grapes is a credit to the husbandman. This only comes about because the branches are truly joined to the stem, (they abide in it), and the sap is freely flowing to them from the stem, (the life of the vine is in them).
For without me ye can do nothing- this is really a summary of the teaching thus far. If the vine produces nothing, there is something badly wrong. Perhaps the branches are not abiding truly in the vine, and are therefore “without” or “outside” of Himself. The word “without” as a Greek preposition means “at a space”, and reminds us that during the grafting process the slip must be closely associated with the stock into which it is being inserted. There must be no space between the two, or the sap will not flow. Only as the life of the vine flows freely in the branch can fruit be produced for God. It is possible to present the appearance of being a believer by associating with believers, doing as they do, avoiding the things they avoid, saying the things they say, but all the time not being genuine.
15:6
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 a man abide not in me- that is, if after a period during which fruit should have been expected, there has been no sign of life in the form of fruitfulness, (for the vine is only good for fruit-bearing, it is not suitable to be used for anything else, furniture making for instance), then the vine dresser has to make a decision, for the branch is occupying space that a fruitful branch could be in. It is also a discredit to the vine dresser if a branch bears no fruit, and it reflects badly on his reputation as a fruit grower.
Notice it is not “If any man be not in me”, but “If any man abide not in me”. In other words, the man is given the opportunity to show that he can produce fruit. It is only after he has failed the test of “abiding” that he must be removed for the sake of the testimony. James tells us that “the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it”, James 5:7. So God is patient with those who make a profession, until He can be patient no longer for the sake of His own honour.
He is cast forth as a branch, and is withered- so just as the branch of a literal vine is cast forth from the vineyard, deliberately rejected by the vine dresser if it never produces fruit, so is this man rejected as being a genuine branch in the vine. The reason he is rejected is because the withering he manifests is the sure sign of failure to be properly in the vine. He may have appeared to be growing, but the rapidity with which he withered when he was cut off showed he was not genuine. In fact, since the Lord says “is withered”, and not “shall wither”, shows that the withering started before the branch was removed.
Isaiah used the figure of a vineyard for Israel in his chapter 27, as well as chapter 5. He wrote of Israel, “In that day sing unto her, A vineyard of red wine. I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day…He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit…when the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them shall shew them no favour”, Isaiah 27:2,3,6,11. Notice that the reason the branches are broken off is because they are a people of no understanding. Now eternal life is given to a person so that they may get to know God, but if they have not this understanding of Him, it shows they have not eternal life, and are therefore unbelievers.
And men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned- the solemn fact is that this is what happens to unfruitful branches is the same as happens to unbelievers. And this is what these people have shown themselves to be, and they shall share the destiny of those who have never professed Christianity at all. The fact that they had association with Christ in some outward way will make their responsibility even more serious. The Lord Jesus said, “Every tree that bringeth forth not good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” Matthew 7:19.
If some find this shocking, they should remember that these people can change if they are minded. False professors can become true believers if they come to their senses. It is only false profession persisted in until the point of death that meets God’s judgement. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” stands written for all, whatever their past.
(e) Verses 7-11
The vine and the joy of the vintage
15:7
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
If ye abide in me- this is a much happier verse than the previous one, for it has to do with those who genuinely abide in the vine, and have the strong desire to respond to Him. They are grateful for the resources He supplies so that this might happen.
And my words abide in you- this is the way the “sap” of the true vine flows into the branches that abide in Him. His words abiding in them is the same as Him abiding in them, for He is “the Word”. The sap of a tree contains substances that provoke responses in the branches, and enable them to produce fruit.
Ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you- a believer who allows the words of Christ to have their way in his heart will be given light as to how the Father may be glorified in greater measure in his life. The Father’s glory is always the primary object of Christ’s words, and as we absorb them they become our primary object too. Those who allow Christ’s words their place can be trusted not to ask anything incompatible with those words. This is why His promise it “what ye will…it shall be done”, because what He wills has become what we will.
15:8
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit- what credit there is to God our Father when His people are producing much fruit for Him! We should not be satisfied with doing anything less.
