John 15 is the Lord’s teaching on the fruitful life. A barren Christian is an anomaly. It was never intended. The Lord said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (Jn. 10:10). Yet, sad to say, barrenness abounds in this dry and thirsty land of our pilgrimage. One reason for this is that many of us have never learned the great lesson on fruit bearing taught by the Lord in John 15.
There are at least seven ways to a fruitful life in the New Testament. In John 12:24 there is fruit bearing by dying, exchanging the temporary for the eternal. In Romans 6:22, it is fruit bearing by emancipation, holiness of life. In Galatians 5:22, fruit bearing comes by walking in the Spirit. In Hebrews 12:11, fruit bearing results from chastening, producing the peaceable fruit of righteousness. In Hebrews 13:15, fruit bearing is by the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of a costly ministry to the heart of God. In 2 Peter 1:5-8, fruit is borne by diligence in the faith, the fruit of the knowledge of God. In John 15, there is fruit bearing by abiding in the Vine.
The ministry of the Lord is always well balanced. He gave by living parable an example of loving service (Jn. 13). He gave them words of comfort and assurance (ch. 14). Then before instructing them (ch. 16) and praying for them (ch. 17), He laid upon them a burden of responsibility to bear fruit and glorify the Father (ch. 15).
Each of the Divine Persons is involved in this great work. The Father is the Cultivator (v. 1). The Son is the Vine (v. 1). The fruit produced is the fruit of the Spirit, although His gracious Person is not separately mentioned here.
The Father is always active in His work on the branches. His love demands action. He does not want His redeemed people to live stunted, wasted lives bearing no fruit for His glory. His will demands action, lest the branches miss the purpose for which they were joined to the Vine (2 Pet. 1:4). Be assured, the Father will not sit idly by and watch the slow withering of a Christian life without intervening to save the life and produce fruit.
We must not pray lightly for more fruitful lives without considering the consequences. There is a divine process. First, notice the work of the Father. There is cleansing of the life by removal of the deadwood that cumbers, shades, and bears no fruit (v. 2). Note that there is nothing evil here, just what is unfruitful. The deadwood must go! It is not a case of “Is it wrong?” but “Is it profitable?”
The work of the Son is also one of cleansing, not by removal of the deadwood as the Father does, but by the application of the Living Word (v. 3). There is a particular virtue in the ministry of the Master’s own words. They are holy and they are powerful. They are there to be taken up and applied, not left to gather dust on the bookshelf.
Fruit bearing is not a negative and painful thing, but a blessedness in the life with positive results. Three of these kinds of blessedness are given in chapter 15.
Joy Celestial (v. 11). The joyful life is what we all seek. No one in their right mind “enjoys” being miserable. Here then is the double joy of the fruitful believer. “My joy…in you” and “Your joy…full.” Here is the joy of Heaven on earth–the joy that strengthens us and attracts others to the Lord. More telling than eloquent preaching is the radiance of heavenly joy. Not the froth of pious platitudes, prompted praises and hollow hallelujahs, but the joy that radiates reality even in times of sorrow (1 Pet. 1:6).
Fruit Perpetual (v. 16). What believer does not long for such consistency, such abundance of life continually? Who would not want to be rid of a life of slumps and dumps, of desert dreariness and wilderness wanderings? Not only bearing fruit, but fruit that remains…and remains…and remains!
Prayers Effectual (v. 16). A deficient prayer life is a sad precursor to discouragement and defeat. There comes as a result a great weakening of the underpinning of the life which soon becomes evident to all. What joy and power characterize the life that is attended by answered prayer. What assurances strengthen the soul. It is a life of unswerving obedience. “Keep My commandments” is a word ever before the fruitful soul. Obedience is of more value in the sight of God than the noblest sacrifice. This keeping of the Word is the evidence of abiding in His love.
The Lord said in John 14:23, “If a man love Me, he will keep My words…” Of course there must be the submissiveness of the branches for this purgative ministry–submission to the cutting of the deadwood, submission to the cleansing by the living Word. Barrenness can only reveal a lack of submission in the inner man to the Lordship of Christ, no matter what other activities there may be. There may be leaves in abundance and outgoing tendrils all over the place. Everything is claimed to be so “exciting” and ”active” and “growing,” but there is just no spiritual fruit to glorify the Father.
That is a very real possibility in the life of a true believer–no fruit. The Master said, “Without Me…nothing.” How sad! How humbling to the flesh! Not one little, green grape! Nothing to glorify the God who loves us. Nothing to magnify the Lord who died for us. Nothing to satisfy the needy around us. Nothing to edify the saints before us. Nothing to justify the life behind us when at last we stand before the Lord at the Bema.
It is not too late! Let us cast ourselves at those blessed feet and yield to His Word and His work, if by any means a few buds, a few blossoms, a few bunches of succulent fruit may even yet give evidence that we are His friends and His followers, that we are not of this world and know practically the reality and purpose of our salvation (vv. 14-19).