In the Bible in John 15:1-8, Jesus said, I am the true Vine and My Father is the Husbandman and every branch in Me that bears not fruit He takes away and every branch that bears fruit He purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. What did Jesus mean? It means that Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, is the true Vine, and God the Father is the Husbandman. The Husbandman takes care of the branches, so that the Branch will have branches that bear much fruit. Every person, who believes in Jesus Christ and is born again in Him and therefore has died and is raised in Him, is born of God and shall grow from Jesus Christ; the true Vine. A branch can only bear fruit if it abides in the Vine. Therefore if a branch does not bear fruit, something is wrong with the branch. Let’s look in depth at what it means that Jesus is the true Vine and what Jesus said about the branches and the role of Husbandman.
Why does the Father, Who is the Husbandman, take away every branch that bears not fruit?
I am the true Vine, and My Father is the Husbandman. Every branch in Me that bears not fruit He takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, He purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 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. I am the Vine, ye are the branches: He that abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. 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 ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples (John 15:1-8)
Jesus doesn’t say, that the Husbandman will leave the branches that don’t bear fruit on the Vine. But Jesus says, that the Husbandman takes away every branch that doesn’t bear fruit. Because when a branch doesn’t bear fruit it proves that there is something wrong with the branch. The branch doesn’t function the way it supposes to function. Besides that, the branch doesn’t benefit and profit the Husbandman and prohibits the Vine to bear through the branches fruit for the Husbandman
Therefore, the only solution is, to remove the branch from the Vine, so that another branch can grow from the Vine, that will bear fruit.
A branch can’t bring forth fruit on its own, without the Vine. Therefore, those who don’t bear fruit do not abide in the Vine.
This means that those, who don’t abide in Jesus Christ; the Word and don’t do what He says, and don’t obey His commandments, shall not bear fruit.
They are disobedient to Him and live in rebellion towards Him. They rely on themselves and don’t live according to what the Word says, but they live according to what their flesh and the world say.
If someone doesn’t bear the fruit, (s)he supposes to bear, it proves that the person is not in Jesus Christ. Because by the fruit, you will know the person and you will know to whom the person belongs: Jesus or the devil (Read also: The vine of Sodom).
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin. Whosoever abides in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him.
Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God (1 John 3:4-9)
The Word says, that by the fruit of someone’s life, you will know to whom the person belongs. If you persevere in sin and keep doing those things, which are not according to the will of God, then you don’t know Jesus Christ and don’t belong to Him. Because you don’t bear the fruit of righteousness and don’t exalt and glorify Jesus Christ and the Father, but you bear the fruit of unrighteousness, the fruit of sin, and exalt and glorify the devil.
The final destination of the branches, that live in rebellion and because of unbelief and disobedience to the Word don’t abide in the true Vine and don’t bear fruit, is to be cast forth and spiritually wither by their unbelief and be gathered and cast into the fire and be burned.
The Father, who is the Husbandman, purges the branches, so that they bring forth more fruit
And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that does righteousness is born of Him (1 John 2:28-29).
The Father not only removes the branches that don’t bear fruit, but the Father also purges or prunes the branches, who abide in the true Vine and bear fruit. So that the branches, that bear fruit, will bear more fruit.
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)
Every person, who is cleansed from sin and has been made holy and righteous by Jesus Christ and His blood and has become a son of God, shall go through the process of sanctification. You can compare this process with the pruning of the branches.
The person shall be pruned and cleansed by the Father of all filthy impurities through His Word. This means, that the person shall submit himself to God and His Word and shall be taught, disciplined, corrected, and chastened by the Father, through His Word (Hebrew 12:6).
The words of God will sanctify and cleanses those, who abide in the Word and do what the Word says. Some words may be hard, confronting, painful, or difficult to obey. But it is necessary to obey them, so that you will grow up into the image of Christ and bear the same fruit.
As long as you abide in Him and do what He says, you will be cleansed by His words and you shall remove the carnal works of the old man. When you remove the works of the flesh, you will put off the old man, and when you obey the words of God you will put on the new man and walk in faith after the Spirit (Read also: ‘The washing water of the Word‘).