So shall ye be my disciples- a disciple is a learner, and as we take in the words of Christ and respond to them we realise the purpose for which we were saved. He had exhorted those who came to Him for rest to then go on to learn of Him, Matthew 11:29, and as we do so we shall become like Himself. This is the fruit the Father is looking for, even that which reproduces His Son in the world, just as the vine produces that which is in harmony with its nature, and not thorns.
The order of the words in this phrase is “and ye shall become to me disciples”. In other words, He will recognise them as disciples, and they will be disciples as far as He is concerned. It is sadly the case that some who profess to be believers are only disciples to us, (for we cannot look into the heart), but are not disciples to Him. He will have to say, ” I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity”, Matthew 7:23.
15:9
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you- not only is our mind to be filled with the truth His words bring to us when they abide in us, but our hearts are to be affected also. If the words bring the truth from the God who is light, then the love brings to us that other aspect of the nature of God, for He is love. These two characteristics are the total expression of eternal life as seen in Christ, and as we advance in the things of eternal life, we shall appreciate better not only the truth Christ brings, but the love Christ shows.
Continue ye in my love- here is the word abide again, this time translated as “continue”. We should constantly find in Him not only the truth our minds need, but the love our hearts desire. Here is another of the things which are distinctively His in these chapters; it is love that is special to Him, and if we continue in it, this love will become special to us. This is not only an exhortation to continue in His love, but also, by implication, to not continue in other love. The apostle John warned of the dangers of loving the world, and the things that are in the world, 1 John 2:15. This is the equivalent of putting down roots to the earth, and not relying wholly upon the vine.
15:10
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.
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love- abiding in His love is here defined for us. It happens as we keep His commandments, the expressions of His will for us. If we love Him we shall seek to please Him, and we shall only learn what pleases Him by listening to His commands. They are the commands of love, and come to us because He seeks our best interests. A plant grows according to the fixed principles programmed into it by its Creator. So we flourish as we abide by the spiritual principles He sets out for us in His commandments.
Even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love- if in the first part of the verse continuing is defined, here it is displayed. We have only to learn from the Scriptures how He reacted to His Father, then we shall have the perfect example before us. Just as He only did those things that pleased His Father, as He Himself said, John 8:29, so if we would please Him we shall do likewise. Just as His Father’s word came to Him morning by morning, so it should come to us; and just as He was responsive to that word, so should we be.
15:11
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you- here is another feature that is special to Him, His joy. As He obeyed His Father’s commandments, the sign that He was abiding in His love, He had great joy. He had a great desire that we might share that experience, hence He gives us indications how we may have great joy.
And that your joy might be full- the apostle John took this up in his first epistle when he spoke of having fellowship with the Father and His Son; then he says, “And these things write we unto you, that your joy might be full.” 1 John 1:4. In the Old Testament the burnt offering was to be accompanied by a drink offering according to the size of the offering. There could be a quarter of a hin of wine, a third of a hin, or a half of a hin. But there was no sacrifice great enough to demand a whole hin. How characteristic of the Old Testament this was. The cup of joy was never full. But now that Christ, the true Burnt Offering has come, believers may have full joy. The time of the vintage was one of great joy in Israel, but we have greater joy still, for it is not the joy of a physical harvest, but a spiritual one.
(f) Verses 12-17
The vine and the love of believers
15:12
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
This is my commandment- having spoken of His commandments, the many and varied requirements He makes of us in order that we might be intelligent as to His mind, and so produce fruit for our Father as He did, He now speaks of His commandment in the singular, all His commandments considered together. They are summed up in one word, “love”, for love will be careful to obey Him in the details of His will for us. When the lawyer summed up the law of Moses he said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God…thy neighbour as thyself”, Luke 10:27. In response the Lord told him, “Thou hast answered right”, verse 28. The apostle Paul develops this when he writes, “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Romans 13:8-10. True love to one’s neighbour looked at negatively means not stealing his wife, or his life, or his reputation, or even wanting to steal his property. Looked at positively it means loving him to the same degree as we love ourselves, for no sane man hates himself.
