This commentary is a work in progress and may be revised as study continues. If you have a question, spot an error, or want to discuss a passage, please reach out.
Chapter Summary
If this passage could be summarized you could say the branch that is ultimately cast away isn't a genuinely born again person who became unsaved. Rather, the lack of genuine abiding/fruit reveals that the person was never actually united to the life of the Vine. For as Jesus says, a good true is guaranteed to produce good fruit and it is impossible for it not to (Matthew 7:17-18). He then states in verse 4 below you are guaranteed to produce fruit if you are abiding in Him which is synonymous with being saved (Ephesians 2:11-13).
1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2Every 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.
The audience
We must keep in mind the audience Jesus is speaking to in John 15.
Israelite people in the Old Covenant
Before the Spirit is given and seals believers (John 7:39)
Speaking to men who are chosen, following, but not yet regenerate/sealed
We are not yet in the New Covenant reality of Spirit-indwelt believers. We know Judas did not believe (John 6:64) but per John 13 he was not present here. But Jesus indicates that the others had not yet come to full resurrection faith:
“...that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.” John 13:19
“...that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.” John 14:29
“Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?...ye shall be scattered ” John 16:31-32
“Except I shall see… I will not believe.” John 20:24
John’s Gospel repeatedly shows that full belief and understanding came after the resurrection (John 20:9; Luke 24:45).
The phrase ‘in Me’ is not referring to salvation
When we think of later New Testament phrases such as “in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 2:10), the phrase “in Me” can sound like a technical term for salvation. However, John’s gospel allows for a broader category of association with Christ that does not equal regeneration as does Paul in Romans:
Romans 11 Parallel
Romans 11 uses the same imagery of branches to describe Israel as a people group. These branches:
Trusted in their works, they were not believers (Romans 10:3)
Broken off because they failed to ever believe (Romans 11:20)
Yet they are still called branches. This shows that branch language does not require saving faith, but can refer to covenantal or external connection, a people group God focused on for a time.
Abiding is belief, not a second salvation
1 John 4:15 makes it clear that to “abide in”, or “dwelleth” as the KJV puts it (in the Greek “meno” the same exact word used here), means to simply believe Jesus is the Son of God. Belief means you are abiding. If “in Me” in John 15 already meant regenerate salvation, and “abide in Me” also meant salvation, the passage would collapse into redundancy.
Instead, John 15 distinguishes:
External attachment, covenant relations (in Me)
True, persevering, Spirit-enabled abiding (abide in Me)
Pruning Applies Only to God’s Children
Those whom God loves, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Those that are His children, He prunes Hebrews 12:6 states. A key point to see, this is only done to believers, God’s children. Chastening or pruning produce fruit in us. We see here God does the work in us.“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness” Hebrews 12:11.
Fruitlessness Leads to Removal
Jesus uses similar language in Matthew 7:19 to the beareth not fruit here in John 15. People are likened to trees, not branches, yet the fate is the same. The issue is not loss of salvation, but false profession without life. “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
In summary, Jesus is speaking to men who don’t believe and are not yet saved. John’s Gospel itself tells us belief unfolds progressively (John 8:31 men believe yet in John 8:45 Jesus says they don’t), full understanding comes after the resurrection and true abiding is only possible with the Spirit (John 14–16, 2 Cor 1:21–22, 2 John 2).
Thus, in John 15:
“In Me” is not referring to salvation
True abiding results in fruit
Fruitlessness reveals lack of life, not loss of salvation
3Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4Abide 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.
The English word abide can sound as though one may enter and exit a state at will. However, in John’s usage, the verb μένω describes a continuing spiritual condition, not a fluctuating status.
When Jesus commands, “Abide in Me,” He is not suggesting that a person repeatedly moves in and out of union with Him by how they live their life, but that life and fruit are only found in a state of being in Him. Apart from this state, fruit is impossible. This is consistent with how John uses abide elsewhere to describe fixed spiritual states:
You can be in a state of darkness:
John 12:46 “whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
You can be in a state of death (but also pass from this state):
1 John 3:14 “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
Contrast with John 5:24 stated as complete, you can’t go back “…is passed from death unto life.”
