(John 15.)
There are two ways in which God displays Himself and His character: one is His grace—His grace shining in a dark world where there is nothing like it, nothing that even comprehends it, nothing that has sympathy with it, but on the contrary, where it is always rejected, always despised. And yet, if there be any one thing which has power in the hand of the Holy Ghost, it is the grace of God. It is the grace of God that bringeth salvation; it is by grace also that any are saved. It is the one thing that not only gives comfort, and peace, and pardon, but that enables a soul not to sin; as we see it written in Rom. 6, “Sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
But, then, it is only the Holy Ghost who can enable a soul to bow to the grace of God; and this He does by utterly breaking down everything of man's pride, everything of strength within. The law never did that; it killed, it condemned, it proved the guilt; but there never could be the conviction that there is no strength in man under the law. But when grace undertook, which is the same thing as saying when God undertook, the work, how different! It was an effective thing, when God dealt with the heart; not merely as that which had to be detected, but when God undertook to produce what was according to Himself, when it was to be a new creating, when He was giving eternal life. It is a deeply humbling conviction that I have nothing in myself but sin; that if God deals according to the one thing He finds in me, the whole question is closed. Therefore, if a soul is brought to God, there must of necessity be repentance—the moral judgment of its condition fixed in the soul by the Word of God. This was not the case with Simon Magus: he wanted what would minister to himself. There was no repentance in his case; it was merely a change of mind that was utterly valueless. But the working of God, producing the sense of utter ruin, goes with the faith that the Holy Ghost produces. There may be but feeble testimony—much clouding of truth—but still the sense that it is God acting for Himself and from Himself, God new-creating, God forgiving through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, God justifying, and giving me a new place. This is the only foundation on which a soul can stand before God:—God loving in spite of all that is unloving, loving where there is nothing but what is subject to eternal wrath. Indeed, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
In a chapter like the one I have read, all is changed. We find ourselves upon totally different ground. It is a question of fruit, not of life; of communion, not union. Therefore, we are reminded, through exhortation, in the strongest manner, that the Lord expects obedience as well as love; and more, that the love of the Father depends upon our keeping His commandments. How are these two points to be reconciled? The answer is, that here we have the righteous dealings of God with those who bear Christ's name. There is no word here about God going out in love to an unconverted soul, nor of his dealing with evil in us. This is brought out in previous chapters. Chap. xiii. tells how the Lord deals with evil in us; then in chap. 14., He says that, though He is going away He is coming back again, and that meanwhile we have the Holy Ghost; so that if He goes away, we have the Holy Ghost to abide with us. Chapter 15 shows that He looks for our being witnesses for Himself while He is away, while it also brings out most blessedly His relation to us while He is above. The Father looks for sweet fruits suitable to Christ in those who belong to Christ. It shows the righteous government of God in those who are saved; and what will give them power to walk rightly, producing fruit acceptable to God, and what will stand. To see this clears all the difficulty. God is not speaking here of union with Christ; if you think of the last, it is the very fullness of grace. There is no way in which God has so surpassed in His dealings of grace, as in making us one with Christ. But the very figure by which the Lord illustrates His relation to us in this chapter is suitable for earth, not for heaven: He says, “I am the vine, ye are the branches.” The figure of a bride, or a body—many members with Christ the head—equally suits earth or heaven. Doubtless all who are spoken of as members in the body are branches of the vine, too; but when the Holy Ghost speaks of the body of Christ, there is no such thing as cutting off a member, while this is said of branches of the vine. The body of Christ never can be broken. We may find disorder in the assembly, and vessels to dishonor in the house of God; but the body is perfect, and nothing can mar it. Those who are made members of the body of Christ are taken clean out of their old state, and united to Him forever. In order to get perfect peace, my soul must rest upon this work of God. Our chapter has not one word which gives this rest of soul, but all is connected with responsibility. Christ Himself takes the place of One upon earth producing fruit for God—Himself the source of fruit, bearing the root and stem to those who are His. There is a constant tendency in Christians to forget how they may draw upon Christ for their daily life; but yet what blessedness that we may have to do with Him for everything; and this not in law, (that is what the Jew had to do with every day), but under the responsibility which flows from grace.
