In the book of John, Jesus used “I am” statements to refer to himself. He used imagery that people were familiar with to explain salvation. In John 15, Jesus describes himself as the vine and the disciples are branches. This was used to explain their relationship. When Jesus told his disciples to abide, this wasn’t a suggestion but a command.

John 15:4-5
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. ⁵ 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.

The word abide means to lodge, remain, dwell and endure (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia). In the original Greek language, this word is translated to menō – ‘to tarry, not depart, to continue to be present’ (Strong’s lexicon, 2025). Abiding in Jesus Christ isn’t passive but an active decision that we make. What does it look like to abide in Him?

1. Intimacy.

The vine and the branch are not separated but are connected.  This speaks of intimacy, a togetherness or oneness. Jesus already made it possible for them to draw near. It was now up to them to respond and choose Him. “Abide in me, and I in you” was (and is) an invitation to know Jesus and for Him to dwell in us. As mentioned earlier, abide means to ‘continue to be present’. In other words, this isn’t a casual thing, where we come and go as we please. Instead, we remain not just once but continuously.

John 15:4
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. 

For any relationship to grow, it requires two people who are willing to spend time together. After a while, two people begin to mirror each other without realizing it. For example, in a friendship, they may share the same mannerisms, humour, slang and even style. It doesn’t mean that they don’t have their own identity, but they begin to rub off on each other.

Similarly, if we abide in Jesus, we will become like Him. It will become evident to others that we have been with him because we do not think or speak like the world does. Abiding in Christ is one of the ways we can glorify the Father (John 15:8) because when we bear fruit, it testifies of His power at work in us.

One of the practical ways that we can build intimacy is by reading God’s word. It might seem monotonous, but God’s word is an expression of who He is. It’s how we can get to know Him – character, standards, what pleases or grieves Him etc. As we remain in His word (meditate) and His word also remains in us, it renews our mind and brings conviction to our hearts. That is when our desires are purified, prayers change and our will becomes aligned with His will. 

2. Dependancy.

Have you ever picked up a branch that was lying on the ground. What might you notice? It probably looked lifeless, dry, weak or brittle. Maybe, there was fruit attached to it but overtime the fruit rots and the leaves wither. The reason why is because the branch is no longer connected to its source where it can receive life and refreshment. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches – we cannot sustain ourselves.

John 14:5
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.

Here, Jesus used the analogy of the vine and the branch to illustrate salvation. He wanted them to understand that for them to produce the fruit of righteousness, they needed to have faith in Christ. In other words, salvation was not by their own works but rather by trusting in His finished work. Abiding in the Jesus Christ reminds us to depend on Him completely and not rely on ourselves. In the same way a branch cannot bear any fruit without abiding in the vine, neither can we unless we abide in the Jesus (the true vine).

This can be hard to accept especially in a world where we’re tempted to boast in what we can do on our own accord. We become self-sufficient instead of fully dependent. This leads to striving because we want to produce fruit or at least look like it. After a while, we can become exhausted and burnt out. Jesus doesn’t want us to perform or prove a point; He wants us to stay close to Him. The antidote for feeling spiritually dry or weak is to abide in Him. If we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (James 4:8).  

3. Maturity.

Even though abiding in Christ involves Jesus and his disciples, we cannot ignore the Father’s involvement. Jesus likens the Father to the vinedresser. The role of the vinedresser is to shape the plant to look a certain way. Similarly, the Father removes branches and prunes them so that we look like His son. The end goal is to conform to the image of Christ.

John 15:2
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 

The first part seems obvious. It would make sense to remove branches that are not producing fruit or considered dead weight, as this can hinder growth. But pruning is different. Pruning is a delicate practice because the wrong cut can affect the health of the plant. If you cut too little, things fester and contaminate the plant. On the other hand, if you cut too much, the plant might not respond well. However, if you cut just enough, it encourages growth and redirection. This is a beautiful picture of how gentle the Father is when He is cleansing (sanctifying) us.

If we’re honest, it’s during the pruning that abiding can become hard. When the Father starts to discipline or refine us, it can be painful or uncomfortable. The Father might remove branches that are ‘part of us’ or we’ve become comfortable with but doesn’t bear fruit. There might be fruit in our lives, and He prunes because He wants us to grow more.

Even when we think we’ve arrived – there is still more that He can do in us. It’s in these moments that we have a choice to make. Will we abide (remain) in the vine even when it gets hard? Will we allow the Father to do what He needs to do in us? Will we endure the process so that we can bear fruit that is mature and will last?

Abiding is key to having a strong and thriving relationship with God. If we remain connected to Jesus, we will always bear fruit. The Father waters and cultivates us so that we can bring Him glory. Although the Holy Spirit is not mentioned. Please remember, that He is with us so that we can walk just as Jesus walked.

God bless,
Susan