“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 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. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.” (John 15:4-9)
Abide in Christ. Jesus elaborates on the meaning of this sentence with the illustration of a branch and vine. As branches, we cannot possibly bear fruit by ourselves. We are worthless without being attached to the vine. Abiding in Christ is remaining stable in a relationship with Him. When we put our faith in Him and receive His gift of grace, we are attached as if a branch growing from a vine. The fruit we bear does not come from our own effort in any way, but in His love flowing out through us. Apart from Christ, our good works are absolutely meaningless. We obey God’s commands and bear fruit because we abide in Christ.
What are you abiding in? Are you abiding in Christ to further your sanctification and bear fruit? The order is critically important; growing closer to Christ enables us to bear more fruit, yet attempting to bear fruit through our own effort in hopes we grow closer to Christ leaves us with nothing. When we seek to achieve salvation on our own in any way, we are not abiding in Christ; we are abiding in ourselves. Likewise, when we are distant in our relationship with Christ due to abiding in earthly things, the quality and quantity of the fruit we bear is affected. If you have put your faith in Christ and are not bearing fruit, then it is time to allow yourself to be drawn closer to Him through prayer and abiding in His Word through reading scripture. Abiding in Christ is putting all of our faith in Him alone and not trying to earn our salvation by anything we could ever do; through an enduring relationship with Christ, His love flows out through us and we bear much fruit for His kingdom.
Unity at the Cross 