That ye love one another, as I have loved you- the branches of the vine must not compete with one another, but grow together as they draw on the main stem. The husbandman will see to it that we have space to develop. We do not need to strive with one another. Fruitfulness will not result from competition, but from mutual affection and concern. He had given to them, (and to us through their writings), the perfect example of love. Because we have His life this great demand can be made of us. To rely on natural resources would be to certainly fail. We have only to learn the ways in which He expressed His love for His people, and we shall know how to behave towards them too.
15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Greater love hath no man than this- this example of the greatest love is not stated in terms which limit it to Him. It is a general statement of principle as to what the greatest expression of love is.
That a man lay down his life for his friends- this is how He loved, and this is how we should love. Laying down of one’s life can happen in life and at death. The life of the Lord Jesus was constantly occupied with the welfare of others. He looked not on His own things, but on the things of others, totally committed to their welfare. This culminated in the laying down of His life at Calvary, where He died for our sins, so He was thinking of others even then. The apostle John wrote this, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” 1 John 3:16.
15:14
Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Ye are my friends- since there was that in the disciples which caused the Lord to be fond of them, they were His friends. But there was much about them, (as there is about all believers), that was contrary to His mind, and did not therefore deserve His fond affection, so it is good that He loved them as well with the sort of love that loves for love’s sake.
If ye do whatsoever I command you- so His friendship with them, (as opposed to His love for them), was in the measure they obeyed Him. He cannot be fond of those who disobey Him, even though He continues to love them and have their best interests at heart. If we wish to please Him therefore we shall be careful to obey Him in all matters, for He said “whatsoever”. We have not the liberty to be selective as to what we will or will not obey. True obedience makes no exceptions and no excuses.
15:15
Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
Henceforth I call you not servants- this is a preparation for His next words about them being sent forth. They were sent forth during His earthly ministry as servants, for He reminded them in chapter 13 that “the servant is not greater than his lord”, so that was the basis of their relationship. But henceforth, from this time forward, they are still servants, (for He is still Lord), but servant-friends. Their relationship is lifted to a higher level.
For the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth- as His friends He will share His secrets with them, as He could not if they were only His servants.
But I have called you friends- He has named them and recognised them formally now as He gives their relationship with Him a new dimension.
For all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you- this is either a statement of what had happened, or what would happen spoken of as if it were past. Certainly there were things He had not yet told them because they could not bear them at that point, (“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” 16:12), but when they had received the Spirit they would be able to understand. And even then there would be certain truths that were only revealed after Saul of Tarsus had been converted, and as the apostle Paul he made known final truth, Ephesians 3:1-11; Colossians 1:25. But the statement may be seen as a reference to the past, that He had told them as much as was appropriate for the time, and this was the guarantee that He would continue to do the same, and an indication that He was prepared to take them into His confidence as His friends.
15:16
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you- notwithstanding the fact that He was now calling them His friends, He is still their Lord, and exercises that Lordship by His choice of them to go forth for Him after Pentecost. He had chosen them once to preach the gospel of the kingdom, but now they have a new commission. It is as if He is re-ordaining them, sending them out into a hostile environment to produce fruit for His Father. They had been very protected thus far in their ministry, for He had always been available to them to support and guide. But this was in Israel, where the things of God were well-known. He would soon send them into a far different situation, and they would need His assurance that He had indeed sent them there. This assurance He gives them now.
There is also the fact that in a few hours or less they will forsake Him and flee. They would be demoralised by that failure, and He is here preparing their hearts for that situation. It is no surprise that as He met with them in the upper room after His resurrection, He would say to them, “Peace be unto you. As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you”, John 20:21. The word “peace” was the assurance that He came not to upbraid them for forsaking Him, but to send them forth as those in whom He had confidence. When they went forth they would do so as those who had the Spirit indwelling them, and that would make all the difference, for the Spirit is not the Spirit of fear or timidity, 2 Timothy 1:7. He gives boldness in the face of opposition.