You can be in a state of God’s wrath on you
John 3:36 “...the wrath of God abideth on him.”
What Does It Mean to Abide?
The English word “abide” or “dwelleth” translate the Greek verb μένω (menō), which John uses consistently to describe a continuing relational state, not a meritorious or ongoing work we must do. In both the Gospel of John and 1 John, abiding is presented as the result and evidence of genuine belief, not the cause of salvation.
John 6:56 “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.”
John 12:46 “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.”
1 John 3:23-24 “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.”
1 John 4:12 “If we love one another, God dwelleth in us...”
1 John 4:13 “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us...”
1 John 4:15 “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.”
1 John 4:16 “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him”
2 John 9 “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.”
Abiding is defined as belief, not daily spiritual activities
Jesus’ statement, “Abide in Me, and I in you” (John 15:4), is directly paralleled by John’s later explanation:
“Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.” (1 John 4:15) See also 2 John 9
The word “dwelleth” here is the same Greek verb μένω (menō) used in John 15. Therefore, according to John himself, abiding is defined as genuine belief and confession of Christ, not works we do, fruit production, worship, or obedience. Abiding is not something a believer does to remain saved; it is the relational state that begins at faith. Good works and fruit are the result of abiding, not the means of it.
Abiding is permanent and forever
The same Greek word μένω (menō) for “abideth” or “abide” is used in the following verses. Each verse states this remaining, abiding or dwelling will last forever. Our salvation is secure forever. Three scriptures state this clearly:
1 John 2:17 “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
So the question becomes: What is the will of God? Jesus answers explicitly it is simply to believe: John 6:40 “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;” John 14:16
“For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.” 2 John 2
Conclusion
To abide in Christ is to remain in a permanent relational state established by confessing faith in the Son of God who died and rose again. As 1 John 3:23, 1 John 4:16, and 1 John 5:1 teach, and as John 6:56 illustrates, this abiding begins at belief, is evidenced by love and confession, and is secured by the indwelling presence of Christ through the Spirit:
“For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.” 2 John 2
Once a person has believed the gospel, having passed from death unto life (John 5:24), he does not move in and out of abiding. The transition is decisive and irreversible, not experiential or fluctuating. Fruit does not sustain this union; it flows from it.
Thus, John 15:4 does not teach loss of salvation, but rather distinguishes true faith from mere outward attachment, a reality fully revealed to the disciples after Christ’s resurrection and glorification.
5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Many essentially teach a works salvation, that you must believe and then by ones own self-will, do works or produce fruit following a confession of Christ and thus “abide”. While we do work in tandem with the Spirit as Galatians teaches, we can see here that once you are abiding (as we learned above it is simply believing Jesus is the Son of God) you will produce fruit and ”much fruit” at that. This is natural to the true believer one finding it’s sustenance from the source of life, the Vine. Love is a fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22, Romans 5:5, 1 John 4:7,12-13). You will grow in love for God and other people if you are saved for we become new creations because of His work in us.
The gospel brings forth fruit as Colossians 1:6 says “ For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:”
Jesus states in Matthew 7:17 this exact teaching “every good tree bringeth forth good fruit”. If you are a good tree, it is a guarantee you will have good fruit.
Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 7:15-21. He speaks of false followers of him that come in sheep’s clothing. They appear to be Christians but have bad fruit. Then He warns these false followers (those not abiding) in verses 22-23 by saying He never knew them on judgement day and their self-willed works of prophesying, casting out demons and more all mean nothing and accomplished nothing. Jesus “not knowing” these people parallel’s what He says here in John 15 as they never had Jesus “Without me ye can do nothing”. A branch without fruit is not in Jesus as He says if you are in Him, you will produce “much fruit”.
Union comes first → life flows → fruit appears. Resistance or sin can block the flow temporarily, but God’s pruning restores life. True believers cannot remain permanently fruitless; fruit is the inevitable outcome of union.
6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
This cannot be a saved, true believer as Jesus told us He would never cast out anyone that comes to Him in John 6:37 ”All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
Notice he specifies the one cast forth is the one not abiding. He doesn’t say the one not producing fruit is cast forth. We know why, verse 5 says you will produce fruit if abiding, in other words, if you are saved.
