In John’s gospel, the Lord Jesus shares several undeniable marks of being His disciple.
According to Jesus:
1. A disciple continues in the word of Christ (8:31) 2. A disciple surrenders to the will of Christ (12:24,25) 3. A disciple loves with the love of Christ (13:34,35)
Today I want to share the last two marks of being a disciple of Jesus.
4. A disciple abides in Christ
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:14-15, ESV)
The word “abide” means to continue or remain in fellowship with. A believer is one who is in “union” with Christ and a believer who “abides” in Christ not only is in union with Him, but also is in communion with Jesus.
Just as the branch abides in the vine to receive life because of all of the life-giving nutrients that help it to grow and bear fruit, so the believer abides in the True Vine – Jesus Christ. If we abide in Him, He provides all that we need to grow, mature, and live lives that are fruitful.
Because Jesus is the source of life, we must abide in Him to live lives of abundance and fruitfulness. To be severed from the vine is death, but to abide is life!
Lastly, we have the final mark of a disciple.
5. A disciple bears fruit through Christ
“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:8, ESV)
One thing is certain: if I am faithful to abide in Jesus, He will be faithful to bear fruit through me. But what kind of fruit?
- Answered prayer (15:7)
- Love (15:9)
- Obedience (15:10)
- Joy (15:11)
