It always seems when I question more what I myself am saying, I generally end up saying a lot more than I should. This one may get wordy compared to my others but I pray that the Spirit may strip away any ignorance and His message shines through and is pressed into your hearts. May He our Father our Husbandman purgeth us and work on us through His word that we may bring forth more fruit
Extra Credit: A very short one today from Octavius Winslow. Today we learn the Secret of Our Growth in Grace.
Jhn 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Jhn 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Why would a branch not provide fruit?
It is with some hesitation that I come to these verses. I may be far more able to explain what I believe they do not say than what they say. It is with full confidence that I know that this is not an indictment against Calvinism and is any proof that there is any possibility that a Christian saved by grace may be taken away or fall from grace to the point they are cut off and now face eternal destruction. There are far too many scriptures which flatly denounce such blasphemy and explicitly and positively declare that you are chosen, saved, and shall remain His until the end days (Rom 8:35-39). There is no evidence in His word of man becoming unsaved, ungraced, by acts of determined unfaith including these verses.
Though slightly less conviction I would also contradict what A.W. Pink says on these verses as well. He gives close attention to Christ audience and believes Christians who stop baring fruit do not fall to destruction but Christians may become baron. In full agreement these 11 remaining that Christ addressed would not fall from salvation that was obtained, but it is an opinion that these verses now, today, have an audience that may not yet know or have that security of eternal redemption or salvation. Though as saints we should be warned of unfaithful behavior, these verses do not speak of the work of Christ on His elect or a message of our faith.
The key to these verses I believe are in the words (ABIDE) or (ABIDETH). With just a cursory observation you may notice that these words are not even in our text. If we were to continue on reading in this chapter though we would see abide used seven times in the next five verses. To understand these verses is to look at what it is to abide. Those that abide, are grafted in, there branches spring from the tree and not of themselves, and from a good tree good fruit WILL come. And to abide not is to be separate, to never be a part of the source, they do not have roots, are not His, and from bad trees with a bad source no good fruit can come. And even though they may grow close to the vine, spring up and give all outward appearance of the true vine they cannot and will not ever provide good life sustaining fruit and must and will be plucked off and cast into the fire.
