Abiding In Christ

by Prasher, C, Lindsay | Category: General | May 1968

This expression just means "Keeping in close contact with the Lord Jesus". And why? To bear much fruit. That means to be productive, as far as we are able, of the kind of life that the Master Himself would live.

It is in John 15 that we have the record of the conversation that the Lord Jesus had with His disciples in which He used the analogy of the vine so effectively. The conversation was during the last twenty four hours of the life of our Lord, before He went to Gethsemane. We must remember it was in these circumstances that He so graciously gave us such practical help for our lives. Note first of all that He was speaking to those who were "already clean because of the word"; that is to those who would never know the torment of hell fire. This is important in view of some phrases in the conversation which otherwise might be given a wrong meaning.

The word picture presented is that of a gardener doing his best to get the maximum fruit from his vine. As I have seen only one vine in my life at close quarters, I always think, when I read John 15, of that magnificent specimen in Hampton Court, and I ask myself, "How do they manage to get so many bunches of grapes to grow from one small trunk?"

The most basic and obvious condition is that no branch should become severed from the main trunk, otherwise no sap would flow and the result would clearly be no grapes. In the same way, nothing must be allowed to come into our lives that would prevent us from keeping close to the Lord Jesus. This contact must be preserved at all costs if our lives are going to conform to His. Our prayer life must be maintained hour by hour, and minute by minute. Then washing pots and pans, scrubbing floors, teaching children, writing figures or sawing wood, or giving a lecture-all, being done unto Him and to His glory, become to Him like luscious grapes.

The second phase of the picture is the gardener spraying the branches to cleanse them: the conditions must be given to already fruitful boughs to produce more fruit. How does this work in our case? If we are living close to Him we will be reading His word regularly, hearing His voice therein and His commandments which help us, if we heed them, to "abide in His love", and so become more productive to His great glory. A further outcome of this experience will be that whatever we ask, it shall be done. This only can happen because we are then so closely in keeping with His thoughts that we ask only the things which we know are His will. The same experience, which will be very satisfying and joyful mutually to the Lord and to us, will nevertheless cause the world to hate us as it hated Him. This will not disturb the happiness which His presence creates: we will become reconciled to the world's hatred, even though it is naturally most unpleasant. His close company is more than compensation.

The final phase of the conversation is different: there is a sad as well as a happy possibility. Because of separation from the trunk, a branch may become unproductive. No sap is flowing: communion with Christ ceases. The Lord is desperately disappointed. The fruit mentioned in Galatians 5.22, that is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control, is not evident. This is because the wood of the branch is being used for a purpose for which it was not intended by its Maker. Ezekiel 15 makes it clear that, when the branch is separated from the trunk, it is not possible from the wood even to make a peg on which to hang things: the wood has no value apart from being attached to the trunk. The only use for a vine branch is to pass sap for the purpose of fruitbearing.

Fruit only accrues to our dear Lord when we maintain close contact and communion with Him. The wonderful experience described in John 15 as "abiding in the vine" is described in Romans 8 as "walking after the Spirit", a different word picture, but the same experience. Another has called it "the practice of the presence of God". Shall we practice it more?

Prasher, C, Lindsay | May 1968
General