by Sulad Jhun Cardeinte
Let's examine one of most important verses in the Bible- John 15:5
Jesus says, "I am the vine, and you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me."
Here, Jesus portrays Himself as the vine, the source of nourishment and life, while His followers are the branches that depend on Him for sustenance and productivity. This parable of the vine and the branches suggests that without a vital connection to Christ, believers are incapable of achieving meaningful spiritual growth and effectiveness.
Without abiding in Christ, there can be no victory. It means to say that without Christ, we cannot produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit which is in Galatians 5:22,23. Which says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 gentleness, and self-control…”
Now, let's look what the Spirit of Prophecy says about this. Ellen White emphasizes the transformative power of Christ in changing our hearts and the need to maintain a connection with Christ.
In the book Steps to Christ page 62 it says "More than this, Christ changes the heart. He abides in your heart by faith. You are to maintain this connection with Christ by faith and the continual surrender of your will to Him; and so long as you do this, He will work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure."
Here, we see a parallel theme with John 15:5. Both passages emphasize the importance of abiding in Christ and maintaining a connection with Him.
In John 15:5, Jesus speaks of staying, remaining or abiding in Him, and in the book, Steps to Christ, Ellen White mentions maintaining the connection with Christ by faith and surrendering one's will to Him.
Both passages highlight the idea that apart from Christ, we are incapable of true spiritual fruitfulness. In John 15:5, Jesus states that apart from Him, we can do nothing. Similarly, Ellen White suggests that as long as we maintain our connection with Christ and surrender our will to Him, He will work within us, enabling us to align our desires and actions with His good pleasure.
Both John 15:5 and Ellen White emphasize the vital importance of remaining connected to Christ, acknowledging our dependence on Him, and surrendering our will to the Holy Spirit. Because apart from Christ, we are incapable of producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Apart from Christ, we are incapable of fulfilling God's purposes in our lives. Thank you so much. God bless you.
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John (Saturday, 02 March 2024 19:10)
I wish to take this time to say a big thank you for the great work you are doing to help some of us.
Thank you from Papua New Guinea ��
Kelly John (Sunday, 03 March 2024 04:42)
It is my pleasure feeling reading
Taurai Mutsvunguma (Friday, 08 March 2024 09:53)
Thank you so much for the word of God I'm really blessed for south Africa