◄ What Does John 15:6 Mean? ►

All born-again believers are united with Christ at the point of salvation, and having been made one with Him, we are instructed to abide in Christ. To abide in Christ simply means that we are to mature in our spiritual life, to grow in grace, and to maintain a close and increasingly intimate fellowship with our heavenly Father. We are to love as Christ loved and to live as Christ lived; in total dependence upon the Father and not trying to do things in our own strength. 

All born-again believers are positioned in Christ and have become a member of His Body. As such, we are called to abide in Him and He in us, to walk in spirit and truth, and to become His disciples. To abide in Christ is to die to self and live only for Him. We are to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable and set apart for the single purpose of glorifying our Father, Who is in heaven. But anyone who does not abide in Christ, throws away their opportunity to bear good fruit to the glory of God, and that life becomes withered and is discarded.

We are to be holy for He is holy, so that in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit we may bear much fruit to the glory of God. We are to abide in Christ and He in us if we are to be fruitful branches that produce the fruitful works of righteousness (the fruit of the Spirit). But if we do not abide in Christ and He is not given first place in our lives, then we will not produce good fruit to the glory of God. If we do not abide in Him, we will live an unfruitful Christian life: saved but unproductive; saved but producing only the unfruitful works of darkness. An unfruitful Christian is a saved soul but has lived a worthless, barren, unproductive, unfruitful Christian life that does not give glory to God. Such a one is thrown away as a branch and then withers away. 

Sadly, this beautiful illustration of a Vine and its fruitful or unfruitful branches is too often used to suggest that a born-again believer who is unfruitful, can lose their salvation. But this is not reading this verse in its correct context. A believer's fruitfulness depends on close fellowship with the Lord Jesus; He abides in Christ. The believer that does not maintain close communion with the Father becomes an unfruitful, barren branch; a wasted life that did not fulfil the purpose for which he was saved: to glorify God.

Paul calls the fruitful believer a spiritual man, while he labels the unfruitful believer a carnal man. He exposes carnal Christians as spiritual babes in Christ who, although saved by grace through faith, remain spiritual infants, out of fellowship with the Father, and not walking in spirit and truth. And Paul warns that their life will be devoid of spiritual fruit and whatever they have done in their life will be fruitless and be burned up. 

To abide in Christ and be fruitful is to say NOT my will but Thine be done. To fail to abide in Christ is to say MY will not Thine be done, and the opportunity to live for Christ is lost. This Christian is saved, but devoid of fruit. This Christian is saved, but living a wasted life that dishonours the Father. Jesus put it this way: "He who saves his life shall lose it and he who loses his life for My sake shall find it." A believer who lives for himself or tries to produce fruit by his own merit loses the one opportunity he has to honour the Father. Instead of growing in grace and maturing in the faith he is thrown aside as an unfruitful branch and his opportunity to live for Christ withers away. 

The believer who loses his life for Christ by abiding in Him, will find his life to be fruitful and will produce much fruit to the glory of God. Every Christian's work will one day be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire. God is a consuming fire and He will try every man's work by fire to see if it was fruitful or not. Those that produce spiritual fruit by abiding in Christ shall receive a reward. Those that do not produce spiritual fruit by not abiding in Christ shall suffer loss, and while they are still saved, their fruit is gathered up, thrown in the fire, and burned. Paul describes this Bema Seat Judgement: "Each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."

If as believers we abide in Him, the results will be good fruit-bearing which brings honour to God. If the believer chooses not to abide in Christ, or tries to produce fruit apart from the Vine, it will result in a barren Christian life. Every believer has to make their own decision but the consequences of our choices on earth will have both earthly and heavenly repercussions.

Heavenly Father, thank You that I have been saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus and am in eternal union with Him. Thank You that I can never lose my salvation, but help me remember there are consequences to choosing not to abide in You. Please help me walk in spirit and truth, abiding in Christ and producing much fruit, to Your praise and glory. This I ask in Jesus' name, AMEN.