1 John 2:6

Verse of the Day Devotion:  1 John 2:6 

“The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” – 1 John 2:6

What does John mean here when he says, ‘ the one who abides in Him’, namely Jesus.  This phrase means to lives and to  continue and remain in Him.  When a person is truly saved, they are described as being in Christ.  “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” Romans 8:1-2.  And we read also in 1 Corinthians, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 1 Corinthians 5:17.

The idea of abiding in Him pictures an intimate, close relationship and not just a superficial knowing or acquaintance.  Jesus spoke of abiding in Him as the means of bearing fruit for the kingdom. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:4-7.  Jesus is telling the disciples that drawing life from Him is necessary in order to bear fruit.  Using this analogy of branches united to the vine, He says ‘abide in me and I in you’.  The picture is of a branch attached to (abiding in) the vine.  As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can we unless we abide in Him. And through the life we derive from the vine, we are able to bear much fruit.  However, if we do not abide in Christ (attached to the vine), then we will not bear fruit.  Now note verse 7.  “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7.  Because when we are in Him and He is in us, which denotes an intimate and close relationship, this provides the synchrony needed to work as one together in bearing fruit.

Now to our focus verse, “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” 1 John 2:6.  If we not only profess to abide in Christ but also spend time with Him and are in communion with Him, the proof of this is that we walk in the same way He did when here on earth.  And that is living a life of true and pure devotion to God, as well as having true love for our neighbor.  Jesus said this to the rich young ruler.  “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31. Jesus lived these two commandments out during His time here.  And He is calling us, as those who abide in Him, to live also as such.

However, we must also look at verse 4.  “Whoever says I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”  1 John 2:4.  This is clearly stated in the gospel of John when Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”  John 14:15.  If we truly love Him, we will abide in Him and He in us.  Keeping His commandments does not provide us salvation but proves we have salvation, and this shows our relationship with Christ is strong.  And this is the relationship we have when we are in Him and He in us. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

John 15:5

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 15:5 

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5

Jesus uses the idea of the vine and the branch to describe how we are to do the work God has for us.  First, he describes which is which.  “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” John 15:1.  First, lets look at what the vine is.  The vine is the main part of the plant, which supports the branches and provides what they need.  All the nourishment of each branch passes through the main stalk, or the vine, that springs from the earth.  The vinedresser is the one who cares for the vineyard.  They are responsible to nurture, trim, and defend the vine, and who of course feels a deep interest in its growth and welfare.  We, as Christians, are the branches that sprout from the vine.  And in our focus verse, we see we are the branches, the ones through whom the vine produces the fruit.

Therefore, we see the three roles laid out in this picture.  Jesus is the vine, the one from whom all His branches, those being us, are nourished and strengthened.  He is the real source of our strength and nourishment, blessings and joy.  And the Father is the one who has the care, maintenance, and defense of the vineyard.  And He also is the one who plants the vine.  “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” 1 John 4:14

Now, again in our focus verse we read,  “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5.  Jesus is the vine and we are the branches; therefore He is the one that provides us with what we need to do His work.  He nourishes us with His Word, which helps us do what He calls us to do and strengthens us such that we will continue on when it gets difficult.  But the only way we can receive what He provides is if we abide in the vine.  We must be united with Him, living such that He is the provider of all we need.  We must be, as the branch is connected to the vine, be connected to Jesus.  For only then will we be able to produce the fruit He intends us to produce.  “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:9-10. 

However, if we are not united with Christ, if we do not look to Him as the means to do the work He has called us to, then we truly cannot do anything.  We cannot do anything for Him if we are separated from Him.  As the branches, if separated from the vine cannot produce fruit but would wither and die, so Christians, who are separated from Christ, cannot produce fruit.  This shows we are totally dependent on Christ to do what He desires us to do. 

In closing, let us understand our dependence on Him in everything we are called to do.  If we try to accomplish His will without being united with Him; not receiving all we need from Him, in effect, doing it our way, we will accomplish nothing.  It is only when God, working through us, opening their hearts for the work we are doing, that fruit is produced.   If we are here to produce fruit, we need the vine to make it happen.  Without the vine, we will simply dry up and wither.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.