Chapter 3 A Closer Look at John 15 The Father's Loving Discipline As the Husbandman of the Vine
Msg 3 A Closer Look at John 15 The Father's Loving Discipline As the Husbandman of the Vine
Does John 15 to say that if you do not bear fruit, God will cast you into the fire and burn you?
Joh 15:6 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.
Many believe it does and equate this either to loss of salvation or severe and harsh discipline. This view is not only inconsistent with what the verses say, but also inconsistent with the character of our Father's treatment of branches in the Vine (in Christ).
Sonship as the Base of the Relationship in John 15
Joh 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Consider the parties in this relationship. Christ is the Vine, and the Father is the Husbandman. Christ is the beloved Son of God, in whom He is well pleased. Everything was created through Him, everything was created for Him, and God's pleasure is that in Him, all the fullness would dwell (Colossians 2:9). He is the very center of God's heart. He is the true vine. The Husbandman is the Father, who loves the Son, gave everything to the Son, and does everything through the Son while delighting in Him. This is the "root" of the relationship between the Vine and its Husbandman. It is the Sonship, and is rooted in Love. The Father loves the vine.
We are branches in the vine, and we are also children of God through Jesus Christ. All the branches of the vine make up the vine. We are not separate. We are in Him --- in the Beloved. As branches of the vine, we are part of Christ Himself. With respect to the Husbandman (the Father), we are His children. Jesus wants us to first see that the care for the vine, and the dealings and treatment of its branches, are the care of a Father for His Children. His husbandry is a Fatherly care for Christ and His members.
Unfortunately, we often think of the Husbandman as some kind of drunk hireling running into the vineyard, ticked off, stomping around, hacking away with an axe, and, finally, in frustration, throwing gasoline everywhere and lighting the whole thing on fire!
There is a vineyard that is not the vine of Christ, but is the vine of the earth, and we know that Christ will tread it in the winepress of the wrath of God, and the vine of the earth will be cast into that fire (Revelation 14:18-19). The vine described in John 15 is not that vine. This is the Vine that is Christ Himself and the many members.
Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches:
We are branches that have been grafted into Christ Himself! This a vine tree which spreads along the ground. It grows by spreading out, not by gathering in. Institutional churches emphasize gathering in. "Come to our church. We are building our church. We're trying to gather as many people as possible in one place, listening to one guy, and doing the same thing." In many cases, these are becoming bundles for the burning of tares (Matthew 13:30).
In contrast, the branches of the vine spread out to bear their fruit. They grow and increase in clusters. The branches spread out with clusters of the grapes, which are the fruit. The branches continue spreading out; however, they are all one because of the life that is in them. They are branches of the same vine. The growth of the vine is a going out, and a spreading out, not a gathering in.
The Father is the one taking care of this, and the Son is the reality of the vine.
God's Positive Discipline - "Lifting up and Pruning."
Joh 15:2 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.
Though the King James is the best English translation we have, it's still important to look at the Greek. In this case, "Every branch in me that bears not fruit, he takes away," speaks not just of taking away as in a removal, but taking away as in lifting up. The word can mean "to raise up, to suspend, to carry and lift." While it can have a negative connotation, in the context of the vineyard, the unhealthy branch is lifted and put on a special structure (a lattice), where it receives special attention. Remember, the branches are the Sons of God. They are in Christ. You must understand this relationship before you approach and interpret these verses. It is sad that people read this, thinking the Father is in the vineyard to rip you out, throw you away, and cast you into the fire. They forget He is the Father, and forget the branches are Sons who are part of Christ. This is the Son of God with His many members, the Body of Christ, an organism where all members are indwelt by the same life.
God has committed Himself to caring for the branches of this Vine. With this in view, I believe taketh away is better translated as lifted up.
Joh 15:2 Every branch in me that bears not fruit He [lifts up] and every branch that bears fruit he purges [prunes] that it may bring forth more fruit.
Branches that are not bearing fruit are "lifted up" for special care. But even branches that are bearing fruit are pruned! The Father does do a pruning work for branches bearing fruit. Pruning is not necessarily the result of you doing "something bad." It is because you are bearing fruit! The Lordshippers do not allow for seasons in the Christian life. They refuse to acknowledge seasons of barrenness, where you are being pruned back in order to bear more excellent fruit. If you go through such a "dry" and "barren" season, a Lordshipper will say, "You must have sinned. That's why you are being disciplined."
Discipline from God's point of view is not justice being met out for your sins! It's a training in righteousness. It's a training in partaking of His holiness. It's a training in exercising your senses to determine between good and evil and to discern (Hebrews 5:14). And if you are "good", it shows you have an aptitude and He is going to train you even more! This is the Father's discipline. For their good, all genuine sons receive the Father's discipline. (Hebrews 12:10).