A believer will not remain in a permanent state of fruitlessness. A “branch that never bears fruit” is either:
A false profession (never truly united), or a temporarily hindered branch that the Father will prune and restore through chastisement.
Now in Matthew 7:19 Jesus says something very similar and this time He does say without good fruit you are cut down: “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
but notice in verse 17-19:
“Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit;...A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit”. A believer is guaranteed to produce good fruit by through Jesus and they can’t produce bad fruit.
Romans 11 describes this same picture of a branch or branches being cast away. What is the reason? Lack of fruit or works? No, Romans 11:20 says “Well; because of unbelief they were broken off,...”. The simple reason was unbelief. Romans 10:3 states the Jews were trying to establish their own righteousness by works and not by faith. This isn’t they believed and stopped, they never believed.
This is a very scary picture but to the true believer, one that has examined himself (2 Corinthians 13:5 ie. do you believe the gospel?) he need not fear. John says he can have his love perfected and actually be bold on the day of judgement and we are just like Him, amazing grace 1 John 4:17.
The good news is that while someone still has breath there is still hope they can be saved from the fire by turning to God in belief. “And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.” Romans 11:23
7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
A sign of a right relationship with Jesus is you have answered prayers. It may not be immediate or all the time but overall He promises to answer us if:
We are righteous which only comes from believing upon Jesus (John 9:31, 1 Peter 3:12)
We pray according to His will (1 John 5:14-15, James 4:3, James 1:5–6)
There is no active sin we haven’t repented of (Psalm 66:18, Proverbs 28:9, Isaiah 59:2).
8Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
We must “continue”. But we know this is not a self-willed works salvation as salvation is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 5). The warning here seems to be to those self-deceived. Leaving the faith and not continuing shows a person is not of us. Jesus warns us here and in the parable of the sower, saving faith has a root and it endures. Mark 4:17 “And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: “. John also states this again in 1 John by saying “no doubt have continued”. John says that he has no doubt they would have continued in the faith if they were truly “of us”. 1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” In summary a true believer continues.
Also, John uses the same word “continue” here. In both verses, again just like “abide” this is the same Greek word Strong's G3306 - menō. Some have said “We see the fruit but God knows the root”. We don’t always know, some may appear saved to us for a time and then fall away and it is “made manifest” who they truly serve.
10If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
And what are His commandments? 1 John again is the key to understand and make John 15 clear. Notice verse 22 uses the plural “commandments” and then in verse 23 it answers this plural with the singular “commandment”, therefore it is simply to believe upon Him: 1 John 3:22-24 “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him”. Once you believe upon Jesus for salvation the love of God is placed into your heart (Romans 5:5, 1 John 4:7,12-13, Galatians 5:22) so you can then fulfill the second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:35-40) or the later part of the singular “commandmant” in 1 John 3:23, to love your neighbor as yourself.
The phrase “abide in my love” is paralleled in 1 John 5:15-16 and ties it all back into yet again simply believing upon Jesus, confessing He is the Son of God: “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
16Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
The words “I have chosen you”do not refer to salvation here but rather the office of apostleship. Jesus chose His disciples and called them to ministry with Him. In John 6:70 it becomes clear this is chosen for service and not salvation because Judas is called a devil “Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”
The only reason the disciples were ordained was because they did the following:
They kept His word: “and they have kept thy word.” John 17:6
They received His word: “I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received” John 17:8
They believed: “they have believed that thou didst send me” John 17:8
Once they believed they are ordained to bring forth fruit. The natural outcome for a believer is to have the living water of the Holy Spirit overflow (John 7:38-39) with fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus says the exact same thing in the parable of the sower, the good soil that keeps His word produces fruit:
“But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” Luke 8:15
Judas was chosen but he was never ordained to bring forth fruit because he didn’t believe as John 6:64 tells us and he was lost as John 17:12 tells us.
17These things I command you, that ye love one another.
18If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
19If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
21But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
22If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.
