“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:5, 8
“Apart from Me you can do nothing” means that apart from Christ, a believer cannot accomplish anything of permanent spiritual value. For example, we cannot keep the Law without Christ’s help. So, in order to keep God’s Law, we must be born again through faith. Without faith, we do not naturally call upon God, nor expect anything from Him, nor bear the cross. Instead, we seek and trust in ourselves. So, when there is no faith and trust in God, all kinds of lusts and sinful intentions rule in the heart.
As Christ glorified the Father through His obedience, believers glorify God through their lives—and show that they are real disciples, attached to the vine. The text has come full circle in showing how strategic it is for disciples to love each other, as Christ’s method of evangelizing the lost. “They shall know” becomes so you “will be Christ’s disciples”. Where there is good fruit, there are also seeds for propagation.
God’s blessings on your day…