…and how firm your faith in Christ is.
Summary: A firm faith in Christ results in good fruit for the Kingdom of God. Jesus is the reason for our faith and the source of everything good.
There is a passage in John that comes to mind as I read Paul’s final words in verse five. In it, Jesus says:
“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.” (John 15:5)
In this quote from the Lord, Jesus explains how faith works. If this were “Three Second Bible” instead of “Three Minute Bible,” I would stop here. But it’s not. So, in the remaining two minutes and fifty-seven seconds, let’s take a closer look at what Jesus says.
The obvious connection to Jesus is where the branch (you and me) connects to the vine (Jesus). Jesus is the part of the plant that is rooted in the Father, and everything good, what plants would call “nutrients,” flows through Jesus. The connection between vine and branch is called “faith.”
If the connection is strong, lots of good nutrients flow from the vine into the branch. In the same way, if one’s faith is strong, life-giving spiritual nutrients flow through Jesus into our souls. A strong connection results in the spiritual discipline Paul admires in the Colossians.
But note the word “if.” Jesus says, “If you remain in me …”
The “if” is the part where faith becomes active. We have to choose to trust Jesus. We choose to remain in him. Being a “branch” of the vine is a choice for believers.
Jesus is talking about what we accomplish as believers. When he says “apart from me you can do nothing,” he is not talking about mowing the yard or going shopping. Jesus always draws a distinction between doing the Father’s will and everything else.
And what is the Father’s will? Isn’t it to love God above all else and our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40)? If we are going to do that, we need to remain in Jesus. When we do, the love of God flows into us through the vine, Jesus. As we are filled with God’s love, we bear fruit.
Unfortunately, not everyone appreciates good fruit. Jesus goes on to note that the “world,” is filled with hate (John 15:18-25). The focus of that hate is Jesus and all who believe in him. Don’t expect the world to applaud your fruit, but Jesus will.
Application: Remain in Jesus. Cling tight to the vine of Life.
Food for Thought: How are faith and discipline related?
Faith and discipline are closely correlated. For a muscle to grow, it needs exercise. This means I need discipline to go to the gym or hit the weights or go on that hike to get the exercise. The muscle doesn’t grow unless I have the will to make it happen. The same is true for our faith. The more I exercise it the more I have. But I also need to be intentional in knowing God’s word, prayer, worship, service, etc. to put that faith into practice. Faith without discipline is like a gym without weights.
1 Corinthians 9: 24 – 27: Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27But I discipline my body and keep it under control,b lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Thank you, Brother!
The “gym without weights” analogy is an interesting one! 🙂
How are faith and discipline related?
If we have faith, but lack the discipline to act on faith, our faith is dead. Jesus (the man) was a man of faith, and He was a man of action. It took faith and discipline to resist the Devil in the wilderness. It took faith and discipline to travel and teach and heal. Jesus showed us that having faith, and the discipline to resist sin, deny self, and act on our faith enables God to work through us.
James 2:14-17
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Thank you, Chris!
The “discipline” in your illustration of Jesus in the wilderness represents an important part of the word. Sometimes discipline is seen in what we don’t do just as much as what we do.
How are faith and discipline related?
Great comments!
Both are acts of love coming from God for our benefit.
Romans 10:17, So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Ephesians 2:8, For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
Hebrews 12:7-8, It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
Hebrews 12:11, For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Nice, Ron!
Words have so many interesting uses! Faith and discipline can be internal, or they can be gifts from God. In the end, each view of these words draws us closer to God’s will.