23He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
24If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
25But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
26But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
27And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
15
John 15 — Forever Word commentary
King James VersionThis commentary is a work in progress and may be revised as study continues. If you have a question, spot an error, or want to discuss a passage, please reach out.
If this passage could be summarized you could say the branch that is ultimately cast away isn't a genuinely born again person who became unsaved. Rather, the lack of genuine abiding/fruit reveals that the person was never actually united to the life of the Vine. For as Jesus says, a good true is guaranteed to produce good fruit and it is impossible for it not to (Matthew 7:17-18). He then states in verse 4 below you are guaranteed to produce fruit if you are abiding in Him which is synonymous with being saved (Ephesians 2:11-13).
1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2Every 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.
The audience
We must keep in mind the audience Jesus is speaking to in John 15.
Israelite people in the Old Covenant
Before the Spirit is given and seals believers (John 7:39)
Speaking to men who are chosen, following, but not yet regenerate/sealed
We are not yet in the New Covenant reality of Spirit-indwelt believers. We know Judas did not believe (John 6:64) but per John 13 he was not present here. But Jesus indicates that the others had not yet come to full resurrection faith:
“...that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.” John 13:19
“...that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.” John 14:29
“Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?...ye shall be scattered ” John 16:31-32
“Except I shall see… I will not believe.” John 20:24
John’s Gospel repeatedly shows that full belief and understanding came after the resurrection (John 20:9; Luke 24:45).
The phrase ‘in Me’ is not referring to salvation
When we think of later New Testament phrases such as “in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 2:10), the phrase “in Me” can sound like a technical term for salvation. However, John’s gospel allows for a broader category of association with Christ that does not equal regeneration as does Paul in Romans:
Romans 11 Parallel
Romans 11 uses the same imagery of branches to describe Israel as a people group. These branches:
Trusted in their works, they were not believers (Romans 10:3)
Broken off because they failed to ever believe (Romans 11:20)
Yet they are still called branches. This shows that branch language does not require saving faith, but can refer to covenantal or external connection, a people group God focused on for a time.
Abiding is belief, not a second salvation
1 John 4:15 makes it clear that to “abide in”, or “dwelleth” as the KJV puts it (in the Greek “meno” the same exact word used here), means to simply believe Jesus is the Son of God. Belief means you are abiding. If “in Me” in John 15 already meant regenerate salvation, and “abide in Me” also meant salvation, the passage would collapse into redundancy.
Instead, John 15 distinguishes:
External attachment, covenant relations (in Me)
True, persevering, Spirit-enabled abiding (abide in Me)
Pruning Applies Only to God’s Children
Those whom God loves, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Those that are His children, He prunes Hebrews 12:6 states. A key point to see, this is only done to believers, God’s children. Chastening or pruning produce fruit in us. We see here God does the work in us.“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness” Hebrews 12:11.
Fruitlessness Leads to Removal
Jesus uses similar language in Matthew 7:19 to the beareth not fruit here in John 15. People are likened to trees, not branches, yet the fate is the same. The issue is not loss of salvation, but false profession without life. “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
In summary, Jesus is speaking to men who don’t believe and are not yet saved. John’s Gospel itself tells us belief unfolds progressively (John 8:31 men believe yet in John 8:45 Jesus says they don’t), full understanding comes after the resurrection and true abiding is only possible with the Spirit (John 14–16, 2 Cor 1:21–22, 2 John 2).
Thus, in John 15:
“In Me” is not referring to salvation
True abiding results in fruit
Fruitlessness reveals lack of life, not loss of salvation
3Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4Abide 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.
The English word abide can sound as though one may enter and exit a state at will. However, in John’s usage, the verb μένω describes a continuing spiritual condition, not a fluctuating status.
When Jesus commands, “Abide in Me,” He is not suggesting that a person repeatedly moves in and out of union with Him by how they live their life, but that life and fruit are only found in a state of being in Him. Apart from this state, fruit is impossible. This is consistent with how John uses abide elsewhere to describe fixed spiritual states:
You can be in a state of darkness:
John 12:46 “whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
You can be in a state of death (but also pass from this state):
1 John 3:14 “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
Contrast with John 5:24 stated as complete, you can’t go back “…is passed from death unto life.”