And ordained you- the word used here for ordained is a very common word which means, in its basic form, to place. It has no ceremonial connotations at all, but simply tells of something or someone being positioned. But having said that, we should be aware that this is the word used of the Son in Hebrews 1:2, “Whom he hath appointed heir of all things”, so there is a sense of dignity and purpose attached to the word. So what is happening here is that they are being deliberately located in hostile territory, so that it might be seen that in any place on earth fruit can be produced for God.
That ye should go and bring forth fruit- as a vine, Israel was planted in the land, as Psalm 80:8,9 had said, but this vine is not dependant on benign circumstances to be fruitful. After all, the Lord Jesus was fruitful to God even though He grew up out a dry ground, Isaiah 53:2. They were to be the same. The secret of His fruitfulness was His drawing of resources from His Father alone. He put down no roots to the earth even though He lived on it. We see now why the Lord said “Arise, let us go hence”, 14:31, for that was a symbolic move out of the confines of the upper room to the harsh world outside.
The prophet Ezekiel speaks of the fact that the vine is only good for producing fruit, 15:2. It is a fine wine-producing plant, and that wine “cheereth God and man”, Judges 9:13. It represents all those spiritual things that please God, and remind Him of His Son.
And that your fruit should remain- the fruit would take the character of the branch that produced it, for it is as a branch abides, (same word as “remain”), that it produces fruit. The fruit has nothing corrupt about it which would prevent it continuing to please God. In fact true fruit abides for ever. How heartening to think that we are given the opportunity to bring forth that which shall please God for ever. This statement reminds us of the words of the Lord Jesus when He said, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:15-20.
That whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you- this would link back to the idea of being chosen by Him. So they are chosen to go forth, and chosen also to be in such a position that they may make request of the Father. If they are to produce fruit of good quality, they must be dependent upon their “vine-dresser”, the Father, verse 1. We know from verse 8 that the Father is glorified if we produce much fruit, and here we are encouraged to ask for opportunities and strength to do this.
Because the asking is in His name, our prayers remind the Father of all the fruitful things that were featured in His Son, and which could be seen in His people too. The prayer is answered because it comes from those who are chosen, so the sense is, “I have chosen you…that whatsoever…he may give you”. Those whom His Son has chosen are very precious to the Father, and this is the basis of His granting of these requests, as well as the fact that He will be glorified when the fruit is produced. “May give it” does not introduce a doubt, but rather, they ask in His name so that the Father has reason to give it.
15:17
These things I command you, that ye love one another.
These things I command you, that ye love one another- all the instructions and exhortations He has given them in this discourse of the True Vine are in order that they might love one another as they appreciate the fellowship of having a common purpose to glorify their Father. Botanists speak of a plant’s microclimate and its macroclimate. The first is the immediate environment around the plant, the second is the more general situation prevailing in the atmosphere. The love of believers for one another should be the microclimate in which they live, for it will foster mutual encouragement to be fruitful. If we really love our fellow-believers we shall want them to be fruitful for God.
(g) Verses 18-27
The vine and the hatred of the world
15:18
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you- if verse 17 is the microclimate, summed up in one word, “love”, this is the macroclimate, the prevailing conditions in the world. It may be summed up in one word, “hate”. As they are sent forth, these apostles are to be under no illusion about what awaits them. As they had companied with the Lord Jesus in His ministry, there were many who believed in Him. But there were those who hated Him, especially amongst the authorities, who saw Him as a threat to their position and prestige. It was these “princes of this world” that hated Him, But it was these that would confront the apostles as they pioneered the gospel in the world. They would be comforted by the fact that they were only experiencing what their Lord had experienced before them. Saul hated David, and on more than on occasion threw his javelin at him to try to kill him, 1 Samuel 18:10,11;19:10, but we should remember that Saul also threw his javelin at his own son, simply because he was loyal to David, 20:33. Of course the believer should be careful to avoid doing anything to rouse the wrath of the world because of his failure. The hatred he receives from the world should only be because of likeness to Christ.
