This is another scheduled post for Maundy Thursday. John 15:1-17 talks about the relationship between Jesus as the vine, the Father as the vinedresser, and the Christians as the branches. We need to understand the context between faith and works. Salvation isn’t faith plus works but faith that results in works. The passage can often be mistaken by the conditional security crowd to say that works are needed for salvation. In contrast, it’s all about works as a result of salvation. Some use James 2 to justify salvation by works but end up ignoring James 2:10-11, a verse that condemns all people regardless of who they are.
After Jesus introduces Himself as the vine and God the Father as the vinedresser, we need to take a look at verse 2. Verse 2 says that for every branch that doesn’t bear fruit, the Father takes it away, and for every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, so it bears more fruit. A fruit-bearing tree doesn’t become a fruit-bearing tree by bearing fruit. Instead, the fruit-bearing tree bears fruit because of its nature. The quality of good works determines whether or not the person is saved or not. Are the good works done out of self-preservation or done for God’s glory, even if it means self-preservation is the cost? The parable of the sower mentions that some people bear thirtyfold as proof of their authentic salvation. What happens is that even for that little fruit, God the Father lovingly desires more fruit and does anything to have more fruit. Of course, not every Christian has been too cooperative but there’s going to be some chastisement regardless. Feelings of guilt that lead to self-examination, financial losses, or just anything bad happens to the life of the believer.
The great declaration to the 11 disciples. The disciples are already clean because of the word that Jesus had spoken unto them. Romans 4:5 says that to the person that works not but believes upon Him who justifies the ungodly, that faith is counted for righteousness. This doesn’t mean the Christian life will be passive. Any declaration of righteousness and new life is by the grace of God. Already you are clean? If God says it who can be against it? These people are made clean and that’s why God will do anything to get rid of any uncleanness in the person’s life. Ephesians 2:8-9 says that nobody is ever saved by their own effort. God’s grace declares the person clean and keeps them clean, even if the Christian life isn’t perfect. The Christian got saved, is being saved, and will be completely saved. All these tenses matter and will be completed.
What does it mean to abide in Christ?
It’s very easy to point this to faith plus works salvation. Romans 11:6 says if it’s by faith then it’s not by works, otherwise it’s works. Instead, we talk about the results of salvation and not the merit of good works to salvation. The NIV uses the word remain while other verses use abide. The KJV uses abide as well. Jesus talks about the need to abide in Him and Him in the believer. It’s because the branch can’t bear good fruit by itself. Ephesians 2:10 says that the good works are prepared beforehand. Titus 2:11-14 says that God’s grace shows up to teach godly living. That’s why, no matter how imperfect I am, I can’t buy the idea of getting saved and staying the same. That’s a very deadly teaching that has led to several false conversions today. If anything, preach the Gospel hard enough for the non-elect to reject it.
Remaining in Christ doesn’t cause salvation. Instead, it’s the effect of salvation. As mentioned earlier, a tree bears fruit not to become a fruit tree, but because it’s a fruit tree. Jesus warns again that if anybody doesn’t remain in Him, that branch withers, and it’s thrown into the fire. The best interpretation of that is thrown into Hell and later, the Lake of Fire. Some people interpret this as a Christian’s loss of reward or loss of salvation. I’d like to say this is the picture of the apostate. Judas Iscariot had left and only the 11 remain. In John 17, it’s stated none are lost except Judas Iscariot, the son of perdition. 1 John 2:19 warns about the apostates. They left the flock and proved that they weren’t really of the flock. I’m amazed that verse is still being “explained away” by conditional security proponents. These branches aren’t really secure to the vine. They prove to be just there for a season. John 6:66 says that many of the so-called disciples followed Jesus no more. Judas Iscariot would prove himself to have been never saved at all.
Jesus gives the promise of abiding in Him in verses 6-11. Abiding closer to Christ is what happens. The Christian life is imperfect. 1 John 5:14 says to pray according to God’s will. Some bear fruit by thirtyfold and others more. Whatever you wish is by God’s will. Let me say this again I’ve prayed for bad things, something that I had to be chastised for several times. It’s hard to pray properly when angry. It’s very easy to say an imprecatory prayer without understanding what they’re for. Whatever you wish is only for the Father to be glorified. As the Our Father goes, it says, “Your will be done…”, not “My will be done…”. The bearing of fruit happens because these types of soil that weren’t ready for planting, were made receptive by God the Father.
The link between salvation and obedience is emphasized. Obedience doesn’t result in salvation. However, salvation results in obedience. Verses 9-10 talk about abiding in Jesus’ love and obedience to the commandments. The great challenge was, “If you’re my friends, do what I tell you to do.” in John 14:15. Back in John 2:5, His earthly mother Mary says, “Do whatever He tells you to do.” There’s going to be tribulation to the Christian life. However, the more the believer relies on God’s grace, the more the tribulation of today will affect them less.
