João 15

João 15

Ironside - Question 22 – John 15:1-6 John 15:1-6 is the next passage questioned. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 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. 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 abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth 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.” There are a great many believers who bear very little fruit for God, but all bear some fruit for Him.... What is the test that proves whether he is really in the vine? The test is if he bears fruit. This chapter is not discussing the question of eternal life but of fruit bearing. There are a great many believers who bear very little fruit for God, but all bear some fruit for Him. There are many people in the vine (and the vine speaks of profession here on earth) who bear no fruit for Him and will eventually be cut out altogether when Jesus comes. There will be no place with Him because there is no union with Him. There are no natural branches in the living vine. We are grafted in by faith. I do not know much about grafting, but I do know that it is one thing to put a graft in, and it is another thing for a graft to strike. It is one thing for a person to be outwardly linked with Him and quite another for that person to have life in Christ. What is the test that proves whether he is really in the vine? The test is if he bears fruit. All who have life bear some fruit for God. If there is no fruit, you can be sure there is no life, no real union with Christ. (From his article entitled The Eternal Security of the Believer) (Bolding added) A C Gaebelein - The evidence of being a true believer, a true branch in the vine, is fruit bearing. Those who claim to be Christians, also to be branches in the vine, and bear no fruit prove thereby that their profession is a false profession. These professing Christians, by saying that they are branches also in the vine, cannot abide in Christ, bear no fruit, and will be treated as dead branches. (from "The Question Box") There are thousands upon thousands of such branches, dead and unfruitful in the professing church... Whenever a person takes upon himself the profession of a Christian, he claims by that outward profession to take the place, the position, the privileges and responsibility of a believer in Christ. He is in his profession a follower of Christ, a separated one and also a branch in the vine. But while his profession in church membership indicates all this, in reality this person is only nominally a follower of Christ, only nominally a branch in the vine, only nominally identified with Christ. He has not the reality of it, he does not possess what he has taken upon himself in profession, for he was never born again. As a result there is no fruit, because there is no life. ... That there are thousands upon thousands of such branches, dead and unfruitful in the professing church, does not need any demonstration. It is only too evident. Such will be taken away in judgment. But the real branches are purged (or cleansed) by the Father, to bring forth more fruit. The evidence of being a living branch in the vine is the fruitage. (See Gaebelein's commentary which has many fine spiritual insights into the truths of this Gospel. Gospel of John - pdf - see page 296) John