15:19
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own- the word for love here is “phileo”, love because of a correspondence. If there were things in the apostles that corresponded to the things of the world, then there would be love expressed. Because they were not of the world, and their other-worldness condemned the world, they were hated. The world’s own things are listed for us by the apostle John when he wrote, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” 1 John 2:16.
But because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you- there had come a moment when they were separated from the world once and for all. Perhaps they did not realise it, but at the moment of Christ’s choice of them to be apostles they were completely separated from the world, even from Israel. So this is an additional reason for the hatred of the world. Not only are they hated because they manifest features that the world finds hateful, but they are also loyal apostles of Christ, and since the world hates Him, it hates them too.
15:20
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord- He had said this in 13:16 in connection with humility, but it stands good in relation to the hatred of the world. They must not expect better treatment from the world than it gave to their Lord. If they did receive better treatment, even though they had been faithful, then this would overshadow Christ, and in all things He must be pre-eminent. Since the Father will not allow His Son to be displaced as the pre-eminent one, they must expect to be persecuted as He was.
If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you- He speaks to them as if His crucifixion, the greatest persecution of all, was over, and He can look back on it. He was persecuted in His life also, of course, but Calvary was the greatest expression of men persecuting Him. Since the apostles will represent Him and His interests, they must expect the same treatment, for the world does not change.
If they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also- the world is no more willing to accept and applaud the things Christ represents and the character He displays, than it is to accept His word. The two are bound up together, He being the perfect expression of what He taught. That being the case, the apostles must not be surprised if the world does not rush to believe what they preach, for the substance of their preaching condemns the world.
On the other hand, there were those who believed His word, and so will there be those who will believe the preaching and teaching of the apostles. Notice that He calls it their word, for it has been entrusted to them as if it were their own. They will not distance themselves from it. In His prayer to His Father the Lord spoke of “them which shall believe on me through their word”, John 17:20. So we read that on the day of Pentecost there were those who gladly received his (Peter’s) word, Acts 2:41.
15:21
But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake- because they will go forth in His name, representing Him to men, whatever happens to them will be because of the world’s reaction to Him. They should not take it personally.
These men must be careful to only do things that faithfully represent Christ and all that His name brings to mind. If they do not, then persecution will be because of them, and not Him, and His name will be disparaged. There are false teachers who preach error, and find themselves persecuted by the world. Let not such say it is persecution for His name’s sake, for His name and error do not harmonise.
Because they know not him that sent me- only those who have eternal life know the one who sent His Son. The world consists of those who are still living natural lives in the flesh, and as such do not know God, and Jesus Christ, 17:3. If they did know God they would be sympathetic to Him, for it would have been by Him that they did so. As it is their ignorance leads them to persecute.
15:22
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin- in the context the sin referred to here must be the “know not him that sent me”, of the previous verse. It was excusable for men to not know God as Father, and as the Sender of the Son, until He actually came. But after He has come and explained His relationship with God, they have no excuse for not knowing the Father. As John wrote, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him”, John 1:18. Now that the declaration has been fully made, there is no reason why men should not know the Father.
But now they have no cloak for their sin- their sin stands fully revealed, for the Father has been fully made known and they have not received it. Nothing they might do or say can disguise this plain fact. If Christ could not give proofs of His Deity, they were right to hate Him, for He would have been a rival to their God. To recognise His claim to Deity was in their eyes to say there was another god apart from the God of Israel, and would constitute Him one who said, “Let us go after other gods”, Deuteronomy 13:2. All such were to be put to death in Israel. But it is otherwise, so they are guilty of the sin of rejecting Him.
15:23
He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
He that hateth me hateth my Father also- because the Father is fully manifested by the Son, He being equal with Him, John 5:18; 10:33, and one with Him, then to hate Him is to hate the one He represents, so united are they in essence and aim. And when He came and spoke to them, He made this relationship very clear so that they knew what they were doing when they hated Him. They were hating the God of Israel! No amount of religious observance can cloak that sin; it stands exposed in all its wickedness. Something of the hurt the Son felt because of this is seen in that He calls the Father “my Father”.