You can be in a state of God’s wrath on you
John 3:36 “...the wrath of God abideth on him.”
What Does It Mean to Abide?
The English word “abide” or “dwelleth” translate the Greek verb μένω (menō), which John uses consistently to describe a continuing relational state, not a meritorious or ongoing work we must do. In both the Gospel of John and 1 John, abiding is presented as the result and evidence of genuine belief, not the cause of salvation.
John 6:56 “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.”
John 12:46 “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.”
1 John 3:23-24 “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.”
1 John 4:12 “If we love one another, God dwelleth in us...”
1 John 4:13 “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us...”
1 John 4:15 “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.”
1 John 4:16 “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him”
2 John 9 “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.”
Abiding is defined as belief, not daily spiritual activities
Jesus’ statement, “Abide in Me, and I in you” (John 15:4), is directly paralleled by John’s later explanation:
“Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.” (1 John 4:15) See also 2 John 9
The word “dwelleth” here is the same Greek verb μένω (menō) used in John 15. Therefore, according to John himself, abiding is defined as genuine belief and confession of Christ, not works we do, fruit production, worship, or obedience. Abiding is not something a believer does to remain saved; it is the relational state that begins at faith. Good works and fruit are the result of abiding, not the means of it.
Abiding is permanent and forever
The same Greek word μένω (menō) for “abideth” or “abide” is used in the following verses. Each verse states this remaining, abiding or dwelling will last forever. Our salvation is secure forever. Three scriptures state this clearly:
1 John 2:17 “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
So the question becomes: What is the will of God? Jesus answers explicitly it is simply to believe: John 6:40 “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;” John 14:16
“For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.” 2 John 2
Conclusion
To abide in Christ is to remain in a permanent relational state established by confessing faith in the Son of God who died and rose again. As 1 John 3:23, 1 John 4:16, and 1 John 5:1 teach, and as John 6:56 illustrates, this abiding begins at belief, is evidenced by love and confession, and is secured by the indwelling presence of Christ through the Spirit:
“For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.” 2 John 2
Once a person has believed the gospel, having passed from death unto life (John 5:24), he does not move in and out of abiding. The transition is decisive and irreversible, not experiential or fluctuating. Fruit does not sustain this union; it flows from it.
Thus, John 15:4 does not teach loss of salvation, but rather distinguishes true faith from mere outward attachment, a reality fully revealed to the disciples after Christ’s resurrection and glorification.
5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Many essentially teach a works salvation, that you must believe and then by ones own self-will, do works or produce fruit following a confession of Christ and thus “abide”. While we do work in tandem with the Spirit as Galatians teaches, we can see here that once you are abiding (as we learned above it is simply believing Jesus is the Son of God) you will produce fruit and ”much fruit” at that. This is natural to the true believer one finding it’s sustenance from the source of life, the Vine. Love is a fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22, Romans 5:5, 1 John 4:7,12-13). You will grow in love for God and other people if you are saved for we become new creations because of His work in us.
The gospel brings forth fruit as Colossians 1:6 says “ For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:”
Jesus states in Matthew 7:17 this exact teaching “every good tree bringeth forth good fruit”. If you are a good tree, it is a guarantee you will have good fruit.
Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 7:15-21. He speaks of false followers of him that come in sheep’s clothing. They appear to be Christians but have bad fruit. Then He warns these false followers (those not abiding) in verses 22-23 by saying He never knew them on judgement day and their self-willed works of prophesying, casting out demons and more all mean nothing and accomplished nothing. Jesus “not knowing” these people parallel’s what He says here in John 15 as they never had Jesus “Without me ye can do nothing”. A branch without fruit is not in Jesus as He says if you are in Him, you will produce “much fruit”.
Union comes first → life flows → fruit appears. Resistance or sin can block the flow temporarily, but God’s pruning restores life. True believers cannot remain permanently fruitless; fruit is the inevitable outcome of union.
6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
This cannot be a saved, true believer as Jesus told us He would never cast out anyone that comes to Him in John 6:37 ”All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
Notice he specifies the one cast forth is the one not abiding. He doesn’t say the one not producing fruit is cast forth. We know why, verse 5 says you will produce fruit if abiding, in other words, if you are saved.