The question is, what is to give us power to do the will of God here below? Christ says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 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.” What an exceeding comfort it is that my Father is pruning ME, every day, taking pleasure in seeing how the branch is getting on. The 3rd verse, “Now ye are clear through the word which I have spoken unto you,” refers not to the blood, but to the power of the word in practical separation. This is true from first to last. A man is not a child of God by counsel, but when he believes in Christ. The word of God always deals morally—it deals with sin. There is, then “the washing of regeneration.” The word is afterwards applied to the detail of life. The Lord here speaks of the moral hindrances to fruit bearing, He says, “Abide in me.” “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can ye except ye abide in me.” Here we see most clearly how He cannot be speaking of union. That cannot depend on myself: whereas here is the possibility of my not abiding in Christ. But how is my soul to be strengthened for bringing forth fruit? Then must be the personal dealing with Christ in whatever is put before me, as the only way of walking with God. The one thing essential to anything being right in Christian sense is, that Christ should be the first question in it. This applies to every-day circumstance and difficulties. In service, too, there is not a single feeling that we can trust in ourselves; but if the heart really looks to Christ, all is turned into profit We have got a Blessed One who has been here—gone through all trial and temptation from without (trial from God only to bring out what His beloved Son was), and Him we have to turn to in everything, John 15 takes in not only the sons of God, but those who name the name of Christ. There are branches that never produce fruit. A man shows that he has faith and belongs to God by bearing fruit. A soul may be in much darkness, and there are many who put themselves under legal obligation; but where there is faith, there must be a measure of fruit. This chapter, then, brings out Christ not for salvation, but for the great business of bearing fruit to God. The expression about being “burned,” if unfruitful, would be quite unintelligible, if the Lord had been speaking of union. It is not what God has wrought, but it is profession that is introduced here. There was a new thing in the earth at the beginning of Christendom, which embraces all that are false as well as all that are true. There are many who name the name of Christ, but have no sense of what is due to Christ. They use His name as a mark of difference, but they do not care for Himself.
Verse 7. Here we have the heart's reference to Christ, whatever comes before it. Is it a question of caring for the sheep? Is it not because they are sheep, but because they belong to Christ. Then the heart will be sustained through the difficulties and disappointments that arise. Is it about trial in circumstances? Take the case of a person in a family, the head of which is unconverted. There may be the temptation to quit the place; but when I think of God's will, there is peace in my soul. It is Christ I belong to, Christ's will that I have to do. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.” This is very emphatic. If your first thought is of Myself, “ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done.” It is first Himself, then His words being in our minds and the heart in communion, the prayers put forth are those it is in the heart of God to give. Then follow, “If ye keep my commandments ye shall abide in my love.” It would be utterly destructive of truth to apply this to salvation by Christ, or union in grace. But when He has saved us, when He has brought us to God, and given us the certainty that God loves us, then He says, “Think of Me.” If you are in any difficulty, think of Me.” Then the Holy Ghost can present the suitable word to keep and help me. If I look at the difficulty, and do not think of Christ, Satan comes in. But if I turn to Christ, fruit is produced, and the Father is glorified. Some say that Christ's yoke is a hard thing. But is it a hard thing for Christ to say, Now, when you are in trial, think of Me; when you are in joy think of Me, or you will be lifted up; when you are in sorrow think of Me, or it will crush you?
This thinking of Christ is the true path of real holy joy. The sense of responsibility is not to cast us down, nor the presentation of it. “These things,” the Lord says, “have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” It is not only that He wants me to be thoroughly happy as to the question of eternal life, but thoroughly happy in going to Him for all my strength in bearing fruit. The soul never gets full peace till the sacrifice of Christ is seen, nor full of joy by the way till the heart is acquainted with the secret of making Christ the object of life. Think of Me—I am the true vine, the only one from whom the sap flows, by which the fruit can be produced. Christ is here putting Himself forward as the encouragement to the heart. If I look at the fruit I think I ought to produce for God, I shall not bring forth any; but if thinking of Christ, there is as real power in Him to produce fruit as there was to save my soul. But Christ must be personally before my soul. The very confession of difficulties, and telling Him of that which tries and burdens us, is one way in which He would have us to think of Him. It is the way we find Him everything for every-day life, after having found Him for eternal life—find Him not only for heaven, but for earth. The Lord grant that we may search into His words, not as law, yet as words of authority. The child delights in his father's honor; and he loves, too, to know that he himself is an object of delight. If it is the word of authority, it is written for us that our joy may be full. May we then commit our difficulties to Him, and they will be over. May we refer our souls to Christ in every matter that comes before us day by day.