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The Gospel of John, The Period of Conference, Conference With the Disciples, Part XXXII, John 15:3 - Lesson 140
Read Verses John 15:1,2 for review: 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.
The husbandman works to make the branches fruitful.
He lifts up a branch that is not bearing fruit so it will bear fruit.
He cleans a fruit bearing branch so it will bring forth more fruit.
John 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Jesus Christ up to this point has been describing the state of a believer before God.
The state of a believer before God varies depending upon the believer.
But the standing of a believer does not vary because the believer's standing depends on Jesus Christ.
In this verse he is talking about the standing of his disciples.
Their standing depends on the finished work of Jesus Christ and as long as that finished work stands their standing will never vary.
As long as he is the vine a disciple will be a branch.
In this verse He is teaching the same lesson as he taught in:
John 13:10, when he told his disciples: He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
He that is washed, indicates the standing of the believer and "to wash his feet" indicates the state of the believer.
Note in John 13:10, Jesus qualified his statement by saying "but not all" referring to Judas.
Judas' standing before God was not clean.
Judas had never been born again.
Judas was lost but he found the grave.
Here in John 15:3 Jesus includes all of his disciples as clean since Judas has already departed to do his wicked work.
Fruit bearing will only occur by the branch being connected to the vine.
A branch not connected to the vine is dead and a dead branch will not bear fruit.
But Jesus Christ says: Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
This statement tells us that the disciples were connected to the vine.
The disciples were branches and therefore connected to bear fruit.
All is in place for the disciples to bear fruit and the husbandman will do his part to insure that fruit is forthcoming in each branch.
They were clean through the word of Christ.
They were newly born branches attached to the vine, attached to the Word of God.
Their standing before God was assured because their standing was dependant upon Christ.
But their state depended upon them abiding in the vine.
Only continued attachment to the vine will cause fruit to come. |