A believer will not remain in a permanent state of fruitlessness. A “branch that never bears fruit” is either:
A false profession (never truly united), or a temporarily hindered branch that the Father will prune and restore through chastisement.
Now in Matthew 7:19 Jesus says something very similar and this time He does say without good fruit you are cut down: “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
but notice in verse 17-19:
“Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit;...A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit”. A believer is guaranteed to produce good fruit by through Jesus and they can’t produce bad fruit.
Romans 11 describes this same picture of a branch or branches being cast away. What is the reason? Lack of fruit or works? No, Romans 11:20 says “Well; because of unbelief they were broken off,...”. The simple reason was unbelief. Romans 10:3 states the Jews were trying to establish their own righteousness by works and not by faith. This isn’t they believed and stopped, they never believed.
This is a very scary picture but to the true believer, one that has examined himself (2 Corinthians 13:5 ie. do you believe the gospel?) he need not fear. John says he can have his love perfected and actually be bold on the day of judgement and we are just like Him, amazing grace 1 John 4:17.
The good news is that while someone still has breath there is still hope they can be saved from the fire by turning to God in belief. “And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.” Romans 11:23
7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
A sign of a right relationship with Jesus is you have answered prayers. It may not be immediate or all the time but overall He promises to answer us if:
We are righteous which only comes from believing upon Jesus (John 9:31, 1 Peter 3:12)
We pray according to His will (1 John 5:14-15, James 4:3, James 1:5–6)
There is no active sin we haven’t repented of (Psalm 66:18, Proverbs 28:9, Isaiah 59:2).
8Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
We must “continue”. But we know this is not a self-willed works salvation as salvation is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 5). The warning here seems to be to those self-deceived. Leaving the faith and not continuing shows a person is not of us. Jesus warns us here and in the parable of the sower, saving faith has a root and it endures. Mark 4:17 “And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: “. John also states this again in 1 John by saying “no doubt have continued”. John says that he has no doubt they would have continued in the faith if they were truly “of us”. 1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” In summary a true believer continues.
Also, John uses the same word “continue” here. In both verses, again just like “abide” this is the same Greek word Strong's G3306 - menō. Some have said “We see the fruit but God knows the root”. We don’t always know, some may appear saved to us for a time and then fall away and it is “made manifest” who they truly serve.
10If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
And what are His commandments? 1 John again is the key to understand and make John 15 clear. Notice verse 22 uses the plural “commandments” and then in verse 23 it answers this plural with the singular “commandment”, therefore it is simply to believe upon Him: 1 John 3:22-24 “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him”. Once you believe upon Jesus for salvation the love of God is placed into your heart (Romans 5:5, 1 John 4:7,12-13, Galatians 5:22) so you can then fulfill the second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:35-40) or the later part of the singular “commandmant” in 1 John 3:23, to love your neighbor as yourself.
The phrase “abide in my love” is paralleled in 1 John 5:15-16 and ties it all back into yet again simply believing upon Jesus, confessing He is the Son of God: “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
16Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
The words “I have chosen you” do not refer to salvation here but rather the office of apostleship. Jesus chose His disciples and called them to ministry with Him. In John 6:70 it becomes clear this is chosen for service and not salvation because Judas is called a devil “Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”
The only reason the disciples were ordained was because they did the following:
They kept His word: “and they have kept thy word.” John 17:6
They received His word: “I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received” John 17:8
They believed: “they have believed that thou didst send me” John 17:8
Once they believed they are ordained to bring forth fruit. The natural outcome for a believer is to have the living water of the Holy Spirit overflow (John 7:38-39) with fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus says the exact same thing in the parable of the sower, the good soil that keeps His word produces fruit:
“But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” Luke 8:15
Judas was chosen but he was never ordained to bring forth fruit because he didn’t believe as John 6:64 tells us and he was lost as John 17:12 tells us.
17These things I command you, that ye love one another.
18If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
19If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
21But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
22If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.
23He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
24If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
25But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
26But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
27And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.