15:24
If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
If I had not done among them the works which none other man did- just as in chapter 14 there was a vital link between words and works, so here. In 14:11 the Lord said to them, “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.” So the works demonstrated that He was “in the Father”, meaning that He had a unique relationship with Him, for there is no point at which they diverge, whether it be in nature, character, will, or action. The Father is in Him in the sense that all that the Father is and does is expressed perfectly in the Son. To see and know one is to see and know the other.
When the Old Testament prophets worked miracles, as they occasionally did, they were not demonstrating that they were one with God. They simply carried out His directions, and were given the power by Him to do the miracle. But when the Son worked miracles at passover time, for instance, John 2:23, He was showing Himself equal to the one who did signs in Egypt before the Israelites were brought out. When He healed the impotent man on the sabbath day, John 5:8,9, He was affirming that just as God worked on the sabbath, so did He. When He fed the five thousand, John 6:11, He was showing that just as God in the Old Testament gave them manna in the wilderness, so He could do the same. Just as God made man with eyes at the beginning, so could He give a man his eyesight back, perhaps by making him eyes from clay, John 9:6,7,32. And just as God quickened the dead in the Old Testament, so He can do the same, John 11:41-44. He was justified in saying, therefore, that they were works that none other man did, even though Moses and Aaron brought the plagues over the land of Egypt, and Elisha fed the prophets, and Elijah raised the dead. Elijah raised the dead because it was God’s will; Christ raised the dead because it was His will, and the Father’s, John 5:21. His Father worked miracles, and He did so “likewise”, verse 19.
They had not had sin- here is the same expression as in verse 22. There it was in connection with the words He had spoken; here to do with the works He had done. This is to be expected, for His works were visible representations of His words. So the healing of the impotent man is expounded in the rest of John 5, and the feeding of the five thousand is explained in the rest of John 6. To see the works was to see a demonstration of the words, and to not believe in the one or the other was to sin. It is not, of course, that before He came they were sinless, but that they had not had opportunity to commit the particular sin of rejecting His words and works. Now they have had that opportunity, and rejected Him, they stand convicted.
But now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father- they saw the miracles, and they saw what He meant by His doctrine, but rejected both, and responded to them with hatred towards Him, which was the same as hatred towards His Father who was doing the works through Him. As He said, “but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works”, John 14:10.
15:25
But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
But this cometh to pass- this hatred of Himself came despite the good works He had performed. What should have caused them to love Him had the opposite effect.
That the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law- by “law” is meant the Old Testament, with the quotation coming in fact from the psalms. By speaking of their law the Lord emphasised that the Old Testament had been entrusted to Israel as the oracles of God, Romans 3:2, and they were responsible not only for preserving them but believing them. If they did in fact believe them they would have welcomed Him when He came.
The phrase to be quoted is fulfilled by men as they hated Christ. It may have been partially fulfilled when men hated David, the writer of Psalms 35 and 69, (for the phrase is found in both psalms), but we are here assured by the Lord that it is fulfilled in Him. None shall surpass Him in His sufferings, even in His life, let alone in His death.
They hated me without a cause- the wording in one psalm is “neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause”, Psalm 35:19, and in the other is “They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head”, Psalm 69:4. As the Divine Author of the Old Testament the Lord has authority to adapt and combine the words so as to bring out their application to Himself.
15:26
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
But when the Comforter is come- how grateful the apostles would be that as they went into a world full of hate, they would have one in their hearts who was a comforter. He would strengthen their hearts to continue despite the opposition the hatred of men would set up against them. The love of God is shed abroad in the hearts of believers, Romans 5:5, and thus they are fortified to endure the world’s hatred.
Whom I will send unto you from the Father- notice it is “whom” and not “which”, for the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, not merely an influence. He has influence indeed, but He is not just an impersonal force. Note the personal link established between Divine persons and the apostles. The Spirit is sent by the Son from the Father to them. As they go forth into a hostile world, they have the whole Godhead on their side. The Son sends the Spirit because His prayer to His Father has been answered, 14:16, so again this gives them assurance as they go forth that Christ is approved of the Father, even though He is disapproved of by men.
