I AM THE TRUE VINE
JOHN 15:1
Stephanie A. Parker
BIBL 323-B01 LUO
October 17th, 2016
However strong the branch becomes, however far away it reaches round the home, out of
sight of the vine, all its beauty and all its fruitfulness ever depend upon that one point of contact
where it grows out of the vine. So be it with us too.
Andrew Murray
I AM the Vine
Eternal security is found in the promise of Salvation made possible in the life of Jesus
Christ. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Through salvation, a
believer is in union with Christ and as Towns states, “this cleansing is the first condition of a
fruitful life.”1 In John 15, Jesus teaches about union with him. Todd Billings further explains in
his book when he says, “union with Christ is connected with both faith and obedience---abiding
in Christ, as a branch abides in a tree,”2 Growing to full maturity as a believer, we choose life by
being engrafted into the vine, this being Christ. Towns3 identifies the progression in the maturity
of the believer as being:
•
No fruit (15:2)
•
Fruit (15:2)
•
More Fruit (15:2)
•
Much Fruit (15:5)
1 Towns, Elmer L. The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. Old Tappan, NJ: F.H. Revell, 1990
p151
2 Billings, J. Todd. Union with Christ : Reframing Theology and Ministry for the Church. Grand
Rapids, US: Baker Academic, 2011. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 1 October 2016. P35
3 Towns, Elmer L. The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. Old Tappan, NJ: F.H. Revell, 1990
p151
But clearly, the secret to this is to abide in the true vine of Christ. Morris states, “Salvation in
Christ is not a process that leads us into magnificent laziness. Salvation in Christ is meant to
result in the saved producing qualities of character that accord with their Christian profession and
in their having a horror of fruitless lives.”4 Abiding is the desired response in the heart of the
believer. The cleansing in salvation is the baseline. Christ says, “apart from me you can do
nothing.” (John 15:4) Abiding in the “True Vine” (John 15:1) is the non-negotiable position of
surrender, faith and obedience making possible a reflection of Christ in the life of the believer in
service to God.
Time and Place
Nearing the end of Christ earthly ministry, Judas Iscariot departs which Towns describes,
“With the departure of Judas, the whole atmosphere of the upper room changed”.5 Jesus,
knowing that his arrest and crucifixion would come next, chose to remain in the upper room
sharing an intimate time of teaching and fellowship with his 11 other disciples. The timing of
this is approximately 18 hours prior to his crucifixion.
4 Morris, Leon. Jesus Is the Christ: Studies in the Theology of John. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B.
Eerdmans Pub., 1989. P120
5 Towns, Elmer L. The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. Old Tappan, NJ: F.H. Revell, 1990
p135
The Old In the New
The vine is described in Judges 9 to be one of the three royal plants of Israel. In fact,
Israel had such high regard for the vine because it represents one of the special blessings found
in the Promised Land. (Num 13:23) In his book, The Vine, Israel, and the Church, Akpunonu
states, “the vine is highly treasured in Israel. It entails hard work, vigilance, patience, and
endurance. That makes its fruit all the more joyful and prestigious.”6 But as blessed as Israel
was by God, Israel remained unfaithful in return.
In the Old Testament, God used the vine to symbolize Israel. Spoken through the prophet
Jeremiah we read, “I had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock. How then
did you turn against me into a corrupt, wild vine?” (Jer 2:21) Israel, planted and purposed to be
fruitful, failed in spite of all that God had done for them. Akpunonu explains, “Israel interpreted
her prosperity religiously: in it she saw the hand of God, though her gratitude was not
necessarily expressed according to the terms of the covenant. The more prosperous she grew, the
more she multiplied her altars and sacred pillars and the more she indulged in syncretistic cult.”7
One example of this in scripture is in Hosea 2:12. For this reason, Israel was cut off from the
vital connection with God and destined for destruction.
6 Akpunonu, Peter Damian. The Vine, Israel, and the Church. New York: Peter Lang AG,
2004. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed October 11, 2016).p12
7 IBID P159
The significance of the word “true” in John 15:1 draws attention to the contrast with the
faithless old Israel and their relationship to God. Old Israel responded to the blessings and
goodness of God with fruitlessness, whereby Christ identifies “my Father” (John 15:1) as the
gardener who cultivates fruitfulness. Akpunonu explains the significance of this when he states,
“By calling God his Father and assigning to him the role of the vinedresser, Jesus declares that
his existence is grounded on his existence from God. Jesus is the vine living and growing and in
the Father’s cultivation.”8 In this, we know that God cares for the authenticity and abundance of
his fruit.
The Deity of Christ
Christ deity is revealed in that he is equal with God in power. This is demonstrated by his
power to give life as the vine giving life to the branches. The unique relationship Jesus has with
the Father is a statement believed by the Jews to claim deity. (John 5:18). This claim was
confirmed by the witness John the Baptism when he denied being the Christ in John 1:20
The deity of Christ is also revealed in the words “I AM”. The very utterance of those
words were spoken by God to Moses in Exodus 3:14 when God said, “I AM WHO I AM. This is
what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God chose to liberate His Israel
from captivity in Egypt and fulfill His covenant promises as “I AM WHO I AM”.
8 IBID P144
Schreiner in his book, New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ, states “The ‘I AM’
statements on Jesus’ lips suggest, then, that in him the promises of God find their fulfillment.
God’s saving purposes climax in Jesus himself.”9 In the “I AM” statements, we know that Jesus
himself existed with God from the beginning. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” (John 1:1-2) The
son, Jesus Christ, preexisted from the beginning. The Word of God became flesh over 2000
years ago and in the life and person of Jesus Christ. And as Schreiner put it, “Jesus is God’s
definitive and final word to human beings, expressing and revealing who God truly is”.10
9 Schreiner, Thomas R.. New Testament Theology : Magnifying God in Christ. Grand Rapids,
US: Baker Academic, 2008. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 14 October 2016. P249
10 IBID P259
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Towns, Elmer L. The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. Old Tappan, NJ: F.H. Revell, 1990
Nash, Ronald
Billings, J. Todd. Union with Christ : Reframing Theology and Ministry for the Church. Grand
Rapids, US: Baker Academic, 2011. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 1 October 2016
Morris, Leon. Jesus Is the Christ: Studies in the Theology of John. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B.
Eerdmans Pub., 1989.
Akpunonu, Peter Damian. The Vine, Israel, and the Church. New York: Peter Lang AG,
2004. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed October 11, 2016)
Schreiner, Thomas R.. New Testament Theology : Magnifying God in Christ. Grand Rapids, US:
Baker Academic, 2008. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 16 October 2016.
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