The great commandment was given in bearing fruit
The commandment is to love one another. This is often misinterpreted and abused by the ecumenical movement. A person can say, “I thought you Christians love one another. What you’re doing is unloving!” It’s often the rhetoric of people lost in sin and loving their sin. Christians can be mistakenly accused of hating homosexuals. Some members of the LGBT community called the giving of relief goods to homosexuals after an LGBT bar shootout hypocrites. I can’t blame the LGBT members for thinking like that. They’re lost in their sin. This love for one another isn’t the worldly definition of love. Christians are to do anything in love. Reprimanding an erring brother or sister? It must be done out of love and not out of spite. Correcting people in error? It must be done, again, in love. It’s all about doing things in love. This also means avoiding divisions over minor issues. Back when I was a KJV Only, I still loved the non-KJV and Calvinist brethren. Now, I’m in the other side of the fence and still love the former.
Jesus emphasizes again that you are my friends if they do what He commands. You can always say, “Okay, I’m his friend.” However, actions speak louder than words. Are you a friend or merely a blind accomplice? If you’re really a friend, you can’t stand to see your friend slip away just like that. That’s the purpose of church discipline. Now, a greater level beyond that of a slave goes in verse 15. A slave doesn’t know what his or her master is doing. However, the great privilege of being a slave of Christ is that one is owned by a Master, and being treated as a friend. A slave could be disposed of at any time. In Christ, every slave is owned and owned forever, and treated as friends. They’re still slaves but their slavery serves a glorious Lord. Jesus gave the best example when He laid down His life for His friends (verse 13). Jesus was getting ready to lay down His life. Eventually, more Christians laid down their lives only by God’s grace. It’s normal to fear martyrdom in times of ease. Ironically, Christians do get more aggressive, by God’s grace, when persecution happens.
They didn’t choose Jesus but He chose them
Unconditional election is an excruciatingly difficult doctrine to swallow. Some pastors would try to use John 3:16 to debunk it. Some say that many are called, few are chosen, and only means to be chosen for ministry. However, a deeper context is that, whether we want to admit it or not, people are chosen for salvation. Even the KJV contains the same verses. John 6:44 says that no man can come unto Jesus except if the Father draws them near. 2 Thessalonians 3:13 in the KJV has the words “chosen for salvation”–it’s my preferred rendition of the Bible. The KJV translators were mostly Calvinists or Reformed Theologians. The KJV’s rendition chosen for salvation beautifully rings over most translations today for me. That’s why I tend to cite the KJV whenever I feel the need to study the doctrine of election.
I had that intellectual pride that I finally got softened enough, after many times. However, some people no matter how many times they hear the Gospel, remain hardened. I still think of some unsaved loved ones who heard the Gospel many times. The problem with many churches today is that they think more about how to convince people to be saved rather than preaching the Gospel. The free will doctrine has given room for so much pride. in many churches today. That’s probably why Reformed Theology can be a very rocky issue, even among the saved. It’s because the doctrine of unconditional election makes it look like, “Why go preaching when God has chosen people unto Himself?” That’s hyper-Calvinism and not Calvinism. Some might say, “Well, I’m glad you go witnessing even if you’re a Calvinist.” Again, I refuse to major in the minors but the problem is often when people decide to try to be as persuasive as possible, to get people saved. True, the Gospel must be presented properly. I still know many non-Calvinist churches and they’re still preaching faithfully. The problem is that they focus on free will without considering that an unsaved person’s spiritual status is that of dry bones.
A non-Calvinist may say, “I don’t care much what Calvin teaches, I care about what the Bible teaches!” Take note that such people may still respect Calvinist Christians and non-KJV Christians as family. Most of the time, it ends up more as a temporal drift. However, looking at Ephesians 1:4-5 even from the “incorruptible” KJV, the words “chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world” and “predestined us unto the adoption” are there. This really sets in being chosen for salvation once again. As Spurgeon would say, he teaches election not because Calvin taught it but because the Bible taught it. It’s really hard to think about the doctrine of election also because of pride. One could always brag like, “Well, if we didn’t preach hard, that person wouldn’t be saved!” However, what’s ignored is that the hard preaching was only a means to an end. No amount of hard preaching will ever work as long as the person is dead in sin. Ephesians 2 then starts with talking about quickening people who are dead in trespasses and sins. In short, these people had to be made alive.
That means that before the new life can begin, it’s because Jesus chose them first. It’s not based on any merit. Jesus had even chosen the worst of sinners like the Apostle Paul, once a terrorist. Matthew was a tax collector. Zacchaeus was also a tax collector. They are chosen to live a life of good works. Now, for further examination, Ephesians 2:10 would also say it that which God has before ordained (prepared) for good works. That means, even for the good works God has prepared, it’s been prepared for those who are chosen for salvation. To be prepared beforehand means even before the good works can be done by the saved, they were already prepared for the saved and were prepared even before the person gets saved. What a very marvelously terrifying though indeed!
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