The only time we read of an apostle using the word Father for God in the Book of Acts, (as opposed to the Lord Jesus using the name in 1:7), is when the apostle Peter explained what had happened on the Day of Pentecost, saying, “Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.” Acts 2:33. He clearly had this passage in mind.
Even the Spirit of truth- they not only go forth into a world of hate, but into a world of error. How are they going to convince men of the truth of the gospel if the ones they preach to did not believe it when Christ was here on earth amongst them? The answer is that they are going to preach that gospel “with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven”, 1 Peter 1:12. The power in the preaching is not their own power, but that of the Spirit of God, and that will make the impact. He is specifically the Spirit of the truth concerning the relationship between the Father and the Son, which is at the very heart of the gospel. When the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the upper room ministry He is defined, so that we know exactly who is meant.
Which proceedeth from the Father- a lot has been made of this phrase, and whole sections of Christendom are still at odds over it, debating whether the Spirit is sent from the Father alone, or from the Father and the Son. But this assumes the expression refers to Pentecost. What if it does not, but refers to the constant ministry of the Father through the Spirit to His people as He makes known to them His truth? This would help to explain why the verb is in the present tense, as if the Lord is projecting His mind forward post-Pentecost, and is thinking of the operations of the Spirit of God subsequently, through the people of God. This is the theme of verses 7-15 of the next chapter.
Strong’s Greek Dictionary defines the verb ‘ekporeuomai’, (which is here rendered “proceedeth”), as meaning “to depart, be discharged, proceed, project, come forth, come out of, depart, go forth, go out, issue, proceed out of”. With such a variety of meanings how shall we decide? The decision has been made for us, for the Authorised Version, translated by pious and scholarly men extremely well versed in the Greek language, translates the word as “proceedeth”. When we gather up the mentions of the word when it is translated in this way we discover that, in eight out of ten cases, the word has to do with that which comes out of the mouth. Here are the references:
“every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”, Matthew 4:4.
“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart”, Matthew 15:18.
“and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth“, Luke 4:22.
“even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father”, John 15:26.
“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth“, Ephesians 4:29.
“And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices“, Revelation 4:5.
“fire proceedeth out of their mouth“, Revelation 11:5.
“Which sword proceeded out of His mouth“, Revelation 19:21.
The other references are Mark 7:21 and Revelation 22:1.
We see then that the predominant idea in the context of the use of this word proceedeth is that of something that comes out of the mouth. Linked as it is with the phrase “He shall testify of me”, we can easily see that the idea is of the inspired testimony of the apostles after the Spirit had come within them on the day of Pentecost. The promise of the Lord Jesus to them after His resurrection was, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me,” Acts 1:8. We see now why there is mention of the Son sending the Spirit from the Father, (which happened at Pentecost, Acts 2:33), and then the idea of the proceeding of the Spirit from the Father, which is an ongoing thing.
Just as the word of God found in the Scriptures had proceeded out of the mouth of God in the Old Testament era, as “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost”, 2 Peter 1:21, so now, when the Father bears testimony to His Son, the same happens, and Spirit-filled and Spirit-inspired men are going to speak forth the truth.
He shall testify of me- just as the servant who had been sent by the father, Abraham, would have spoken to Rebekah about Isaac, the son, Genesis 24, so the Spirit of God bears witness to the person of the Son, being equal with Him in the Godhead and therefore knowing Him fully. The Spirit not only bears testimony to the people of God, but also to the world in the gospel through the writings of Divinely-chosen men.
15:27
And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with e from the beginning- there was a special way in which the apostles witnessed, for they could tell of what they had personally seen for themselves. As was said when a replacement was needed for Judas, “Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.” Acts 1:21,22. And as Peter also said to Cornelius, “And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem”, Acts 10:39.
So the Spirit bore witness of the truth with regard to the Lord Jesus, and the apostles bore witness that the One the Spirit spoke of was the One they had known and seen, a real man who lived, died, and rose again. As Peter said before the Sanhedrin, “And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.” Acts 5:32.