No Can Do

John 15:4 KJV

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

Oftentimes we are told that the focus of John fifteen verses one through eight is fruit bearing: "fruit, more fruit and much fruit." But when we study the passage we learn that the real focus is abiding in Christ. Fruit is the result of abiding in Christ. Jesus, in fact, says that we cannot bear fruit except that we abide in Him and that we will bear fruit if we abide in him.

It's the old works versus faith issue again.

Works says we must bear fruit at any cost. Two things happen with that mentality:

First we must define fruit as something that we can produce

And we can produce professions.

Second we begin to excuse questionable actions so long as they produce what we have defined as fruit

I have seen obviously wicked people justify their sin because they can report numbers of professions.

• People who are involved in sin
• People who will not step inside the church Jesus loves
• People who do not abide in Christ

And yet they boast of those they have led to Christ as fruit.

Jesus said that no fruit can be produced except we abide in Him.

At the same time those who abide in Him must produce fruit. As Mary sat at the feet of Jesus while Martha slaved away, Mary produced fruit. Martha couldn't see it of course. Perhaps even Mary struggled with a sense of guilt, soaking up time with Christ when there was work to be done. But busy-ness very often chokes out the life that would have been fruit.

We need to get our focus back on the focus of the passage. We need to fix our attention on abiding in Christ and trust Him that, as we do so, He will see to it that "fruit, more fruit and much fruit" results. 

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