Remain In Christ's Love

Many songs convey spiritual truths in memorable ways. The verses of an old hymn come to mind: 'As long as Christ shall be, as I remain with Him, my song of praise will rise and never fade, nor dim.'

'Remain in Me' is the key expression of John 15. Continuing His farewell discourse to the disciples, Jesus speaks these words after the Last Supper. Looking at His troubled disciples—whether still in the Upper Room or already on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane—He continues to teach them through the parable of the vine and the branches, the seventh and final 'I am' statement in the Gospel of John.

I Am the True Vine

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. John 15:1-2

The Jews were familiar with the symbolism of the vine in the Old Testament. Israel is often referred to as a vine that God planted, a vine that God cared for. They were God's chosen people, expected to produce spiritual fruit—obedience and righteousness. But Israel was unfaithful and became a wild vine that yielded wild grapes (Psalm 80:8-9, Isaiah 5:1-2, Jeremiah 2:21). The Old Testament prophets warned of the immediate judgement that God would bring upon His disobedient people (Hosea 10:1-2); they were like vine twigs, good for nothing but firewood (Ezekiel 15:6).

Yet on the night before He was crucified, Jesus encouraged His disciples by declaring that He was the True Vine. In contrast to Israel, who had been unfaithful, Jesus would be faithful—obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Israel failed to bear spiritual fruit, but Jesus would be the source of salvation, righteousness, abundant life and fruitfulness.

What the Mosaic Law could not provide, Jesus would provide: a better covenant (Hebrews 7:22), established on better promises (Hebrews 8:6), and a better hope by which we draw near to God (Hebrews 7:18-19). The Law made nothing perfect, but through His sacrifice Jesus perfected forever those whom the Law could not. The Old Covenant God established with Israel would be replaced by a New Covenant (Luke 22:20):

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws. Ezekiel 36:26-27

Remain in Me

Jesus gives the parable of the vine and the branches a profound new meaning. He is the True Vine and His disciples are the branches—united with Him and, through the Spirit, indwelt by Him (John 14:17). He is the source of spiritual life, and fruitfulness becomes the evidence of that life. All who are in Christ bear fruit, as God the gardener prunes away all that hinders so that every living branch may become even more fruitful.

The symbolism of this parable, together with the reality of the New Covenant, might lead us to assume that the branches are passive—that everything has already been done and accomplished on their behalf. In one sense, this is true: no branch can graft itself into the vine. Yet Jesus' discourse, is filled with conditional and active commands, each carrying profound implications for spiritual life and fruitfulness as He urges His disciples to remain in Him.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in Me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples. John 15:5-8

The word remain (or abide) occurs eleven times in the first eleven verses of John 15. Jesus describes the unity between Himself and His disciples as a mutual relationship of fellowship and partnership. They remain in Him, and He remains in them. They bear spiritual fruit with Him, but never apart from Him. The disciples were already His, already in the vine—'you are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you' (John 15:3)—yet Jesus stresses the importance of them actively choosing to remain in Him.

In ancient Jewish thought, God was often spoken of in terms of His Word; the phrase 'the word of God' could even refer to God Himself. Jesus reveals that remaining in Him means remaining in His words—for He is the Word. His Word fills and transforms, producing fruitfulness in life and witness. This fruitfulness fulfils Christ's purpose for His disciples and brings glory to God.

Remain in Christ's Love

Jesus continues His discourse with a profound analogy between the Father's love for the Son and the Son's love for His disciples. Jesus' love for them is as deep, as pure, as full, and as eternal as the Father's love for Him (MacLaren's Expositions). He exhorts His disciples to remain in His love.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:9-11

Again, Christ ties remaining in His love to keeping His commands. Just as the Son fully submits to the Father's will and remains in the Father's love—enjoying an inseparable union—Christ urges His disciples to actively walk in His will so that they may continue to enjoy the blessings of their union.

Keeping Christ's commandments is far more than outward conformity. It is the inward alignment of the will, and the willing submission of the whole nature. This is, in fact, the fruit of the vine—the kind of fruit that brings glory to God the Father. Such obedience flows from love: the hands obey because the heart obeys, and the heart obeys because it loves. This glad surrender to the holy and beloved will of heaven is the condition for remaining in Christ's love. - MacLaren's Expositions

Only hours before His death, Jesus speaks of His joy. His joy was to do the will of the Father. Christ's joy flowed from perfect obedience, grounded in love—love for the Father and love for His disciples.

The parable of the vine and the branches reminds us that for all who are in Christ, there is life in abundance—fruit that will last, and fullness of joy. But these blessings are conditional upon remaining in Christ and in His love. Our joy overflows when Christ's joy becomes ours. This joy flows from the knowledge that we are no longer servants, but friends. Christ's sacrificial love has granted us knowledge of the Father and opened access to the Father, so that we might enjoy all the blessings of the Father.

This is the kind of love and friendship Jesus calls us to reflect in our relationships with one another.