Let’s read John 15:1-5, “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.”

In the Lord’s teaching here, we see that He is the TRUE VINE and all true believers are BRANCHES.  The Lord Jesus, as the true vine on earth, brought fruit unto God. The true believer is as closely joined to Him as the branch is to the vine. The branch is in Him and He is in the branch. The life-sap of the vine circulates in the branch. And this life and nature in the believer produces fruit.  If we are a true branch, connected to the true vine, then we will naturally produce fruit for the Lord.  This is simply saying that if we through faith, have the Lord Jesus living inside us, it will be manifested in our lives.

Let’s consider the words of the Lord in Luke 6:43-45, “For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For EVERY TREE IS KNOWN BY HIS OWN FRUIT. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”

An unsaved man cannot bear (bring forth, produce) fruit for the Lord.  He has no part in the Lord or His labors.  He is from a different tree!  He is from a ‘corrupt tree.’  Unsaved people often do great benevolent works to benefit others.  However, he cannot represent the Lord in his labors.  What will this fruit look like in our lives?  We find the answer to that question in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”  We, in and of ourselves, cannot bear fruit for the Lord.  As branches connected to the vine, our fruit is dependent on the supply from the vine.  If we seek to live a life in accordance to God’s will and purpose; if we give ourselves over to the Lord and walk according to His Word, the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ will be seen in us.

Looking back at John 15:1-5, notice the progression there.  Verse 2 speaks of FRUIT and of the purging that takes place to produce MORE FRUIT.  Verse 5 shows us that if we continue faithfully in the Lord, we will produce MUCH FRUIT.  Dear readers, may we abide faithful in the Lord so that we might bear much fruit that glorifies our blessed savior.  John 15:8 assures us, “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear MUCH FRUIT; so shall ye be my disciples.”  (213.6)