John 15:5 Abiding and Fruiting

John 15:5 (KJV)  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.

Jesus says “I am the vine”. And He referred to His disciples as “the branches”. In John 15:1, Jesus tells us that His Father is “the husbandman”. It is the husbandman who plants the vine, tends it so that it may bear forth fruit. And it is the branches that enable the vine to bear fruit.

The vine may through the branch bear fruit. And the branch may bear fruit only when nourished by the vine. That dependence of the branch upon vine is absolute. The vine is the only source of nourishment for the branch. When the branch is detached from the vine, it withers and dies.

So is the spiritual man dependent upon Christ for nourishment to bear spiritual fruit. The oneness between and vine and the branches is the enabler for fruit-bearing.

As such, the spiritual man needs to be constantly receiving spiritual grace from Christ for him to bear spiritual fruit. This truth is emphasized here. Christ is found in God’s Word and it is the Holy Spirit and appropriate it to nourish the soul.

Let us be meditating on God’s Word with much prayer so that Christ may be our daily portion for fruitfulness. Amen.