Abiding in the true Vine, Jesus Christ, and being an overcomer
You shall not only be cleansed with His words, but the Father shall allow situations, circumstances, and difficulties, so that you will put off the old man and put on the new man and learn to trust in Him and learn to manage the Word in the spiritual warfare, so that you spiritually mature and become resilient.
Instead of begging, crying, complaining, fearing, and drowning in self-pity, you shall have a victor mentality and shall emerge as the victor, through obedience to the Word.
If you want to overcome and be a victor, you need difficulties, conflicts, or battles to overcome. Because an overcomer needs to overcome something.
You can’t be an overcomer without overcoming something.
Therefore, when you say that you are victorious and an overcomer in Jesus Christ, you need difficulties and spiritual battles. So that you can prove, that what you say is true.
You can say all things, but in the end, your actions prove what you say is true or not.
In every difficult situation, spiritual conflict, or battle, you will have the opportunity to prove that you are victorious in Jesus Christ and that you are an overcomer in Him.
You are responsible for the fruit you bear
The Vine is not responsible for the fruit that the branches bear. Because otherwise, the Husbandman would not only take away the branches, that don’t bear fruit, but also the Vine. And that’s not what Jesus said. Jesus said, that the Husbandman would only take away the branches that don’t bear fruit. Therefore the branches are responsible for bearing fruit.
This means, that God the Father is not responsible for bearing fruit and Jesus is not responsible for bearing fruit, but you are responsible for bearing fruit.
Jesus, the true Vine, carries the branches and as long as the branches abide in the true Vine, the branches shall be cleansed and nurtured by the true Vine and bear the fruit they suppose to bear.
If you take the words of the Father, which are the words that Jesus obeyed and have given us, and obey His words and therefore do what He tells you to do, you shall stay in His will and abide in Him.
Through the Holy Spirit, you are connected with Jesus Christ and the Father and you abide in Them and They abide in you. As a result, you shall bear the same fruit as Jesus.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,
you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you”
If you abide in the Word and the Word abides in you, you shall ask what you want and it shall be done unto you. Because if the Word lives inside of you, you shall ask those things, which are according to the will of the Father, so that Jesus and the Father will be exalted and glorified. You shall be focused on the Kingdom of God and calling those things which are not, as though they were, so that His Kingdom will be established on earth.
You shall not beg and ask things, which derive from the lusts and desires of your flesh and revolve around you and your kingdom. Because, as long as you pray selfish soulish prayers, you prove that your flesh is still alive and reigns as king in your life.
Jesus said, that you don’t have to worry about a thing and that the Father will take care of you and supply all your needs.
If He has promised you, that He will supply all your needs, you won’t have to ask God about it, but expect that God will provide.
Be focused on the Kingdom of God and look around you and see what things are not according to the will of the Father and change that through i.e. prayer. Prayer is the basis of every work of the believer.
God has created the whole creation by His Word and His Holy Spirit. If His words abide in you, you shall speak His words. The Holy Spirit shall empower the words of God that you speak and therefore you shall call those things which are not as though they were and bring everything into existence, which is according to the will of God.
But the anointing which you have received of Him abides in you, and you need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, you shall abide in Him (1 John 2:27).
That’s why it’s important to know the Word and you can only get to know the Word by spending time with the Word. Take the words of God. Read and study the Word and renew your mind with His words, so that your mind will be cleansed from all the junk of the world.
Study the Word in the whole context and don’t pick and chose words, and come up with your own carnal theory. But take the words of God and meditate on them and pray and the Holy Spirit shall teach you into all the truth of God.
The Word has revealed everything
God has made known everything through His Word to the new creation, whose spirit is raised from the dead and is able to understand the Word through the Holy Spirit. Those, who are not born again and whose spirit is still dead and therefore are still unspiritual, shall not be able to understand and comprehend the Word. They shall consider the Bible a foolish outdated Book, that is full of contradictions.
But to those, who are born again and abide in the true Vine, Jesus Christ, and His words and do His commandments, they shall abide in His love and shall have life, peace, and joy.
Jesus; the Word has revealed to you everything that the Father has said. The words of the Father are His words and the words of Jesus, which are the words of the Father, should become your words in which you abide day by day.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
