John 15:1-10 is a great passage of scripture. Here our Lord Jesus is speaking to his disciples as they are on the way to the garden. I think it is important for us to understand that Jesus knows his future and that he will be leaving his beloved disciples behind soon. And so he makes the statement “I am the true vine”, John 15:1. Any Jew in Jesus day would have held on to the teaching that Israel is the vine, but here our Lord makes the statement, “I am the true vine and my Father is the husbandman”. Then he makes this statement which has stirred up so much trouble and disbelief “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”. John 15:2.

Today I was listening to the radio and heard this statement made, (start quote) “Also, verse one, there is the true vine–the source of life when you live forever. That’s the Lord Jesus. Then, in this verse, verse two, He talks about those branches–unfruitful branches–that do not bear any fruit. Now, I don’t think these are Christians. I think these are people who are hanging out around the vine but are not connected to the vine in a saving way. They’re people who kind of hang out in the vineyard and look like they’re branches, but they’re not fruitful because they’re not rooted in the vine. And then, the fourth category here in verse two is, those branches that are rooted in the vine but occasionally need pruning because, well, they just produce better when they’re pruned. And those are the four categories, the four people who are pictured in this allegory. Let me get right to some truth, though. I think there are four truths that unlock the source of true strength in a Christian’s life. They’re all four found in these verses”.(end quote)

Then a few minutes later this was said, (start quote) “He says, in verse two, “Every branch in Me.” Now, I want you to know that “in Me” is not the same as the expression Paul uses again and again, “in Christ.” The expression “in Christ” is an expression that is used to say we’re in the body of Christ, we’re born again, we’re part of the family of God, we’re saved and baptized into Christ; we’re part of His body, we’re attached to the vine”.(end quote)  Quoted from Woodrow Kroll, You can read his entire message here, What is the Source of True Strength?

He claims that the statement “in Me”, made by Jesus himself, is not the same as Paul’s statement “in Christ”. If Jesus says in me and Paul says in Christ, are they not the same statement? The only reason I can see to make such a claim is that a underlying doctrine must be present for “in Me” not to mean the same thing as “in Christ”, when clearly Christ is saying “in Me”!

For Mr. Kroll to say “I don’t think these are Christians. I think these are people who are hanging out around the vine but are not connected to the vine in a saving way”. Is to directly contradict what our Lord Jesus just said with his own words. “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away”. Jesus said the branches in me.

Why is this so hard for some to understand? In me means in me, when Christ says in me, he means in Christ.

The reason this is hard for some to treat literally, the way Jesus meant it, is because of what is attached to the “in me“, statement. ” Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away”, There is the problem! Jesus said that a branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away, and since that leads to teaching that Christians can be removed from the true vine, we can’t have a teaching like that around because it disrupts what we want to believe which is once saved always saved!

So dearly beloved doctrine dictates what Jesus said, rather than what Jesus said dictating our doctrine.

I once sat in an Independent Baptist Church for over 3 years, and one morning in Sunday School this passage was being taught. The teacher made the statement that this passage of scripture “does not, does not, does not, speak about salvation!”

Let me ask you a question, What does it mean to be “in Christ”? or as Jesus put it “in Me”. When Jesus says ” Abide in me, and I in you.” What does he mean by abide? The NLT, NIV, YNG, HNV all translate the word abide as remain. Jesus was saying “remain in me, and I in you,” seems clear to me.

If your not convinced lets do a word study. Lets study the words “in me” and “abide in me”. First lets look up in me, in the Strongs Concordance.

In: G1722  ἐν  en, A primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or state), and (by implication) instrumentality (medially or constructively), that is, a relation of rest (intermediate between G1519 and G1537); “in”, at, (up-) on, by, etc.: – about, after, against, + almost, X altogether, among, X as, at, before, between, (here-) by (+ all means), for (. . . sake of), + give self wholly to, (here-) in (-to, -wardly), X mightily, (because) of, (up-) on, [open-] ly, X outwardly, one, X quickly, X shortly, [speedi-] ly, X that, X there (-in, -on), through (-out), (un-) to(-ward), under, when, where (-with), while, with (-in). Often used in compounds, with substantially the same import; rarely with verbs of motion, and then not to indicate direction, except (elliptically) by a separate (and different) prep.

Me: G1698  ἐμοί  emoi  em-oy’,  A prolonged form of G3427; to me: – I, me, mine, my.

In Me: denotes a fixed position. If you are in the house, you are not along side the house, you are in the house. If you are in me, you are in me, not along side me. Jesus is not saying these are those hanging around me, as the quoted statement suggest, Jesus says they are in him. Jesus being God in the flesh surely would understand how to communicate what he wants to say.

Abide: G3306  μένω  menō men’-o,  A primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): – abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), X thine own.

I moved from Michigan to Ohio, I use to abide in Michigan but now I abide in Ohio. We all know what “abide” means, but the definition gets tossed out when it gets in the way of someones opposing doctrine.

If these branches were of some other origin, or of a non-fruit bearing tree as some suggest. Would Jesus not know this about the branches? Why would he say every branch in me, when he of all people would know that these branches are not in him but foreign.

Lets get down to what we all know Jesus is saying here. Jesus is saying that He is the only one that has eternal life, and that any who will abide in him will have abundant fruit and be pruned to have more fruit, but those that do not bear fruit “the product of continued faith in Christ”, God the husbandman will remove. What becomes of those that God removes? 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. Jhn 15:6

This is not a works salvation, The Bible clearly teaches we are in Christ through faith, not of works. But I think James answered this best when he said, “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” James 2:18

Works are the life blood of Christians and Jesus is the heart that pumps that blood in our chest. When a Christian stops having works, God the husbandman will be the one who determines when the blood has stopped pumping and when the branch is dead and when it needs to be removed.

This wonderful passage of scripture given to us by Jesus himself tells us who he is (the true vine), who we are (branches in him), what he and God do(nourish and prune us), what we are to do (abide and bear fruit), and what he will do if we do not abide and bear fruit (remove us and cast us off to be burned).