“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 (ESV)
Let us consider first the last phrase in our verse today because it too is a promise. Apart from abiding in Jesus, He promises that we can do nothing of eternal significance. The fruit which Jesus speaks of are the good works we do in obedience to Him. But to be able to do these good works we need to first be abiding in Him – it is of vital importance. The word “abide” means to remain or stay around. The “remaining” is evidence that our salvation has already happened. Good works are evidence of our salvation, not the means of acquiring it. Those who believe that they have "been good enough" to go to heaven but do not through faith, abide in Jesus Christ, are not able to produce good spiritual fruit. They are as a grapevine branch that is dead and dried out. Imagine these branches, not connected to the life of the vine making an effort to bear grapes – it cannot be done. It is impossible for a dead branch to bear grapes. By faith we believe and receive the promise that we do abide through that faith. The promise is that by remaining in Jesus we will bear much spiritual fruit and God will be glorified.
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