YOU may remark, beloved friends, that all blessings spoken of here are with regard to the responsibility of those related to the person of Christ.
In the 14th chapter you get the whole ground of the disciples’ happiness in His presence with them, notwithstanding because He was going away sorrow filled their hearts. In the 15th chapter, the place of the true vine in its earthly relations. You don’t plant vines in heaven.
Nothing in chapter 15. refers to a heavenly condition; this so far refers to our present condition in its analogy to what the Church is upon earth.
It is not here speaking that Christ is the Friend of sinners, but if we are following Him we are His friends; we have to look at the disciples as to the place they then were in―responsibility not as to law, but that they might abide in the enjoyment of His love; here you are called upon to walk so as to abide in Him practically and in His love too.
Israel was God’s vine. Christ says that wasn’t the true vine, but He was. Israel was in the place of the servant, but never acted up to it (Isa. 49). Everything is transferred to Christ. He takes the place as true servant. Israel a servant, Christ a servant; then Israel is called the vine, but bore no fruit. Instead of Israel being the vine, it was Christ Himself who was the true vine, and the disciples the branches.
The moment I get Christ the vine, I get One that cannot fail. He sets His disciples now to take the place, and (that is what applies to us) they were responsible as to fruit―bearing. A branch may be broken off; if that meant the Church, His body would have been imperfect. “Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit,” &c. If I’m in Christ, I’m part of Himself in glory; here we talk of bearing fruit—we want pruning; and this is what He is occupied with as we are passing through the world, and comforts them with “Ye are clean... abide in Me.”
All through He puts our confidence first: Abide ye in Me. It is entire confidence so as to express the dependence and get the power. If we haven’t present confidence we can do nothing, that is just the opposite to abiding in Him. When we thus abide in Christ, we bring forth much fruit. What has He left us here for? He has put us in a place of exercise to bear fruit, where, so to speak, everything hinders us bearing the fruit where He has set us; it is that people may see fruit in the power of Christ in us while He is away.
Verse 7. does not say, Ye know My Word. It is not sufficient simply to abide in Christ, but in Christ and His Word. “If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” We are called to walk in a path which is the wisdom, goodness, and power of God in a world of sin. There is a path which is described in that “which the vulture’s eye hath not seen.” It is not setting the world right, but showing a divine principle where it isn’t right; showing the divine life or Christ’s life. When Christ was in the world He was subject even to wrong, He was the obedient One. The Word of God is the expression of that divine life. The Word He has given is the one single thing that is come from God to us, not merely as salvation, but as showing a path through the world. I live by the word that comes out of God’s mouth. I’ve got a perfect thing, God’s wisdom in it. The practical life of a Christian is to abide in Christ, no strength in himself. The moment I’m walking as guided by His Word, it is walking in the wisdom and guidance of Another. If His Word was always in me, I should show nothing but fruit of God’s Word in me.
Do you never think you like to follow something in this world? Well, that is getting away from Christ. Here, in the way, we are being modeled unto Him with whom we are to be forever. He puts the believer in the place of living dependence upon Christ, and you “ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.” That’s what we want, a great deal more realizing His presence and leaning upon Him. We can’t go and ask what we will when it is our will. Where the believer has the mind and thoughts of the Lord, he can ask what he will and it shall be done; that we are set in this world of evil makes it the greater privilege.
What He brings out in verse 9 and 10 is “abiding in the love of God.” Not only was Christ the only eternal Son of His delight, but God was well pleased, all His life unfolding the perfect blessed obedience and love. I have been with you in this world just as My Father has been with Me. Besides the sovereign goodness of God in our election and His delight in us, His heart has been watching over us with earnest delight. I want you to be keeping close to Me that the outgoings of that delight may be known in you. If thus walking in Christ, we never walk in darkness.
The discernment of the divine will depends upon the spiritual state. I (Christ) walked in obedience and had always the enjoyment of the Father’s love. The Christian’s life should be bearing fruit and the blessedness of enjoying His love. His joy did not come from the world. He had a deep constant source of joy that nothing could dry up―constant communion with His Father; and that’s how we are to walk with regard to Christ, that path where the light of life is found. Christ is never darkness to those who are walking with Him. His love is sufficiently true to us to make following His Word a path of blessing to us.
The Lord give us grace and confidence in His love in order to trust His Word!
The last two verse 26 and 27, are remarkable as showing the character of the Church. In chapter 14 Christ sends the Holy Ghost from the Father because He is to be a revealer of heavenly glory. In chapter 15. the Comforter is Himself present, and chapter 16. shows what the Holy Ghost does when He is come. I would only say, Are your hearts content to abide in Him and know nothing in this world but Christ? J. N. D.