"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."
–John 15:5
The gospel is a promise of change.
Have you ever heard the term "sanctification"? It's a big word that describes the process of becoming more and more like Jesus as we learn to love as he loves.
It means we begin to see others through his eyes, bless them with his hands, and love them with his heart.
In John 15:4-5, Jesus uses the image of grapes growing on a vine to describe how the process takes place.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."
Just like a branch cannot bear fruit without being connected to the vine, we can't bear fruit without being connected to Jesus.
Of course, the kind of fruit we produce does not hang on a vine or on a tree.
In Galatians 5:22–23, the apostle Paul lists what are called the fruit of the Holy Spirit,
“Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
The apostle Paul teaches us that the process of becoming more like Jesus is a supernatural work of God in us. It is not our fruit. It is the fruit of the Spirit, grown from within as a result of the Spirit’s presence and power.
If we are united to the vine because of what God does for us through the cross of Jesus (called justification), we grow on the vine because of what God does in us (called sanctification).
As Jesus says, the key to producing spiritual fruit is to abide in him.
But how do we abide in Jesus? What does that mean?
To abide in Jesus is to believe in his love as the one who not only forgives our sins by his blood, but as the one who is able to change us from the inside out by the power of his Holy Spirit.
As we abide, his Holy Spirit fills us like sap from a vine, would fill a branch. The Spirit within us changes our desires and gives us new abilities. Like the ability to love.
This fruit, a result of the Holy Spirit working in our lives, is one way we can show others the love of Jesus for us, as the love of Jesus changes us and flows through us.
Because the gospel is a promise of change.
Discussion Questions
How does Jesus use the image of grapes growing on a vine to describe the process of sanctification in John 15:4-5?
How is the process of sanctification a supernatural work of God in us?
What does it mean to "abide in Jesus" and how does this relate to producing spiritual fruit?
How does the power of the Holy Spirit within us change our desires and give us new abilities?
What new fruit do you want to see in your life today?
A Suggested Prayer
Dear Father,
Thank you for the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ and the privilege it is to live in union with him like a branch on a vine. May we continue to trust what you've done for us in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection as you continue to work in us by the power of your Holy Spirit.
We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.