Those that bear fruit, He prunes, but the branches that do not bear fruit, He lifts up. Both are receiving attention they may perceive is "negative". So, they must remember the Husbandman is their Father who loves them.
John 15:3-4 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. (4) 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.
We are clean in Him because of the Word He has spoken to us. His Word is likened to a washing called, "The washing of the water of His Word," (Ephesians 5:26). When we received the Gospel by believing it, we were washed and renewed (1 Corinthians 6:11; Titus 3:5). This washing cleansed us and now Jesus declares we are clean in Him.
Now that we are clean in Him, the focus of the Father is fruit bearing, while the focus of the branch is abiding in the vine. We abide through the Word we received. By this Word, we were washed and made clean (John 15:3)! Fruit bearing is not the work of the branch. The emphasis for the branch is not fruit bearing, but abiding. As we abide in Him, we bear fruit. This abiding in Him has to do with being in Him and He in us. It has to do with the flowing of His life. Who is in charge of the life? Christ is!
"Jesus said, 'I have the authority to give life to those that you have given me,' (John 5:26-29; John 17:2). He is the one with the authority to give the life. You cannot make life happen. All you can do is abide in the Lord. He promises that if you do, you will bear much fruit. Again, this is not the work of the flesh, or the work of effort. This is a rest of dwelling in the Lord. 'Abide in Me.'"
You are in Him already! You have been grafted in and are indwelt by Him. You are sealed by Him and are saved in Him. You are a member of Him! You must see the relationship before you can understand these verses!
Joh 15:5 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.
"Once again, this must be Christ. It is He who produces the fruit. The life of a branch is not the life of self-effort. It is the life of Christ. 'It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me,' (Galatians 2:20). I am a branch of the vine and the life of the vine must flow through me to produce fruit. My 'job' is simply to abide in Him."
Abiding in Christ and Bearing fruit vs. Not Abiding in Christ and Withering/Being "Burned"
Joh 15:6 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.
This is interesting. Who gathers the branches and casts them into the fire? God? No! Men gather them! We do see Christ throwing people into the lake of fire after the Great White Throne. Is that what this is talking about? No, this is men casting branches into the fire.
This talks about something negative. But what is it? He says they are gathered (by men) and cast into the fire. "They are gathered, they are burned." Is this eternal judgement? No.
Remember the Lord is bringing our attention, not to the fruit bearing itself, but the abiding. Jesus did not say that this happens to branches in Him that do not bear fruit, but to branches that do not abide in Him. Again, the focus is abiding. What does it mean to abide? We need to remember John's Epistles are the doctrinal teaching that should be the point of reference for understanding his Gospel. John explains what it means to abide in his first epistle:
1Jn 2:24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
Abiding in the Lord here is defined this way: "If that which you heard from the beginning shall remain in you, or abide in you, you will also continue in the Son and in the Father." We heard something from the beginning, and if we let this remain in us, we will abide in the Son and in the Father. The same Greek word is translated as "abide, remain, and continue" in these verses. Again, it is important to check the Greek, even if you are using the King James. To abide in the Father and the Son means we let that which we heard from the beginning abide in us. This means we remain Gospel focused and don't allow ourselves to be taken off as spoil by men's philosophies, false doctrine or anything that would bring us into bondage.
Christ is Our Surety and We are One in Christ
1 John 4:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
"John tells us what the message we have heard is: the promise of eternal Life. We saw in Hebrews 6 that God could not swear by anyone greater, so He swore by Himself in order that we, who have fled to Him for refuge, might have a sure hope (Hebrews 6:18). The hope we have is based on a sure promise, backed by an oath. It is the promise that God has made Christ to be our surety. Christ's death was for our redemption and it ransomed us, and it also made Him as a surety, guaranteeing God's promise to us. 'So be it unto me if I don't fulfill the words of this covenant.' This is what Christ has become to us! He has become the surety for us, guaranteeing the promise of eternal life to all the seed. He said, 'Of all those that you have given me I have lost none,' (John 17:12)."
We know He keeps us in Himself and we cannot be cast out. We are part of the vine. We were predestinated from the foundation of the world and foreknown to be members of the Body of Christ (Ephesians 1:4-5). We are a single organism consisting of the Head and the members. God views it all as one unit, except Christ has the first place as He is the firstborn from among the dead. He is has the preeminence. He is our bridegroom and the Son of the Father in whom the Father delights. But we are also sons of God, who have been grafted in and made members of the Body of Christ. We are branches of the vine. The way we were grafted in was by being cleansed by the Word He spoke to us. The way we abide in Him and rest in Him is to hold onto the promise, which is the same Word we received from the beginning.
