Gospel of John 09.vp

Ses s i on 6: Our Lover , Our Way -Truth-and- L i fe , and Our Vi ne 159

2. The Vinedresser’s work: Those branches that bear not fruit, he cuts off, and those bearing fruit he prunes in order that it might bear even more, 15.2.

3. You are already “clean” (i.e., a wordplay with the idea of “prunes” in v. 2) through the word that I have spoken to you, 15.3 (cf. Isa. 27.6; Hos. 14.4-8 as texts showing God’s desire for fruit from his people).

4. The punch line first: Abide in me and I in you , 15.4.

a. As branches wither and die unless they remain in the vine, so you neither will be able to bear fruit of yourself unless you abide in me, 15.4. (1) Rom. 8.9 – You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (2) 2 Cor. 13.5 – Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test! (3) Gal. 2.20 – It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (4) Eph. 3.17 – so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love (5) Col. 1.27 – To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.