1 John 2:24-25 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. (25) And this is the promise He has promised unto us, even eternal life.
This is the promise of God. It is the oath. Our abiding is to dwell in and always come back to the assurance that He who promised is faithful and He will also do it!
Abiding in the Promise
We know eternal life and fruit bearing rests on the promise of God. We need only to abide in that promise and allows the promise to abide in us. Jesus said, "If you abide in me, and my Word abides in you." We need to have the Word abiding in us and we need to understand that this Word is Christ Himself. Through this Word, we enjoy our union with Christ so that His life can flow.
Our heart and mind need to be set on the Gospel: the message we heard from the beginning, the promise of Eternal Life. If we do not, we will wither.
1 John 2:26-27 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. (27) But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
In John's doctrinal teaching about what it means to abide, He contrasts abiding in the Lord by letting His promise of Eternal life abide in us with being seduced by deceivers. Because you are in Christ, however, you have received an anointing (which is the seal of the Spirit). The anointing will teach you the difference between the Gospel and the seduction and deception of the seducers (1 John 2:26-27) Because of this training (which is the real meaning of discipline), you will grow in your ability to discern between truth and error. You will keep coming home to the Gospel, because of the anointing that dwells in you, the life that dwells in you. This is His job: to teach you.
Withering and Being Tossed To and Fro
If you do not abide in Him, and become distracted and seduced from the Gospel, you will find that you wither. You will lose spiritual strength and sense of assurance. You will begin to listen to men because you will find yourself hungry and thirsty. You'll think, "I need something," and this is when the seducers come. These men will gather you into their "bundles" and "burn you!" The bundles will be for the tares to be gathered into the end time harvest and cast into the real fire. But for us, this fire is the persecution we experience by those who seduce us when we do not abide in Christ and are moved away from the hope of the Gospel.
The babes in Ephesians are being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine in the cunning craftiness of men, with a view to build up a system of error through their false teaching (Ephesians 4:14). Baby believers go through this until they are rooted and grounded in Christ and realize that He is the source of their life. When you are not abiding in Him, there is a perfect opportunity for the seducer to come and say, "You're not bearing fruit. You need to listen to my teaching." He then proceeds to give you twenty-five steps to get on his program. He promises if you just follow him, you will be blessed and bear fruit and have abundant life. So, you follow these people and even chase after them.
Eventually, you find yourself as a branch being "burned." But the anointing you have will begin to cause you to discern the seduction. You'll begin to say, "Wait this is not my home. This is not for me," and the Lord will bring you back to the Gospel. It is through the Gospel you'll see that these teachings by the seducers do not match. When you see this and begin to resist the seduction, you will get "in trouble." Then. when you start to get "in trouble," you really do experience suffering.
James and Peter both tell us that persecution is the fiery trial for us (1 Peter 4:12-14). It is called the "trying of your faith". It is not to prove to God that you have it, but God wants to show you that your faith is real (1 Peter 1:7). That which He put in you is precious beyond measure, and it will survive any test, even when you are in these environments because you withered, not cleaving to the gospel, and were seduced by men who cast you into the fire. You might be burned, but you will not be cast into the lake of fire by God! You will wake up because of the anointing abiding in you, which teaches you to abide in Him. You are going to return home!
So, this is cyclical. If you are in Him and you do not bear fruit, you are raised up and you receive special care. If you do bear fruit, you will be pruned and purged in order to bear more fruit. If you lose sight of the gospel and do not abide, you will wither, and men will gather you into their situation. Eventually, the hope of the Gospel will start to shine in contrast to that situation and become your comfort in the midst of it. When it does, you will find yourself abiding in Him again, which then puts you at odds with everyone around you and you will experience some persecution.
The Faithful Husbandman
This is how this works. This is the care He gives to His branches. He is faithful. You may drift off to any number of things, but He is the husbandman of the vine, who takes care of all the branches with the same energy (He is no respecter of persons). He loves you to the uttermost because He is the Father who sent His Only Begotten Son to die for you.
The vine cut Himself open so you could be grafted into Him. It is a deeply personal matter to the Father to bring you all the way to glory. You will make it through! But, we are not talking about eternal salvation. We are talking about fruit bearing in John 15 and the joy of the Christian life. All you need for your fruit bearing is to abide in Him. The subject of John 15 is fruit bearing by abiding in Him and having His life flow through you. You will not bear the fruit until you learn to cleave to the gospel as that is how you abide in Him.
"If you abide in Me and my Word abides in you." What Word? That which you heard from the beginning concerning the promise of Eternal Life! God's discipline in our life, His pruning and His lifting up, is always to bring us back to this basic truth. He has promised, He will bring it to pass. It is our assurance of this that is the key to fruit bearing!